New African Voices Are Born
This is exactly why we do what we do. This process simply reinvigorated me to make sure we do all we can to make sure Africa artists have the support and guidance they need to reach their fullest potential. Please watch the video and get a taste of the special experience that was the Almasi African Playwrights Conference.
From the 3rd to the 13th of January 2018, Almasi Collaborative Arts presented the Almasi African Playwrights Conference at Zimbabwe German Society. The 10-day intensive had 3 playwrights collaborating with local directors and actors in further developing new Zimbabwean work. The process was led by Visiting American Artist, Alice Tuan with 2017 Walter Muparutsa Fellow Gideon Jeph Wabvuta serving as a dramaturg. The Conference culminated in free public staged readings of the new Zimbabwean work. Varied in style and subject matter, all the three plays enjoyed a good audience turnout. Four staged readings were presented:
The Prophet by Patrick Miller: The play deals with issues of monetized Christianity, sexuality and power struggles. An intense post-performance discussion followed the reading.
Please Try Again Later by Rudo Mutangadura: Set in a kombi, the play deals with the African female’s self-possession, migrant labor, xenophobia and marital relationships as is affected by the African diaspora phenomena. A robust post-performance discussion followed the reading.
Am I African by Farai Mabeza: The play’s central themes focus on African identity as is linked to land, race and land ownership in a post-colonial modernity. A deeply engaged post-performance discussion followed the reading.
Family Riots by Gideon Jeph Wabvuta: The play, set in 1998 Zimbabwe during the infamous food riots, navigates the delicate terrain of traditions, spirituality, religion, and marriage for a family living in fast-changing times. An enthusiastic post-performance discussion followed the reading.
Stuck in the Mud
by Rudo Mutangadura
Afew years ago I attended a meeting in Chitungwiza. There were four of us in the car; all women. We parked the little white Vitz in the make-shift car park and went into the meeting which lasted two hours. And then it rained. After the meeting, we all piled into the car and tried to leave. The engine was running, the wheels were turning but the car would just not move. The building was on a wetland and the makeshift car park was now a veritable swamp... CONTINUE READING
It Was Just Like Climbing a Mountain
by Farai Siebert Mabeza
The way my year started should have been a sign of things to come. To mark the beginning of 2018 I went mountain climbing (it was my first time and I instantly got hooked); My hike early on the morning of January 1st, 2018 took me up the Jenya mountain range in Mutasa district. It had everything; fear, anxiety, the adrenaline rush, and ultimately pure exhilaration. When I got to the top of the mountain I wanted to stay there forever... CONTINUE READING
Of Biblical Proportions and Zombie Eyes
by Patrick Miller
I took part in the previous Almasi African Playwrights Conference as an actor, so I knew there would be sleepless nights of rewrites. Nonetheless, after having gone through the playwrights' conference as a playwright, I can safely conclude that knowing something and experiencing something are worlds apart. Day one was great, it was a breeze, I thought I had it all together, I thought I knew my writing style and all that jazz... CONTINUE READING