Saturday 8 April 2017

Pictures from Play Launch at South African House 28 March 2017


Jack Klaff performing an extract from the play at the launch.


Playwright Matthew Hahn at the play launch


Members of SAYA who performed extracts from the play along with Sir Nick Stanlin, and Pumela Salela from Brand South Africa.


The High Commissioner of South Africa, HE Mr. Obed Malaba at the Launch.

Monday 6 March 2017

Play to Launch in London: The Robben Island Shakespeare (Global South African Newsletter)

RobbenIslandShakespeareDid you know that during the Apartheid years in South Africa, a copy of "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare" was smuggled around the prison on Robben Island?

The book's significance resides in the fact that the book's owner, Sonny Venkatratham, passed it to a number of his fellow political prisoners in the single cells, including Nelson Mandela, asking them to mark their favourite passages with a signature and date. Informally known as "The Robben Island Bible", numerous prisoners selected the speeches that meant the most to them and their experience as political prisoners. 

In 2008 and 2010, playwright Matthew Hahnconducted interviews with eight former political prisoners in South Africa who were on Robben Island and signed Sonny’s ‘Bible’.

Offering a vivid and startling account of the experience of these political prisoners during Apartheid, his extraordinary verbatim play called "The Robben Island Shakespeare" weaves Shakespeare's words together with first-hand accounts from these men. They offer their reflections on their time as Liberation activists and, twenty years later, on the costs, consequences and whether or not it was all worth it.

For more information about the play and the accompanying Ethical Leadership Workshops, please visit The Robben Island Shakespeare website


Thursday 19 January 2017

Ubuntu: sharing South Africa Friday 20 January, 18.00–21.00 Great Court and Clore Centre for Education British Museum

The Robben Island Shakespeare by South African Youth Ambassadors 

Pop-up performances across the evening, 

Clore Centre for Education

Members from the South African Youth Ambassadors perform extracts from the play The Robben Island Shakespeare, along with their own original writing which reflects on what it takes to be an ethical leader today and in the future.