Isilwane Esimnyama: Theatre
Venue: Princess Alice
Next performance: Tuesday 1 July 18:00
Interview
By Sindisiwe Tshona
There was a pandemic in South Africa long before COVID, says writer-director Abednigo Dhlamini. Everyone was aware of it – it was in our homes. Dhlamini named it Isilwane Esimnyama.
His play explores gender-based violence as a worldwide, long-term, never-ending pandemic.
“In society many men are regarded as izilwane, as dogs. As a man, it means I am a dog, I’m a perpetrator in the society. So, we have izilwane in our families, where our fathers become those izilwane when the person that you trust can rape you.” said Dhlamini.
The play was inspired by the tragic killing of Uyinene Mrwetyana, who was raped and killed in a post office in Cape Town in 2019. “How come a girl can be raped in a post office when it should be a safe space?” Dhlamini asked.
The play urges the audience to connect to a prayer for this pandemic to stop.
Dhlamini implores us to become real men.
“Perpetrators, people who do such things … have already identified their targets. Through prayer, I want the audience to say I cannot be isilwane in my community. I cannot be isilwane in my home because there are consequences,” said Dhlamini.
Dhlamini, who is from Joburg, has been writing and directing since 2015. “Maybe this is the fourth or fifth play, written by myself,” he said. His writing has evolved over the years, from land struggles to GBV.
