Drama for Life takes to the stage for its third year
February 12, 2010 – HIV/Aids and education programme Drama for Life held the official launch of its 2010 Scholars at the Wits Theatre on February 11, 2010.
The evening celebrated the achievements of the Drama for Life (DFL) programme over its past two years of operation and looked forward to further success in 2010. It also provided the opportunity to welcome the new intake of scholars and wish them well for the year ahead.
DFL Programme Manager Munyaradzi Chatikobo said, “This is an important event not only because it coincides with 20th anniversary of the release of Nelson Mandela and the opening of Parliament in Cape Town; it is an important event in the development and growth of Drama for Life.”
Chatikobo took the opportunity to thank the programme’s sponsors and partners, GTZ, Goethe-Institut, DeD, UCLA Make Art/Stop Aids, NRF, SATi and Wits for their support.
According to DFL Programme Director Warren Nebe, DFL is a way to bring people from across the continent together and create dialogue across borders while challenging our understanding of what the arts can do.
“This is the third year that we have managed to find a way to build this programme into something that is truly living,” he said.
Nebe went on to welcome the group of 15 new scholars to Wits: “This is a diverse group of people with a wide range of experience that they bring to the table and I hope that this mix will ignite some creative research this year.”
2008 DFL graduate Selloane Mokuku (Lesotho) spoke at the launch and wished all the students well. She touched on how the programme has presented her with the opportunity to use the dramatic arts to create dialogue and awareness about HIV/Aids in Lesotho.
“I appreciate the unique way that DFL is setting the agenda for change,” she said.
Mokuku encouraged the new scholars to use the programme to build networks with others who are ready to explore the opportunities for robust engagement that the dramatic arts present.
The official opening ended with a short speech by Dr Mothomang Diaho, Head of the Dialogue Programme at Nelson Mandela Foundation (NMF).
“Today we celebrate with the rest of the world and we remember the work we have done and what is still to be done,” said Diaho. “We [the NMF and DFL] do work that is important – getting right into the bellies of communities – and I wish you great work and great experiences this year.”
After the formalities, the 2009 DFL graduates staged two performances: The Trial of the Senior Citizen and Games we Play.
The Trial of the Senior Citizen, an interactive play directed by Bhekilizwe Bernard Ndlovu, presents a mock trial of a Zimbabwean statesmen to get the audience thinking critically about human rights violations in the Southern African country and the effect this has had on the spread of HIV/Aids.
The Games We Play explores themes of HIV/Aids through a contemporary reading of traditional Zimbabwean dance.
To view a full PDF transcript of Selloane Mokuku’s speech please click here.