Kwasukasukela : a practical exploration of Nguni oral storytelling traditions on contemporary physical forms of storytelling for theatre

Abstract

The present study is a written explication of the production Kwasukasukela created and staged by the author in September 2001. The production involved a practical exploration of the impact of the Nguni storytelling tradition on contemporary physical form of storytelling for theatre. In the introduction, the terms of the study: the Nguni storytelling tradition and contemporary physical forms of storytelling, are defined. The theoretical proposal is then laid out, followed by a performance historical context for the study focusing on the works of Herbert Dhlomo, Mbongeni Ngema and Gcina Mhlophe. The final section provides a discussion of the creative methods employed and the discoveries made through the process of creating and staging Kwasukasukela. The study concludes that the bringing together of the Nguni storytelling tradition and contemporary physical forms of storytelling, in the context of a theatrical production, causes changes in both forms, giving rise to a hybrid third form which provides opportunities for the creation of new subject position in theatre practice in South Africa for more critical representations of identity and history.