Umbhobho – The Red Pipe, Theatre for Young People
Venue: Rehearsal Room, Monument building
Next performance: Wednesday 2 July 20:00
Review
By Ndalo Mbombo
“Bhuti ndiyeke, ndiyeke uzayi gqawula le penti le penti” is a song most of us sang while playing umshinxi ekasi. In this play, situated in the haunting context of statutory rape – the song sings of horror. Tshepiso (played by Mbali Mkhabela) and Liyema (played by Asamela Chauke), two teenage girls, invite us into their experience of a reality so familiar to young girls in South Africa. The director, Siphosethu Mankai, calls us back to our childhood moments and reminds us of the days when we would copy and paste homework from a friend’s workbook.
“Truth or dare, truth or dare” fills the theatre as we clap to the tune. Tshepiso dares Liyema to tell the truth, and out comes the story of Liyema’s 15-year-old younger sister who is dating her teacher. What started as a harmless joke turned into poor advice for her to date Mr Ntleki (played by Asamela Chauke) for his money without sleeping with him.
Tragically, Mr Ntleki forcefully takes the innocence of a 15-year-old girl. We witness him taint her life – a brutal act of taking away more than just her innocence and dignity. Her childhood is made all the more gruesome by the sound of a night in the wild as a low, continuous growl fills the room, contrasting with the gasps and sharp intake of shallow breaths.
Umbhobho – The Red Pipe is an immersive story told through audience interaction, games, tableaux, and physical movements to illustrate what young girls from disadvantaged backgrounds suffer at the hands of predator males who masquerade as men of honour in society. Through humour, the production reminds us of the innocence and the bliss of teenage friendships, but it also shows how dangerous teenagers can be when they spread rumours and make assumptions about one another.
This is another production relevant in today’s discussion that will have you feeling and reflecting far beyond the theatre stage. It’s bound to start conversations across age groups. Mothers, sisters and little girls should gather around and use this story to have meaningful conversations. Fathers, brothers, and sons should gather and build on the conversation and think of ways to bring about change.
