'Matthew Hahn’s The Robben Island Shakespeare is indeed a manual for both the young and old in South Africa and the world, to help us charter the difficult journey of life and the survival of the human spirit, UBUNTU, against all odds.'
- Tony Award Winning Actor and South African Cultural Activist John Kani, in his introduction to The Robben Island Shakespeare.
On 16 August, I had the great pleasure of returning to Robben Island for the first time in 6 years and for the first time since the play has been published.
I went with my family and there was an informal play launch in
the 'B' Section of the political prison ['B' section is where the
political prisoners were held on the island prison]. It was great to be back and to reconnect with such a dedicated staff at the museum.
It is my hope to have the play available at the museum in the near future.
This year the 9th Shakespeare School Festival South Africa (SSF SA) kicks off on 16 April 2019 and will be dedicated to Sonny Venkatrathnam who passed away on 15 March at the age of 84. During his incarceration on Robben Island, Venkatrathnam, an apartheid freedom fighter, smuggled in a copy of The Complete Works of Shakespeare, disguised it as a bible and passed it between a number of prisoners, including Nelson Mandela. Many of the inmates marked their favourite passages in the book and Mandela’s signature was found next to a quote from Julius Caesar, ‘Cowards die many times before their deaths, the valiant never taste of death but once.' The festival will open with the play by Matthew Hahn entitled The Robben Island Shakespeare, performed by former Vista Nova High School Learners and young actors from the Educasions group. Leading up to the 2019 festival, organiser Kseniya Filinova-Bruton and Festival MC Tafara Nyatsanza, who recently performed in Richard lll at Maynardville, will be hosting coaching workshops for Learners from various participating schools. Nyatsanza will also MC the festival. Participating schools involved in workshops include Darul Arqam Islamic HS, Chris Hani HS, Westlake Primary School, Leiden HS, Vista Nova HS and the Lalela Project.
Facebook | @expressoshow.sabc3 | https://www.facebook.com/expressoshow...
Twitter | @expressoshow | https://twitter.com/expressoshow
Instagram | @expressoshow | https://www.instagram.com/expressoshow
Pinterest | @expressomorning | https://www.pinterest.com/expressomor...
Snapchat | @expressoshow | https://www.snapchat.com
Website | http://www.expressoshow.com
This
year the 9th Shakespeare School Festival South Africa (SSF SA) kicks off on 16
April 2019 and will be dedicated to Sonny Venkatrathnam who passed away on 15
March at the age of 84.
The festival will open with Matthew Hahn’s play The Robben Island Shakespeare, which is
based on Sonny’s time on Robben Island, performed by former Vista Nova High
School Learners and young actors from the Educasions group.
During his incarceration on Robben Island, Venkatrathnam, an
apartheid freedom fighter, smuggled in a copy of The Complete Works of
Shakespeare, disguised it as a bible and passed it between a number of
prisoners, including Nelson Mandela.
Many of the inmates marked their favourite passages in the book and Mandela's
signature was found next to a quote from Julius Caesar, 'Cowards die many times
before their deaths, the valiant never taste of death but once.'
Leading up to the 2019 festival, organiser Kseniya
Filinova-Bruton and Festival MC Tafara Nyatsanza, who recently performed in
Richard lll at Maynardville, will be hosting coaching workshops for Learners
from various participating schools. Nyatsanza will also MC the festival.
Participating schools involved in workshops include Darul Arqam Islamic HS,
Chris Hani HS, Westlake Primary School, Leiden HS, Vista Nova HS and the Lalela
Project. The SSF SA is an education program aimed at improving
language and social skills through the Performing Arts. It is Educape's
flagship initiative that was launched in 2010 by Kseniya Filinova-Bruton with
the objective of strengthening the link between the Arts and education. Since
inception, the SSF SA has gone from 20 to 2000 participating youth and Learners
across the Western Cape, Gauteng, Kwa-Zulu Natal and the Eastern Cape.
Staging a Shakespeare play in a professional theatre is a
challenge to be relished and the SSF SA is an ideal way for young people
seeking to explore their potential in a fun, developmental way, simultaneously
making their theatre debut on a professional stage in a non-competitive
environment. The SSF SA is fully interactive and provides guidance and the
resources through scripts, training, frame work and feedback that equips
Learners and Educators to successfully direct and perform Shakespearean plays
from the first line to the final bow. Schools get to prepare and perform 30-minute abridged
versions of the plays and those taking part this year Western Cape schools are
participating from all over the Western Cape Metropole and as far afield as
Hermanus. 31 schools in total will be taking part in the SSF SA in Cape Town.
After the breakthrough performances last year came from In 2018 the De La Bat
School for the Deaf, using South African sign language (SASL), and the Pioneer
School for the Visually Impaired, delivered ground breaking performances of
Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth respectively. Both schools will performance again
at the SSF, at the Baxter.
This is the ninth time that Artscape has hosted the SSF SA
and the fourth year that the event will be held at the Baxter Main Theatre.
Performances, open to the public, are from 16 to 18 April at
Artscape and then at the Baxter Theatre from 13 to 18 May. On 17 and 18 May,
during the SSF SA season, the complete works of the Robben Island Bible will be
on exhibition in the Baxter Theatre foyer. Performances at Artscape and the Baxter start at 7pm with
booking through Computicket or Baxter booking office on 0216803989 or through
Webtickets. For more info please email info@educape.co.za or visit www.ssfsa.co.za.
JOHANNESBURG — The UK’s appreciation of Nelson Mandela is not something of yesteryear and the public support of royal newly weds, Meghan and Harry, is a befitting tribute to the late statesman by the country’s young royals that represents public support of the icon that can be dated back before democratic South Africa. The royal couple will be attending the launch of the Nelson Mandela Centenary Exhibition that will exhibit artwork in the UK on Tuesday 17 July. A curation of the life and times of Nelson Mandela through six main themes: character, comrade, leader, prisoner, negotiator and statesman. Further to the main exhibition, additional associated events will run alongside the showcase. What is ‘Mandela magic’? In my childlike interpretation, as a young girl seeing the Queen visit for the first time in my hometown of Port Elizabeth in 1995, being driven around St George’s Park, there were crowds of all people – young and old, black and white that came together to see the Queen in support of South Africa. Attending The Nelson Mandela Centenary Exhibition and the associated events will bring the UK and South Africa together through a deepened appreciation for Madiba’s life through art, fresh perspectives, never before seen artefacts and letters while entrenching his teachings for many more years and generations to come. – Sanelisiwe Gantsho
Lord Peter Hain and Southbank Centre Chief Executive Elaine Bedell welcome the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to the Nelson Mandela Centenary Exhibition.
The major free exhibition of the life of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (1918-2013), one of the most iconic figures of the 20th Century, will open at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall on Tuesday 17th July 2018 and will run through to Sunday 19th August. (Public viewing will open only at 4pm on 17th July. Thereafter opening hours will be from 10am to 11pm daily.)
Duke and Duchess of Sussex
Kensington Palace announced today that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would attend the launch of the exhibition on 17th July.
Welcoming the visit to the Exhibition, the Chair of the Nelson Mandela Centenary Exhibition, former anti-apartheid leader Lord Peter Hain, said:
‘The Mandela Centenary Exhibition at Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, which is free to visitors from 17 July – 19 August, will depict the anti-apartheid freedom struggle and Mandela’s vision of a non-racial rainbow democracy based upon justice, equality and human rights. We are delighted the Duke and Duchess will be supporting it.’
Elaine Bedell, Chief Executive of Southbank Centre, said ‘We are delighted that the Duke and Duchess will open our Nelson Mandela Centenary Exhibition here at Southbank Centre. The exhibition is a wonderful opportunity for everyone to learn something about the life of one of the world’s most inspirational leaders and to gain some insight into his values, extraordinary resilience and vision for humankind.’
Associated events
On the eve (Monday 16th July) of the exhibition opening there will be a Mandela Legacy Debate which will explore Mandela’s achievements and what his life has meant and continues to mean for future generations.
The debate will be chaired by the BBC’s Zeinab Badawi and panelists will include anti-apartheid activist and former UK Cabinet Minister Lord Peter Hain, Thembi Tambo, daughter of former ANC leader the late Oliver Tambo who was a close associate of Mandela, South African Cabinet Minister Pallo Jordan and South African student Lebeko Matabane. Her Excellency Thembi Tambo was recently accredited as South African High Commissioner to the UK.
There will be an exclusive private view of the exhibition from 4.30pm on Monday 16th for those attending the debate which will be ticketed but free.
Former South African President Nelson Mandela
The associated events will include two award-winning films and the appearance of Ambassador Zindzi Mandela, Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s famous daughter who captured the world’s attention when she announced his refusal to accept conditional release from the apartheid regime in 1985.
Life is Wonderful: Mandela’s Unsung Heroes directed by Sir Nick Stadlen tells the dramatic story of how Mandela and his co-defendants, a multi-racial group of committed activists, changed the course of South African history. (Screenings on 27th, 28th and 29th August.)
Whispering Truth to Power (directed by Shameela Seedat and produced by Francois Verster) tells the riveting story of how former South African Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela made a courageous stand against corruption and “state capture” in South Africa. (Screening 18th August.)
Matthew Hahn, author of Robben Island Shakespeare (Methuen 2017), will conduct staged readings in ‘Robben Island Readings’ inspired by the famous Robben Island Bible and Hahn’s interviews with surviving Robben Island Prisoners. (11th August)
Zindzi Mandela will appear with her two grandchildren, Ziwelene and Zama, to launch the delightful book Grandad Mandela on 16th August.
One Humanity, One Justice directed by Micky Madoda Dube and produced by Tony Hollingsworth tells the story of how the seminal Mandela concerts at Wembley Stadium in 1988 and 1990 were broadcast to the world hastening the end of apartheid. (Screenings 19th August.)
About Nelson Mandela: The Centenary Exhibition
The exhibition is jointly presented by the Apartheid Museum in South Africa, the Anti-Apartheid Movement Archives in the UK and Southbank Centre.
Nelson Mandela
It focuses on the life and times of Mandela and celebrates the centenary of his birth. It traces Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedomthrough six main themes: character, comrade, leader, prisoner, negotiator and statesman. It is the first time the exhibition will be shown in the UK, after successful runs of various iterations in locations around the world, including six weeks at the Paris Town Hall in 2013.
The UK exhibition will additionally display original items from the Anti-Apartheid Movement Archives which highlight the role played by the British Anti-Apartheid Movement in hastening the end of the apartheid regime.
The narrative of Mandela’s extraordinary life unfolds through a series of dramatic visual panels supported with films and the display of artefacts including some seen for the first time in Britain.
Items in the exhibition include:
the famous Robben Island Bible, the Collected Works of Shakespeare which was smuggled onto the Island by Teresa, the wife of Sonny Venkatrathnam, one of the jailed activists and contains original annotations made by Nelson Mandela and his contemporaries;
one of the pick axes which Mandela and his colleagues used in the lime quarry on Robben Island, on display in the UK for the first time;
letter of thanks from Mandela to the British public, on display for the first time ever. Written on the 16th April 1990, the day Mandela attended the Wembley concert held in his honour, he thanks the British public for their ‘overwhelming generosity’.
The exhibition will be free and open to the tens of thousands of visitors to Southbank Centre during its run, to experience the visual presentation of Mandela’s life of struggle, reflection and leadership.
Africa Utopia
The first weekend of the exhibition, (19th – 22nd July) will coincide with Africa Utopia, Southbank Centre’s festival celebrating Africa and its rich contribution to contemporary culture, arts and literature. There will be curated tours of the Mandela exhibition for Africa Utopia wristband ticket-holders on Sunday 22nd July.
Schools trail
There is also an innovative trail for school pupils associated with the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund. Students, school pupils and families will be able to learn about the historical context of apartheid and Mandela’s life-long struggle against racism and violent oppression through the interactive youth trail which will guide participants through the six stages of Mandela’s life, posing interactive questions, culminating in an ask to participants to say in twenty-five words how they would make the world a better place. The competition will be judged by the various partner organisations.
As part of the Nelson Mandela: The Centenary Exhibition 2018 at the Southbank Centre in London, The Robben Island Shakespeare will be performed on 11 August at 7.30pm. This reading and the wider event marks the 2018 centenary of iconic leader Nelson Mandela’s birth in this exhibition about his life, career, and commitment to equality and justice.
This exhibition explores the life and times of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (1918 – 2013) and marks the centenary of his birth. It provides insight into Mandela’s journey from young freedom fighter to becoming the inspiration for an international movement against South Africa’s violent and oppressive apartheid system, and an emblem of an ongoing struggle to build a more just and equitable world.
I have been invited to present at the upcoming Applying Shakespeare Symposium at the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon. My presentation will examine and details my work in 'Ethical Leadership' using the play, The Robben Island Shakespeare.
Through the words of William Shakespeare & former South African political prisoners, the aim of the workshop is to inspire the participants to create a pathway to ethical leadership. The participants will analysis and speak selected Shakespearian texts and texts from the play, The Robben Island Shakespeare as well as create their own new pieces of writing on their views of ethical leadership. This will be the first opportunity that I have had to speak about these workshops having delivered several in South Africa and the United Kingdom over the past three years.
One of the key aspects of the workshop is to examine the ability of Shakespeare & the former political prisoners to educate and spark debate around the subject of ethical leadership. The purpose of the workshop is to come to a group definition of the practices of ethical leadership, briefly share some of Shakespeare’s lessons on Leadership, and offer some applications for leadership development.
Workshop Outcomes:
The participants will explore how the theme of leadership is portrayed and explored in a selection of Shakespeare’s plays and in interviews with a selection of former political prisoners from Robben Island.
The participants will examine the current situation of their own behaviour around leadership and of those currently in leadership roles.
The participants will make positive changes in their own behaviour around leadership.
The participants will create pieces of new writing with a focus on young people’s perceptions of ethical leadership.
The 'Applying Shakespeare' symposium is an opportunity for practitioners and scholars to come together to consider the uses of applied Shakespeare, sharing best practice and considering the impact of new and existing projects.
Shakespeare’s work continues to occupy a unique position within contemporary education, performance and popular culture. Applied theatre is an umbrella term for a range of performance forms, often in non-theatrical spaces and with an agenda of personal or social change. When these two fields combine, the results can be transformative for those involved.
Speakers include Dr Sue Jennings, Kelly Hunter, Ben Spiller and Phil Novis as well as papers on topics such as Robben Island Shakespeare, Shakespeare with autistic children and broadcast representations of applied Shakespeare.
There will be short performances from Open Access Arts and Blue Apple Theatre.
This event is organised in collaboration with Guildford School of Acting, University of Surrey, and the Centre for Cognition, Kinesthetics and Performance, University of Kent.
