adminThe play, aptly titled When Angels Weep, is among other major theatrical productions to be showcased at the week long festival.
The play, penned by award winning Blessing Hungwe who presented the famous play Burn Makwerekwere, will make its debut appearance at the festival.
In an interview, director of Intwasa Festival koBulawayo, Raisedon Baya said they were delighted to be showcasing the action packed play.
“After last year’s festival where we had a large turnout and a superb performance by the team that played Burn Makwerekwere we saw it fit to invite the same crew to showcase their new theatre production.
The play When Angels Weep is an intriguing play and will be among the major highlights of this year,” said Baya.
When Angels Weep sold out four performances at Hifa 2012 and played to full houses at the Dzimbahwe arts festival in Masvingo.
Playing a central role in the play is a character in the name of a 13-year-old Sarita who is sold into sexual bondage by her uncle, bringing her childhood to an unprecedented end.
The betrayal so monumental that it devastates the young girl, making her create a mechanism to enable her to survive the horror that had become her life.
Other girls keep on disappearing from the village without explanation.
When the brothel that she is enslaved in, is raided her world is once again plunged into chaos.
It is a story of a village that refuses to acknowledge evil amidst it and a woman or child whose stolen life cannot be re-built leaving angels with tears for a life unlived.
The play is timely, crafted to expose the reality of “lost youth, greed and family betrayal” as the country battles the scourge of child abuse through trafficking and child labour.
Featuring the amazing talents of Michael Kudakwashe, Priviledge Mutendera, Patrick Tembo, Brezhnev Guvheya, Rumbidzai Karize the play is a must watch that will leave the discerning watcher weeping alongside the angels.
In 2011, Hungwe’s play Burn Mukwerekwere Burn, dealt with xenophobia and When Angels Weep deals with one of Africa’s greatest taboos, sexual bondage.
The play will be showcased at one of Bulawayo’s premier arts carnivals by the festival team in conjunction with the British Council.
The Intwasa Festival koBulawayo will run from 18-22 September at seven different venues in the City of Kings.
Just like the Hifa, the festival seeks to bring about a jamboree of art disciplines ranging from music, comedy, theatre, poetry and contemporary dance.
Online Reporter
Bongani Ndlovu