Ganga Nyoko! Inzima Nyoko!, Theatre
Venue: Gymnasium, VGHS
Next performance: 29 June 10:00
Review
Aphiwe Ngowapi
“Ganga Nyoko! Inzima Nyoko!” is a phrase used by childhood friends Zithathele Dywili (played by Sibuyiselo Dywili) and Ivakele Mkumbuzi (played by Siyamthanda Bangani) to greet and converse with each other. The characters are inspired by the writer’s own friends, family, and experiences from the past.
This South African play looks at the close relationship between two young men as they struggle to be themselves. Set in the rural Eastern Cape in the early 2000s, the story brings up strong feelings and memories. It shows the tough challenges LGBTQI+ people face in a world that’s often against them.
Ivakele Mkumbuzi’s father (Xaba Mkumbuzi) does not approve of their son’s sexual orientation and would beat them up for it because “uyindoda”. Ivakele leaves the Eastern Cape after their matric and goes to become a medical doctor in Johannesburg, where they also become an activist for LGBTQI+ community. Dywili on the other hand, remains in the rural area.
When Mkumbuzi’s father passes away and they are forced to go back to the Eastern Cape, they meet their friend, Zithathele. The two friends catch up, talking about everything from the past, as well as things they have never previously spoken about.
When Mkumbuzi officially comes out to Dywili about his sexuality, Dywili uses religious, cultural, and societal or homophobic excuses for why their friend cannot be gay. In the rural areas, people won a prize for killing gay people and “there is a ladder that you climb in your manhood, so everyone is in the quest of killing someone,” says Dywili.
Spoiler alert: Dywili reveals to their friend how they were castrated because they were alleged to be gay, even when they were not. They realised that they were chased and beaten because they were mistaken for their friend, Mkumbuzi. This makes Dywili resent their friend, without even realising it.
Neither of them knew that there would come a point in their lives where one would say “Ganga imfihlelo yam” (translated to mean catch my secret) and it would be difficult for the other to accept it. The phrase, “Ganga Nyoko” now becomes the fate that promises to terminate their friendship.
