Pieter-Dirk Uys is back in Grahamstown for the 39th National Arts Festival, full of life, wit and opinion.
Pieter-Dirk Uys is back in Grahamstown for the 39th National Arts Festival, full of life, wit and opinion.
He had two shows: in An Audience with Pieter-Dirk Uys, on Wednesday, he discussed his work and experiences and last night was his performance of Adapt or Fly at the Guy Butler Theatre in the Monument.
A sequel to his show, Adapt or Dye, a satire on the apartheid government of the 80s, Adapt or Fly is Uys’s opportunity to dig into the politicians of the current day by impersonating them in all their ridiculous glory.
Uys's victims include German chancellor Angela Merkel and President Jacob Zuma.
Arguably the most famous of Uys's incarnations, Evita Bezuidenhout, also makes an appearance.
Pieter-Dirk Uys was instrumental in the 1980s and 1990s in easing tensions through his work with Tannie Evita and her interactions with various politicians.
"She was exposing former enemies as future leaders. She was representative of the fear," Uys said in an interview with Grocott's Mail this week.
Uys interviewed Nelson Mandela in 1995 and this week he recalled Mandela's ability to win people over, as well as his diplomatic skills.
Mandela used his interview with Tannie Evita to deliver his New Year's message, speaking to the police.
"He knew that the police don't watch the news, because cops die on the news, but they watched Evita's rubbish. He was very clever," Uys said.
Uys recalls Madiba fondly and with respect for his interpersonal skills and his humanity.
"Mandela used humour to diffuse tensions. He loved celebrities. It made him closer to the people, more real."
