“Sarafiwe!” – a political satire written and produced by Jayshree Parasuramen and Lee Kunene – opens at Durban’s Rhumbelow Theatre at the weekend.
Directed by Ra Kunene, the production is a combination of film and theatre with sketches that promise to take its audience on a journey through post-apartheid South Africa.
Parasuramen said they aimed to entertain, but also provoke thought on issues affecting local communities.
“We started working on the production towards the end of last year and the beginning of this year. Lee and I wanted to tap into where we are today and how things are now in the country.
“Both of us reflected on race in the creative process – Lee as a black South African and me being Indian South African. We both reflected on our lives and what we thought would be relatable to the public when we put the script together. Of course, we took the mickey out of every political party and Parliament because it is a satire after all.”
Parasuramen said with Lee’s forte being film and with her theatre background, they wanted to use this through a multimedia theatre experience with visuals using film.
“We have used what we could take from Parliament and protest action which we captured on our own. This production will tackle everyday relatable situations. We take the audience on a journey through protest action, which has now become an experience that people go through daily in South Africa.
“So the characters start a call centre where you can call them and they will help you to stage a protest. They will guide you through it all and tell you everything that you need.
"We really take the mickey out of the things that people are protesting about. But while we look at these issues on a lighter note, we still wanted to educate the audience in terms of the anger and the frustration that communities are feeling and why they are resorting to this kind of protest action.”
One of the issues tackled is the rising fuel price.
“There is a caller who calls with regards to petrol and he wants to protest in the middle of Durban. So they give him advice about how petrol actually affects the whole economy and strategic tips for his protest. While they give the practical advice, he raises the question about the general public and they say it’s okay we are all in this together.”
Parasuramen said they would also tackle issues around water shortages, electricity outages, the struggle for better housing and education and unemployment.
“In our visuals, you will see us standing at the traffic lights and begging. It represents the younger generation indicating that we have no hope for tomorrow. We want to create awareness around this and also to say that it is time that the government starts to listen to the youth. They need the new energy in Parliament.
“We have taken all of those frustrations and we have packaged them in a light-hearted way. But while you laugh, the question that we need you to ask is: Are we laughing, or are we crying as South Africans right now? And that's the main theme of the play.”
She said they were staging at the Rhumbelow Theatre in Umbilo to help raise funds for the venue.
“They have had to close many of their satellite theatres as a result of the pandemic. The Umbilo theatre is the only one left. It is 150 years old and they do not have the money to keep its doors open. So we also want to create awareness around the space.”
Parasuramen said throughout the show’s run there they would do give-aways.
“We're giving away petrol vouchers at Sarafiwe! sponsored by Sunpark Sasol Garage. There are lots of sponsored vouchers for car washes, designer cakes, full-house spa treatments and more. It was our way of rebuilding KZN.”
Sarafiwe! stages from July 15 to 17 at The Rhumbelow Theatre with shows at 7pm on Friday and Saturday, and 2pm on Sunday. Tickets are R180 via Computicket or email roland@stansell.co.za
Food picnic baskets are allowed at this supper theatre set-up. No alcohol may be brought onto the premises, but there is a bar.
Sarafiwe! then moves on to stage at Sibaya Theatre from 29 to 31 July. For these shows tickets are R180 via ticketpros.co.za
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