Gcina Mhlophe struts her stuff in Bloem!
By Flaxman Qoopane
Dr. Gcina Mhlophe, an award winning storyteller, poet, director, playwright and performer wowed the Free State with her considerable talents in September (2008). She was invited to do storytelling at Botlehadi Primary School in Mangaung townships.
Molaodi Matobako, co-ordinator East Region from the Mangaung Library Services had said: “In celebration of Literacy Week, the Mangaung Local Municipality jointly with the Mangaung Library Services invited the renowned storyteller Gcina Mhlophe to Bloemfontein to raise public awareness of literacy among our children by telling some of her wonderful African tales at Botshabelo Library, Wilgehof Primary School, Fitchard Park library and at Botlehadi Primary School”.
The staff and learners at Botlehadi Primary School, officials from the Free State Department of Education, the South African Police Services and the representatives from the following sponsors: Shoprite/Checkers, Vodacom, Netcare, Pelonomi Private Hospital, Maskew Miller Longman Free State could not hide their excitement at seeing Mhlope live, taking the stage! Indeed she was warmly welcomed by the audience.
She thanked the Mangaung Library Services for inviting her to the Free State to showcase her skills as a storyteller. She emphasized the importance of Literacy Week. “Ideally, it is about reading and writing in all our languages” she pointed out. She shared some of her stories with the audience.
During the occasion, Kananelo Rabele, a Grade One learner at the school read from a book Ntja ya ka (“My dog”) to her school mates in celebration of Literacy Week.
During the programme, the school choir led by teacher Ruta Moses, rendered several songs. A group of Mohobelo Cultural Group entertained the crowd with Sesotho dances. Another cultural group that took part at the event was Tshwaraganang Cultural Group. Invited guests ate and drank traditional food and African beer.
Donald Bojang, Regional Manager of the Maskew Miller Longman in the Free State said: “On behalf of Maskew Miller Longman Publishers, I have brought a box of reading books for Botlehadi Primary School,” The books were handed over to Lucas Mlamleli, the School Principal, by Gcina Mhlophe – the lady of the moment!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
THE SUBTLE TRANSGRESSOR
A trenchant play
Review by Peter Moroe
Play: The Subtle transgressor
Author: Omoseye Bolaji
Publisher: Eselby Junior Publications (South African edition)
The Subtle transgressor is a powerful drama, shocking in some respects and with convincing (grassroots) dialogue the author is noted for. The play addresses a number of social issues in this our increasingly sophisticated world. Alas as society advances it appears the moral fibre continues to be undermined. It is a reality we have to face.
The pressures assailing the young can be clearly seen in this play – especially young ladies. They become aware of their sensuality and attractiveness to members of the opposite sex; they have their own desires and foibles; for those from rather poor backgrounds (as the protagonist Kate is) the pressures multiply even further. There are many men and “boys” out there ready to take advantage of them, realizing their vulnerability.
Needless to say a young woman (note that the play focuses not only on Kate but her two close female friends too) must “take care of herself” – she needs the basics, including toiletries; nowadays many of them hanker for “airtime” “credit” for their mobile phones. The “sugar daddies” swoop in also. It goes on and on.
In this play Kate’s father Job initially comes across as a man battling against odds to “discipline” his daughter, maybe teach her some values in life. That he goes as far as stabbing her (!) smacks of some sort of desperation. In the modern world with so many rights, this could have led to punitive measures for him if Kate had for example reported the matter to the Police. But she does not.
Hence we realize that there is some sort of intriguing relationship between Kate and her father Job. Other characters like the loquacious “Uncle” contribute to the particular ambience of the play. Kate certainly seems to understand her father well – a man who frowns upon his daughter’s closeness not only to “boys” but also to her best female friends. There can be no possibility that Kate would desert her friends. Or vice versa.
As characteristic of Omoseye Bolaji’s fiction it is only at the end of the play that we realize that Job has been abusing his own daughter sexually since she was a kid! This extraordinary revelation is presented quite convincingly with Job being utterly humiliated, but hardly punished for his deeds. We now realize that he is doubly guilty of abuse – not only has he stabbed her with a knife, but had abused her sexually throughout her young life.
Job is the ultimate hypocrite: his trenchant outbursts - claiming he is “principled” and only out to foment discipline in his daughter assumes a very hollow ring. He is a villain: an authentic subtle transgressor. And what about his poor abused daughter? Is it not likely that she would always feel inadequate, somewhat depressed and traumatized? Under the circumstances we can only but admire her feisty attitude and character.
We live in an age where the young ones (particularly females) are subjected to terrible things. We are not only thinking of rape or domestic abuse at home, but with increased reports of “date rapes” – e.g the male “spiking” the drinks of a female to render her unconscious and then going on to rape her; sometimes with a gang rape of the hapless female taking place… it seems as society becomes more advanced women become even more vulnerable.
The subtle transgressor tries to address some of these societal problems from what one might call the “tap root” – incest perpetrated by a father on his own daughter. In other words a dysfunctional background for a young female – what prize that this traumatic experience would not follow her around even as she grows up?
Review by Peter Moroe
Play: The Subtle transgressor
Author: Omoseye Bolaji
Publisher: Eselby Junior Publications (South African edition)
The Subtle transgressor is a powerful drama, shocking in some respects and with convincing (grassroots) dialogue the author is noted for. The play addresses a number of social issues in this our increasingly sophisticated world. Alas as society advances it appears the moral fibre continues to be undermined. It is a reality we have to face.
The pressures assailing the young can be clearly seen in this play – especially young ladies. They become aware of their sensuality and attractiveness to members of the opposite sex; they have their own desires and foibles; for those from rather poor backgrounds (as the protagonist Kate is) the pressures multiply even further. There are many men and “boys” out there ready to take advantage of them, realizing their vulnerability.
Needless to say a young woman (note that the play focuses not only on Kate but her two close female friends too) must “take care of herself” – she needs the basics, including toiletries; nowadays many of them hanker for “airtime” “credit” for their mobile phones. The “sugar daddies” swoop in also. It goes on and on.
In this play Kate’s father Job initially comes across as a man battling against odds to “discipline” his daughter, maybe teach her some values in life. That he goes as far as stabbing her (!) smacks of some sort of desperation. In the modern world with so many rights, this could have led to punitive measures for him if Kate had for example reported the matter to the Police. But she does not.
Hence we realize that there is some sort of intriguing relationship between Kate and her father Job. Other characters like the loquacious “Uncle” contribute to the particular ambience of the play. Kate certainly seems to understand her father well – a man who frowns upon his daughter’s closeness not only to “boys” but also to her best female friends. There can be no possibility that Kate would desert her friends. Or vice versa.
As characteristic of Omoseye Bolaji’s fiction it is only at the end of the play that we realize that Job has been abusing his own daughter sexually since she was a kid! This extraordinary revelation is presented quite convincingly with Job being utterly humiliated, but hardly punished for his deeds. We now realize that he is doubly guilty of abuse – not only has he stabbed her with a knife, but had abused her sexually throughout her young life.
Job is the ultimate hypocrite: his trenchant outbursts - claiming he is “principled” and only out to foment discipline in his daughter assumes a very hollow ring. He is a villain: an authentic subtle transgressor. And what about his poor abused daughter? Is it not likely that she would always feel inadequate, somewhat depressed and traumatized? Under the circumstances we can only but admire her feisty attitude and character.
We live in an age where the young ones (particularly females) are subjected to terrible things. We are not only thinking of rape or domestic abuse at home, but with increased reports of “date rapes” – e.g the male “spiking” the drinks of a female to render her unconscious and then going on to rape her; sometimes with a gang rape of the hapless female taking place… it seems as society becomes more advanced women become even more vulnerable.
The subtle transgressor tries to address some of these societal problems from what one might call the “tap root” – incest perpetrated by a father on his own daughter. In other words a dysfunctional background for a young female – what prize that this traumatic experience would not follow her around even as she grows up?
Monday, September 1, 2008
Gomolemo Mokae: Medical Doctor cum accomplished writer
Medical Doctor cum accomplished writer
By F. Qoopane
Dr. Gomolemo Mokae is well known for his writings, both in English and his mother tongue, Setswana. Recently this writer caught up with him and briefly probed him on his contributions to arts and culture.
Mokae has published the following novels Masego and Kaine le Abel, in Setswana. The novel, Masego, won the 1994 African Heritage Literary Award, and became runner-up in the 1994 M-net Book Prize. His other novel Kaine le Abel won the 1995 African Heritage Literary Award. His most famous English novel is The secret in my bosom.
In August 1995, Dr Mokae became a joint winner of the Betrams VO Literature of Africa Award, together with Lazarus Miti – an African languages lecturer at the Swaziland University. They shared the R15 000 prize.
As a short story writer, Dr. Mokae has published short stories in numerous local and overseas magazines. His short story, The Good Women do won a prize in a competition run by the National Arts Coalition in 1994. He has published a collection of his short stories – Short not tall stories; and also Nnete ke Serunya, a Setswana short story anthology.
Dr. Mokae has also written many plays; his stage play, The way the cookie crumbles reached the finals of the 1993 Amstel Playwright of the Year contest. His other dramas, Gaabo Motho and Lisenetheni were screened for TV drama on SABC 2.
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