IHLOKA, a comedy drama written and produced by a Zimbabwean playwright based in South Africa, Mothusi Bashimane Ndlovu, will be staged in Bulawayo during the annual Ibumba Festival set for December 16 to December 22.
BY SHARON SIBINDI
The 90-minute comedy, which is a second episode of Madlela produced by Ndlovu, premiered at Hillbrow Theatre in South Africa, where a large section of the Zimbabwean community is based.
The drama tackles social issues which bedevil Zimbabweans residing in that country. Ndlovu, the brains behind Plum Media Productions, said the play is dedicated to the late Daniel Ncube who played the lead character, Mazinyane, in the first episode of the play, Madlela.
Ncube died early this year and his death prompted the scriptwriters to re-do the plot of the drama.
Speaking to NewsDay from his South African base, Ndlovu confirmed that the drama would be staged in Bulawayo during Ibumba Festival, an annual fiesta which brings together different arts groups around Matabeleland to showcase their artistic work.
“We are working on coming down to Bulawayo to showcase the drama and this will coincide with Ibumba Festival. We have already premiered it in South Africa and we hope that the Bulawayo community will embrace it in larger numbers compared to Hillbrow,” he said.
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The drama, Ndlovu said, is an educational piece exploring the daily hardships Zimbabweans face in South Africa.
“Madlela 2 (Ihloka) is about life in the flats of Jo’burg. It highlights the diverse Africans living in Hillbrow and their cultures,” he said.
“The comedy also exposes what lengths our people go and how low do they stoop to survive in this country.”
The drama also tackles the contentious issue of identity crisis and encourages people to appreciate where they come from.
The English and Ndebele drama comprises Zimbabwean actors based in South Africa. The cast includes Duduzile Msebele, Michael Mkhwananzi, Elvis Phiri, Mehlokazulu and Mothusi Ndlovu.
