Picture: The Buddies, The Bad poster
By OBAKENG MAJE
Only a few hours left before The Buddies, The Bad crew ascend to the stage to showcase their God-given talents at Mmabana Taung. The fictional play was written by a local writer and enthusiast of art, Kagiso Kai. According to Kai, the play speaks about oppression and the negative experiences community members are subjected to by the local traditional leaders.
Kai further said, there is a traditional system that prevails between traditional leaders and communities at large, especially in deep rural areas.
“In this play, one of the community members spoke about the negative experience he was subjected to by a traditional leader. However, in turn, he was fined a few cows for speaking his mind. Now, two characters depicting young people stood up against the unjust sanctioned by most traditional leaders.
“The aim was to reflect on the relationship most traditional leaders have with their community members and try to change the narrative. Through this play, we also want to empower our people by bringing hope,” he said.
Kai added that, the play brings the ‘message of hope’ and inspiration to many people by encouraging them to tell their own stories to the world without being negative about it.
“The play confronts the traditional system of tribal authorities and the oppression that is meted out to the communities, especially those who respect the culture. This is fiction and the reason why I came up with it, I’ve realized that, in most cases, writers will focus more on political stories.
“So, this is a breath of fresh air to bring something totally different to the fore. All in all, we have 24 individuals as part of the production team, including actors and extras. Due to financial constraints, some individuals had to double up their work to ensure that we deliver an exceptional project,” said Kai.
He said even though this is his first stage play as a writer, more projects are in the pipeline. Kai said they are planning to tour the region, province, and the country at large.
“We still trying to source funds so that we can put our dream into reality. We want to tell our own story in our own language to the world. This production team is doing exceptionally well. We also encourage the community members to support this initiative by buying tickets.
“We need a little bit of financial support and we hope the North West Arts, Culture Sport and Recreation will come on board. However, we should not wait for the government to give us support, but do it ourselves. As a country, we are faced with socio-economic challenges, especially in rural areas. However, we have individuals who can put compelling, meaningful, and resonant stories in quest of changing the tale.
“So, I call on all young people out there to channel their energies correctly. The play will run for three days and the entrance will only cost R80 for adults, while children will pay R40. The play will start at 6pm on 26 and 27 and at 3pm on 28 May 2023. We call on our community members to come out in numbers and watch Taung natural talents on display,” said Kai.
The Guardian 