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Tonderai Zvimba, Showbiz Reporter
PLAYWRIGHT and director Thembelihle Moyo’s I Want to Fly play has been featured in the Contemporary plays by African Women compilation book which has seven contemporary plays by the finest African women writers from across the continent.
The book that was published by Methuen Publishing in the United Kingdom in January offers a rich and diverse portrait of identity, politics, culture, gender issues and society in contemporary Africa.
It is available online on Google Books.
“I Want to Fly” tells the story of an African girl who wants to be a pilot. It also looks at how patriarchal society shapes the thinking of men regarding lobola (bride price), how women endure abusive men and the role society at large plays in these issues.
The playwright, who is a former Amakhosi Theatre student, said: “I was so honoured when my play was selected to be in this book among other great plays by some of the finest playwrights on the continent.
“I’m inspired by what I see in society and I reflect it in my plays. In “I Want to Fly”, the main theme is patriarchy which is still taking place today in our society,” said Moyo.
Thembelihle, whose writing skills were honed by veteran playwright Cont Mhlanga, has written and directed TV dramas for the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe and ZBC including “Isipho Sami” and “Sibahle Nje!”
“I Want to Fly”, which is her first play, premiered at Amakhosi plays on Sunday in 2012 and went on to premiere in Cape Town at the Women Playwrights International Conference in 2015. This year, the playwright has a play titled, “I Want to Dance” which is set to premiere in Philadelphia, USA under the Pulley and Button Hole Theatre company in America. She has also completed work on another ZBC drama titled, “Ezako Matshelela that is expected to start airing soon.
Online Reporter