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Sizwe Banzi is Alive
Sizwe Banzi is Alive

One text, one missing man, two actors, more than 5 interchanged characters = playfulness, spontaneity, intense physical characterisation, mime, laughter, silence, drama. The critics called it "the perfect mix of comedy, drama and suspense…” Nadia Pandit.

"Sizwe Banzi is Alive is a brave piece of theatre. Forty years on from the point at which Sizwe Banzi took over the identity of another man, that man’s past comes back to haunt him" Moira de Swardt.

"A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots" - Marcus Garvey.

“Through a startling lack of props and a bare stage, the cast effectively captures its audience as they bring to life the beautiful and equally heartbreaking tale of so many families of this country” Erin-Dianne Richards. “Wiseman Langa, a young man, your brother, your peer, searching for his past, your past and what makes it even more prickly is that Wiseman’s presence digs your own scab and suddenly the wound of your lost past, is fresh and bleeding again. The Director’s words, Eliot Moleba, suddenly surface as a face in the mirror, staring at you confrontationally, when he said “our relationship towards the past is a troubled one. We front ourselves to the world as a “Rainbow Nation” but truth be told – we are a wounded nation…” Mlindelwa Mahlangu. "It stands apart with its simplicity and honesty, like a photograph of one man's life…” Nadia Pandit.

The work is by new, fresh and young artists responding to these inherited challenges from the past. We feel this dialogue is important and relevant to foreground especially within a creative space where we are able to reflect as young people on how our past has played a role in shaping our contemporary socio-politically subjective identities.

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