adminThe annual festival began on Monday and ends on Saturday and is this year running under the theme, “Bulawayo Blooming”.
The play drew a crowd of about 150 people.
Mopho, a character played by Zenzo Nyathi, popularly known as Mzambane, drew laughter from the crowd when he confronted Sparks Mthembo, the businessman who wanted to marry his sister and said: “You men of power, you want to use women as you please, Yikho beliyalisa ukutshada.”
This was a jibe at Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his ongoing marriage battle with Locardia Karimatsenga Tembo and Nosipho Regina Shilubane.
The play started at 7.10pm with guests eagerly anticipating to witness a play that was written 24-years-ago being premiered at the festival.
The cast did not disappoint as it brought theatre arts to the fore with the themes of love, the struggles of a woman and societal oppression of women and the problems that are still dogging them in the 21st century.
Stitsha is a play about the struggles of a girl, Thuli, played by relatively unknown performing artiste, Qeqeshiwe Mntambo. Her father is played by renowned actor Memory Kumbota who is working in cahoots with her brother, Mopho to marry her off to a businessman.
Although she tried her best, the novice Mntambo had big shoes to fill in terms of stage work.
The theme of the oppression of women by society which wants them to be baby making machines and confined to the kitchen, was articulated well.
The stage play of Stitsha is a mixture of acting, dance and singing and the cast kept the crowd spellbound until the end.
At the end, Thuli ends up killing her brother Mopho after her lover Mbazo, who was played by Trevor Kanema, was stabbed by his friend.
In an interview after the show, National Arts Council vice chairperson, Nicholas Moyo, applauded the people of Bulawayo for turning up for the show.
He said it was good to see that the arts industry in the city was taking a step in the right direction.
“People came for the show and that is very encouraging. There is something new that is happening in the arts industry in Bulawayo and this is a step in the right direction. I was very impressed,” said Moyo.
However, he said people should be educated on the do’s and don’ts during a theatre production.
“There was a lot of chanting from the crowd and that disturbs the actor’s concentration. Organisers should educate people on what is expected of them before the show starts.
“This will avoid distractions from the crowd so that everyone enjoys themselves,” said Moyo.
Sihlangu Dlodlo, director of Qhube productions, the production house that directed Stitsha, said overall the cast worked very hard although there were mistakes here and there.
He said it was disappointing to note that Intwasa Festival was going on and no activity was pencilled for Amakhosi Cultural Centre.
“Intwasa Festival is happening in Bulawayo and we failed to recognise the only cultural centre in the country, Amakhosi. There is no activity at Amakhosi during the festival and as Bulawayo this is an insult to culture and the arts and we should be ashamed of ourselves,” said Dlodlo.
He said they did not have sufficient time to rehearse with the lights.
“I am excited with how the play went and the cast did a splendid job. The only downside were the lights; we did not get adequate time to work with the lighting. The lights were not enough yesterday and the gels were not there.
“There was a show today and we did not get time to rehearse with lights,” said Dlodlo.
He said the play took him down memory lane and he gave a thumbs up to the people involved in the production of Stitsha for working hard under the circumstances.
“This really took me on a nostalgic journey and it was a very good feeling. I want to thank the artistes who came together and worked hard in the play despite the circumstances they worked under. Most importantly I want to thank Cont Mhlanga for writing such a wonderful play that I believe is still one of the best plays to be written in Africa,” said Dlodlo.
He said he was proud of how Qeqeshiwe played the lead role of Thuli despite the fact that she was still a novice.
Her future in performing arts was bright, he said.
“The role was originally played on stage by Juliet Mpofu and the television drama was played by the late Beatar Mangethe.
“Most people know Stitsha on television but when we are talking about stage work Juliet played the part,” said Dlodlo.
Online Reporter