Isidlamlilo / The Fire Eater : A play Paperback / softback
by Neil Coppen, Mpume Mthombeni, Kira Erwin
Paperback / softback
- Information
Description
Isidlamlilo / The Fire Eater is a one-woman play inspired by the true story of a woman who served as a political assassin in the build-up to South Africa’s first democratic elections.
Zenzile Maseko, the protagonist, is a 60-year-old grandmother living in a women’s hostel in Durban.
Falsely declared dead by the Department of Home Affairs, she finds herself cast into a Kafkaesque nightmare that forces her to confront her past.
Flown in on the wings of the Impundulu (the lightning bird), in Zulu folklore a shapeshifting bird associated with witchcraft and the harbinger of storms and death, Zenzile’s story weaves a magical and terrifying tapestry.
She draws on myth, religious symbolism and traditional beliefs as she shares the realities – at times brutal, at times forgiving – of survival in South Africa.
Her story touches on what it means to live through political violence, the transition to democracy, the brutality of inequality, health epidemics like HIV/AIDS, patriarchy, and the apathetic bureaucracy of government departments.
Ultimately, Isidlamlilo / The Fire Eater offers a critical and unflinching look at the eddying cycles of violence and revenge that play out across generations.
Yet it is most of all a story about regeneration and redemption that speaks to both the country’s haunted past and its present-day complexities. Written with pathos and empathy, this playscript will appeal to teachers, high school learners, and tertiary students in theatre, drama and English studies.
Information
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In Stock - Less than 10 copies availableFree UK DeliveryEstimated delivery 2-3 working days
- Format:Paperback / softback
- Pages:128 pages, 12 Illustrations, black and white
- Publisher:Wits University Press
- Publication Date:01/04/2024
- Category:
- ISBN:9781776148790
Other Formats
- PDF from £5.20
- EPUB from £5.20
Information
-
In Stock - Less than 10 copies availableFree UK DeliveryEstimated delivery 2-3 working days
- Format:Paperback / softback
- Pages:128 pages, 12 Illustrations, black and white
- Publisher:Wits University Press
- Publication Date:01/04/2024
- Category:
- ISBN:9781776148790