By MKHOKHELI ZIBENGWA
BULAWAYO theatre lovers are in for a treat this April as Bambelela Arts Ensemble (BAE), will on 12 April perform their full length play titled "WITHOUT A STATE" at th Bulawayo Theatre.
"Without a State" is a theatre production that tackles causes and effects of being stateless.The play asks questions the living arrangements of thousands living on the margins due to discriminatory laws. It fuses a number of storytelling techniques while addressing sensitive issues that people are at times scared to talk about.
It is estimated that 300 000 people in Zimbabwe are stateless. This is as a result of a variety of reasons.
These range from being unregistered migrant workers, being descendants of such, being born by parents who don’t have proper identification documentation and other citizenship laws which are discriminatory in nature.
Speaking to BANO NEWS in an interview, BAE Director Witness Tavariswa said, "Set in Zimbabwe at the registrar’s offices, it (the play) discourses a global problem which mainly affects the poor and those who are not well connected. The play takes one back memory lane and invokes some old realities some sensitive and too sad to be concealed. It highlights the history of migrant workers and the status core of their descendents. While the play is based on a gloom subject matter, it has a couple of lighter moments."
"The play is inspired by a report by Amnesty International, Zimbabwe statelessness report _WE ARE LIKE STRAY ANIMALS_," said Tavariswa.
Produced by BAE, the play was written and directed by the multi-award winning versatile playwright/director Nelson Mapako who has been practicing community theatre for 22 years.
Tavariswa said Bulawayo should expect a mouth-watering and informative show.
"It had been long the Ensemble hadn’t done a full length theatre production in the city. This time around The Ensemble is coming out with all guns blazing with a master piece entitled Without A Sate. So All theatre enthusiasts and potential theatre lovers should come out in large numbers expecting a good run for their money because on the 12th of April 2024 Bulawayo Theatre will be on fire."
"Without A State features a cast of cream de’ la cream and seasoned creatives whose experience ranges from two to four decades of serious Edutainment business. The line up includes none other than Josphat Ndlovu, Leonard Phiri, Bongelani Ncube and Nomvelo Marvellous Bhehane," said Tavariswa.
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