Let the children play

and Young People at the Zimbabwe College of Music in Harare with a three-hour programme of theatre performed by children and young people from its centres in Bindura, Norton, Domboshava, Harare and Chitungwiza.
The day is marked on March 20 under the leadership of ASSITEJ International.
The theatre programme of the day was a fascinating diversity of plays in Shona and English driven by story telling, music, dance, poetry and muppetry.
Chipawo effectively used the celebrations to demonstrate its approach of introducing to children, as young as three years old, a wide diversity of performing art forms that can be used to produce theatre that is easy to understand as discussed in one of the international messages written Orna Porat.
In the international message, Orna Porat states: “In children’s theatre, the young audience encounters not only a familiar reality but also a new and still unfamiliar one.
“They absorb refreshing impressions and discover new possibilities – the formation of a new experience.
“The theatre deepens and enriches the child’s sensitivity by means of the reviewed encounter with a familiar, close world that is known to him.
“The theatre deepens the child’s horizons by helping him to soar on the wing of imagination to unknown distant, strange and enchanted worlds.”
What pleasing about the show, was the attitude of young theatre artistes to both the audience and the stage, which they took with freedom driven by desire to play theatre.
They seemed quite clear that theatre was a tool for expressing their views and to enjoy the opportunity of creating what their fellow children and youth enjoyed enormously as shown by loud hand-clapping, ululation, whistles, laughter, joyful yells and chants.
As expected in such programmes, the three-year-olds always steal the show.
This time it was the dramatisation of well-known folk tales which constituted the plays presented by the pre-school centres that showed that these infants had been appropriately introduced to the concept of the theatre.
This was amply demonstrated by the play “Mabiko” by children from Little Angels Pre-School Centre where a baboon family invites a hare family for a party.
When the baboon family arrives and having walked on their fours, they are sent to the river to wash their “hands”.
After going to the river several times, the family is sent home hungry because they could not come to the meal with clean hands.
When the baboon family invites the hare family to their own party, the hare family is unable to join the party that is being held on the top branches of a big tree because they cannot climb trees.
The hare family goes home very disappointed but having learnt a lesson “to do to others what you would like them to do to you”.
This was very enjoyable theatre by three-year-olds who were very confident of their portrayal of animals and who spoke with conviction and purpose that made it clear that they knew that they were telling a story they understood and enjoyed telling.
The other play featuring the three-year-olds was “Tsuro Darika Mutanda” by Waterland Pre-School Centre where the young actors exhibited very strong will to execute what they had rehearsed even when many of them were overwhelmed by audiences that they forgot their lines and cues and became enthusiastic audience to their own play while still on the stage.
It was clear that the happy responses they got from the audience was itself the theatre they were creating even it lasted for few minutes and was difficult to execute.
Another play based on a traditional folk tale was “Tsime” performed by the Zengeza 4 School centre.
The primary schoolchildren effectively used traditional dances to dramatise the folk tale and to give it their own interpretation.
The bulk of the short plays on the programme of the World Day of Theatre for Children and Young People were plays Chipawo had been commissioned since 1990 to create and perform for corporations and organisations, about their products.
There were also plays Chipawo created for various UN agencies on different subjects, campaigns and commemoration of international days as well as for the launch of programmes and reports.
Among these plays were “Sabhuku and the Book” performed by Pathways Centre of Chitungwiza; “A Step Ahead” by Marlborough Primary School Centre; “King and Aids” by SOS Social Centre of Bindura; “Babies of the World” by Harare Junior and Youth Theatre; and “Micro King” by St Eric’s School Centre in Norton. Dramatisation of the “Children’s Charter for Africa” was done by the Salvation Army School Centre of Bindura and the Chogugudza Primary School Centre of Domboshava.
Other plays performed were those written for and performed at International Children’s Theatre Festival held in Lingen, Germany, which included “Chipo and the Bird” performed by the Harare Junior Theatre and “Mutongi Gava” performed by the St Michael’s Centre of Mbare. Alfred Beit School Centre performed “The African Child”, which was first performed at the commemoration of the Day of the African Child.
The play presents the African child challenging the adult society to remove actions that undermine their growth into adults that are able to develop Africa into a continent of prosperity and peace.
The SOS Children’s Village Centre in Bindura performed the play “Chibhomutiti” which is a traditional tale about the protection of the environment.
The play features music and muppets, in the same way Shiriyedenga Primary School Centre presented their play “The Four Gure Dancers” and “Jeko Rangu” by Farai School Centre of Chitungwiza.
Although some of the pre-school children were initially scared by muppets, the third time the muppets appeared on the stage the fear had been replaced by pleasant curiosity and fascination.
Roosevelt Girls’ High School Centre with their play “The Ups and Downs of A Woman” represented theatre for the youth. The play commented on adult society and presented challenges the girl child faces at entrance into adulthood.
The high school girls demonstrated in their performance of “dinhe” dance that if properly introduced, traditional dances can be a very appealing performing art form to high school youths.
Other youths who participated in the programme where the Rusununguko BCMC centre that gave a polished performance of the harvest dance “Mbakumba” and the warriors’ victory dance, “Muchongoyo”.
The excitement at the celebrations was hightened by the performances of intricate and energetic contemporary dances by guest artistes, the Shabach Dance Factory and by the Chipawo arts educators.
Also captivating were poetic recitals and music on mbira and keyboard by the Savanna Afros.
Their piece “Poetry Theatre for Children” was an eloquent tribute to those who create theatre for children and young people.
l Stephen Chifunyise is one of Zimbabwe’s perspective playwrights he can be contacted on [email protected]