DOCSLIB.ORG

'Second Interregnum' South African Drama, 2001-2014

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
'Second Interregnum' South African Drama, 2001-2014 Wilfrid Laurier University Scholars Commons @ Laurier Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive) 2016 National Crises and Moments of Laughter in ‘Second Interregnum’ South African Drama, 2001-2014 J. Coplen Rose Wilfrid Laurier University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.wlu.ca/etd Part of the Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies Commons Recommended Citation Rose, J. Coplen, "National Crises and Moments of Laughter in ‘Second Interregnum’ South African Drama, 2001-2014" (2016). Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive). 1806. https://scholars.wlu.ca/etd/1806 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive) by an authorized administrator of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact [email protected]. National Crises and Moments of Laughter in ‘Second Interregnum’ South African Drama, 2001-2014 By J. Coplen Rose Bachelor of Arts, Bishop’s University, 2006 Master of Arts, Lakehead University, 2008 DISSERTATION Submitted to the Department of English and Film Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Doctor of Philosophy in English and Film Studies Wilfrid Laurier University © Jonathon Coplen Russell Rose 2016 i Abstract This dissertation analyzes Anglophone South African dramatic critiques of national crises in the post-apartheid moment. Focusing specifically on the years after Nelson Mandela’s retirement, it examines some of the country’s prominent plays produced between 2001 and 2014. This was an important period of social and political change in South Africa, described by drama theorist Marcia Blumberg as a second interregnum where acts of reconciliation or disaffection were staged frequently (“Reconciling” 140). I build on Blumberg’s temporal model by extending her framework to account for recent events of national significance leading up to, and including, Mandela’s death in 2013. In addition to expanding her temporal framework, this project contributes new research on second interregnum drama by examining the rise of humour as a key component of the social and political criticism occurring in works from this period. My project is divided into four research chapters that highlight major challenges curtailing reconciliation and nation-building during this time: continuing class inequality, silence around mothers’ experiences of trauma during apartheid, ethnic minorities’ feelings of exclusion from national narratives, and continuing cycles of physical and psychological violence. Drama is an important barometer of the state of the nation. During apartheid, it was often used to oppose the state by staging “sites of conflict between different discourses” (Orkin 5). In the second interregnum drama continued to play a significant role in critiquing conditions by highlighting unaddressed areas of class, gender, and racial inequality. Playwrights in this period used drama to engage contemporary audiences in South Africa, and abroad, in order to encourage social change through debate and dialogue. This project analyzes the appearance of humour in second interregnum drama and the way it foregrounded unresolved tensions in the nation, especially discrepancies between personal ii and national narratives, and provided alternative ways of dealing with them. Moments of laughter emerge throughout the plays in this dissertation to challenge state discourses, critique social conditions, but also encourage expressions of unity through instances of collective laughter. Mapping key intersections between postcolonial studies and humour, this project provides new analysis of Pieter-Dirk Uys’s MacBeki: A Farce to be Reckoned With, Greig Coetzee’s Happy Natives, Fatima Dike’s The Return, Lara Foot Newton’s Reach, Ashwin Singh’s To House, Ntokozo Madlala and Mandisa Haarhoff’s Crush-hopper, Zakes Mda’s The Bells of Amersfoort, and David Peimer and Martina Griller’s Armed Response. iii Acknowledgements I would like to thank my advisor Dr. Mariam Pirbhai for all of her guidance and support. Her sound advice and broad knowledge of postcolonial theory helped my research advance far beyond the early visions I had for this thesis. Working closely with her on this project has truly been an uplifting and rewarding experience. I would also like to thank my other committee members for their insightful and constructive feedback. Dr. Maria DiCenzo, Dr. Lynn Shakinovsky, and Dr. M. Raymond Izarali positively shaped this project’s structure and focus by raising important questions at key moments in its development. Furthermore, I also wish to thank my External Examiner Dr. Neil ten Kortenaar, Joanne Buchan, and Dr. Madelaine Hron for their recommendations and encouragement. In addition to the scholarly support that sustained my work, I would like to thank the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council for funding this project. A number of the chapters in my thesis could not have been completed without fieldwork that was made possible by research grants from SSHRC and Wilfrid Laurier University. Related to this, I would like to thank all of the artists, playwrights, and scholars that I interviewed as part of this project as well as the staff at the National English Literary Museum in Grahamstown, South Africa. I would also like to extend a special acknowledgment to Greg Homann for meeting with me on multiple occasions and introducing me to a number of his colleagues. Lastly, I want to express my appreciation to all of the friends and family who provided unyielding assistance when I was in need, especially my parents William and Nancy Rose and my brother Laurance Rose. There are too many people to properly name, but I hope to repay everyone for their kindness and friendship in the years to come. iv Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................................ i Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ iii Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... iv Chapter I: Introduction Moving beyond the Ecstasy of Freedom: the Rise of Second Interregnum South African Drama Focus of Study ............................................................................................................................ 1 Temporal Framework ................................................................................................................. 4 Structure and Context ................................................................................................................. 7 Moments of Laughter ................................................................................................................ 14 Summary of Research Chapters ................................................................................................ 18 Chapter II Wielding the “weapon of bitter shaming laughter:” Class Movements, Mimicry, and Ridiculing Humour in Pieter-Dirk Uys’s MacBeki: A Farce to be Reckoned With and Greig Coetzee’s Happy Natives Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 22 Political Change and the Growth of Economic Divisions ........................................................ 23 Pieter-Dirk Uys’s MacBeki: A Farce to be Reckoned With ...................................................... 29 Greig Coetzee’s Happy Natives ................................................................................................ 51 Chapter III Rethinking Reconciliation beyond the TRC: Motherhood and Private Healing in Fatima Dike’s The Return and Lara Foot Newton’s Reach Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 77 The TRC and Narratives of Motherhood after Independence .................................................. 78 Fatima Dike’s The Return ......................................................................................................... 87 Lara Foot Newton’s Reach ..................................................................................................... 108 Chapter IV Claiming Space for Ethnic Minorities in the Rainbow Nation: Identity and Othering in Ashwin Singh’s To House and Ntokozo Madlala and Mandisa Haarhoff’s Crush-hopper Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 133 Race, Identity, and the Heterogeneity of South African Ethnic Minorities ............................ 135 Ashwin Singh’s To House ...................................................................................................... 144 Ntokozo Madlala and Mandisa Haarhoff’s Crush-hopper ..................................................... 167 Chapter V Attempting to Break Cycles of Violence after Apartheid: (Re)Visioning the Nation in Zakes Mda’s The Bells of Amersfoort and David Peimer and Martina Griller’s Armed Response Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 186 State Sanctioned Violence and the Transition between Apartheid and Democracy ............... 187 v Zakes Mda’s The Bells
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Country Guide South Africa
    Human Rights and Business Country Guide South Africa March 2015 Table of Contents How to Use this Guide .................................................................................. 3 Background & Context ................................................................................. 7 Rights Holders at Risk ........................................................................... 15 Rights Holders at Risk in the Workplace ..................................................... 15 Rights Holders at Risk in the Community ................................................... 25 Labour Standards ................................................................................. 35 Child Labour ............................................................................................... 35 Forced Labour ............................................................................................ 39 Occupational Health & Safety .................................................................... 42 Trade Unions .............................................................................................. 49 Working Conditions .................................................................................... 56 Community Impacts ............................................................................. 64 Environment ............................................................................................... 64 Land & Property ......................................................................................... 72 Revenue Transparency
    [Show full text]
  • The Power of Heritage to the People
    How history Make the ARTS your BUSINESS becomes heritage Milestones in the national heritage programme The power of heritage to the people New poetry by Keorapetse Kgositsile, Interview with Sonwabile Mancotywa Barbara Schreiner and Frank Meintjies The Work of Art in a Changing Light: focus on Pitika Ntuli Exclusive book excerpt from Robert Sobukwe, in a class of his own ARTivist Magazine by Thami ka Plaatjie Issue 1 Vol. 1 2013 ISSN 2307-6577 01 heritage edition 9 772307 657003 Vusithemba Ndima He lectured at UNISA and joined DACST in 1997. He soon rose to Chief Director of Heritage. He was appointed DDG of Heritage and Archives in 2013 at DAC (Department of editorial Arts and Culture). Adv. Sonwabile Mancotywa He studied Law at the University of Transkei elcome to the Artivist. An artivist according to and was a student activist, became the Wikipedia is a portmanteau word combining youngest MEC in Arts and Culture. He was “art” and “activist”. appointed the first CEO of the National W Heritage Council. In It’s Bigger Than Hip Hop by M.K. Asante. Jr Asante writes that the artivist “merges commitment to freedom and Thami Ka Plaatjie justice with the pen, the lens, the brush, the voice, the body He is a political activist and leader, an and the imagination. The artivist knows that to make an academic, a historian and a writer. He is a observation is to have an obligation.” former history lecturer and registrar at Vista University. He was deputy chairperson of the SABC Board. He heads the Pan African In the South African context this also means that we cannot Foundation.
    [Show full text]
  • 2001 Lecture
    THE JAMES BACKHOUSE LECTURE 2001 RECONCILING OPPOSITES: REFLECTIONS ON PEACEMAKING IN SOUTH AFRICA Hendrik W van der Merwe The James Backhouse Lectures The lectures were instituted by Australia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) on the its establishment of that Yearly Meeting in 1964. James Backhouse and his companion, George Washington Walker were English Friends who visited Australia from 1832 to 1838. They travelled widely, but spent most of their time in Tasmania. It was through their visit that Quaker Meetings were first established in Australia. Coming to Australia under a concern for the conditions of convicts, the two men had access to people with authority in the young colonies, and with influence in Britain, both in Parliament and in the social reform movement. In meticulous reports and personal letters, they made practical suggestions and urged legislative action on penal reform, on the rum trade, and on land rights and the treatment of Aborigines. James Backhouse was a general naturalist and a botanist. He made careful observations and published full accounts of what he saw, in addition to encouraging Friends in the colonies and following the deep concern that had brought him to Australia. Australian Friends hope that this series of Lectures will bring fresh insights into the Truth, and speak to the needs and aspirations of Australian Quakerism. This particular lecture was delivered in Melbourne on 8 January 2001, during the annual meeting of the Society. Colin Wendell-Smith Presiding Clerk Australia Yearly Meeting © Copyright 2001 by the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Australia Incorporated.
    [Show full text]
  • ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I Would
    ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to record and extend my indebtedness, sincerest gratitude and thanks to the following people: * Mr G J Bradshaw and Ms A Nel Weldrick for their professional assistance, guidance and patience throughout the course of this study. * My colleagues, Ms M M Khumalo, Mr I M Biyela and Mr L P Mafokoane for their guidance and inspiration which made the completion of this study possible. " Dr A A M Rossouw for the advice he provided during our lengthy interview and to Ms L Snodgrass, the Conflict Management Programme Co-ordinator. " Mrs Sue Jefferys (UPE) for typing and editing this work. " Unibank, Edu-Loan (C J de Swardt) and Vodakom for their financial assistance throughout this work. " My friends and neighbours who were always available when I needed them, and who assisted me through some very frustrating times. " And last and by no means least my wife, Nelisiwe and my three children, Mpendulo, Gabisile and Ntuthuko for their unconditional love, support and encouragement throughout the course of this study. Even though they were not practically involved in what I was doing, their support was always strong and motivating. DEDICATION To my late father, Enock Vumbu and my brother Gcina Esau. We Must always look to the future. Tomorrow is the time that gives a man or a country just one more chance. Tomorrow is the most important think in life. It comes into us very clean (Author unknow) ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF ABBREVIATIONS/ ACRONYMS USED ANC = African National Congress AZAPO = Azanian African Peoples
    [Show full text]
  • Committed to Unity
    Committed to Unity: South Africa’s Adherence to Its 1994 Political Settlement Paul Graham IPS Paper 6 Abstract This paper reviews the commitment of the remaining power contenders and other political actors to the settlement which was reached between 1993 and 1996. Based on interviews with three key actors now in opposing political parties represented in the National Assembly, the paper makes the case for a continued commitment to, and consensus on, the ideals and principles of the 1996 Constitution. It provides evidence of schisms in the dominant power contender (the African National Congress) which have not led to a return in political violence post-settlement. The paper makes the point that, while some of this was the result of President Nelson Mandela’s presence, more must be ascribed to the constitutional arrangements and commitments of the primary political actors and the citizens of South Africa. © Berghof Foundation Operations GmbH – CINEP/PPP 2014. All rights reserved. About the Publication This paper is one of four case study reports on South Africa produced in the course of the collaborative research project ‘Avoiding Conflict Relapse through Inclusive Political Settlements and State-building after Intra-State War’, running from February 2013 to February 2015. This project aims to examine the conditions for inclusive political settlements following protracted armed conflicts, with a specific focus on former armed power contenders turned state actors. It also aims to inform national and international practitioners and policy-makers on effective practices for enhancing participation, representation, and responsiveness in post-war state-building and governance. It is carried out in cooperation with the partner institutions CINEP/PPP (Colombia, Project Coordinators), Berghof Foundation (Germany, Project Research Coordinators), FLACSO (El Salvador), In Transformation Initiative (South Africa), Sudd Institute (South Sudan), Aceh Policy Institute (Aceh/Indonesia), and Friends for Peace (Nepal).
    [Show full text]
  • University of Kwazulu-Natal an Examination of the Extent Of, and Process Of, Public Participation in Public Policy Decision-Maki
    UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL AN EXAMINATION OF THE EXTENT OF, AND PROCESS OF, PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN PUBLIC POLICY DECISION-MAKING: THE CASE OF THE NAME CHANGING OF ST. LUCIA WETLAND PARK TO ISIMANGALISO WETLAND PARK SIBUSISO XABA 2009 An Examination of the Extent of, and Process of, Public Participation in Public Policy Decision-Making: The Case of the Name Changing of StXucia Wetland Park to Isimangaliso Wetland Park Sibusiso Xaba Supervisor: Dr. Suzanne Francis Declaration I, Sibusiso Xaba, declare that this dissertation is my own original work, has not been submitted for any degree or examination at any other university, and that the sources that I have used have been fully acknowledged. This dissertation is submitted in partial fulfillment for the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Public Policy, University of KwaZtmj-Natal, 2009. Signature SflMjUw Dated 2009 i Abstract This is a study of public participation which is located within context of the current policy processes that are occurring across South Africa whereby local municipalities are re-naming streets and buildings to more broadly reflect the heritage of South Africa and its people. The process has suffered drawbacks across the country and commentators point to poor public participation, consultation and public engagement. The process of name-changing proves a need to pose some critical questions about the nature of policy implementation in a democratic South Africa. I look at this through the theoretical framework of public policy implementation. In this study I examine the process of public participation in the changing of the name St. Lucia Wetland Park to Isimangaliso Wetland Park.
    [Show full text]
  • Black South African History Pdf
    Black south african history pdf Continue In South African history, this article may require cleaning up in accordance with Wikipedia quality standards. The specific problem is to reduce the overall quality, especially the lead section. Please help improve this article if you can. (June 2019) (Find out how and when to remove this message template) Part of the series on the history of the weapons of the South African Precolonial Middle Stone Age Late Stone Age Bantu expansion kingdom mapungubwe Mutapa Kaditshwene Dutch colonization of the Dutch Cape Colony zulu Kingdom of Shaka kaSenzangakhona Dingane kaSenzangakhona Mpande kaSenzangakhona Cetshwayo kaMpande Dinuzulu kaCetshwayo 1887 Annexation (British) British Colonization Cape Colony Colonia Natal Transvaal Colony Orange River Colony Bur Republic South African Orange Free Republic Natalia Republic Bur War First Storm War Jameson Reid Second World War Union of South Africa First World War of apartheid Legislation South African Border War Angolan Civil War Bantustans Internal Resistance to apartheid referendum after apartheid Mandela Presidency Motlante Presidency of the Presidency of the President zuma The theme of economic history of invention and the opening of the Military History Political History Religious History Slavery Timeline South Africa portalv Part series on Culture History of South Africa People Languages Afrikaans English Ndebele North Soto Sowazi Swazi Tswana Tsonga Venda Xhosa Zulus Kitchens Festivals Public Holidays Religion Literature Writers Music And Performing Arts
    [Show full text]
  • Political Parties in South African Law
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by South East Academic Libraries System (SEALS) POLITICAL PARTIES IN SOUTH AFRICAN LAW By Zaahira Tiry Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Magister Legum (LLM) in the Faculty of Law at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University February 2012 Supervisor: Prof PHG Vrancken DECLARATION I, Zaahira Tiry with student number 202323951, hereby declare that the dissertation for Masters in Law to be awarded is my own work and that it has not previously been submitted for assessment or completion of any postgraduate qualification to another University or for another qualification. Zaahira Tiry CONTENTS SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................... i CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Objectives ............................................................................................................................ 2 1.3 Research Questions .............................................................................................................. 2 1.4 Importance of the Study ....................................................................................................... 2 1.5 Methodology .......................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • South African Festivals in the United States: an Expression of Policies
    South African Festivals in the United States: An Expression of Policies, Power and Networks DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Akhona Ndzuta, MA Graduate Program in Arts Administration, Education and Policy The Ohio State University 2019 Dissertation Committee: Karen E. Hutzel, Ph.D. Wayne P. Lawson, Ph.D. Margaret J. Wyszomirski, Ph.D., Advisor Copyright by Akhona Ndzuta 2019 Abstract This research is a qualitative case study of two festivals that showcased South African music in the USA: the South African Arts Festival which took place in downtown Los Angeles in 2013, and the Ubuntu Festival which was staged at Carnegie Hall in New York in 2014. At both festivals, South African government entities such as the Department of Arts and Culture (DAC), as well as the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) were involved. Due to the cultural, economic and other mandates of these departments, broader South African government policy interests were inadvertently represented on foreign soil. The other implication is that since South African culture was central to these events, it was also key to promoting these acultural policy interests. What this research sets out to do is to explore how these festivals promote the interests of South African musicians while furthering South African government interests, and how policy was an enabler of such an execution. ii Acknowledgements I would like to thank the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust and the National Arts Council of South Africa for their generous funding in the first two years of my studies.
    [Show full text]
  • Inkatha and the Talks to End Apartheid, 1990-1994
    Daniel Scher Innovations for Successful Societies MANAGING SPOILERS AT THE BARGAINING TABLE: INKATHA AND THE TALKS TO END APARTHEID, 1990-1994 SYNOPSIS In the talks to end apartheid in South Africa, 19 parties sat at the negotiating table. At least 10 of the negotiators had armed wings, and almost all had demands that they were prepared to back up with violence. One in particular possessed the ability to destabilize the country: Mangosuthu Buthelezi, leader of the Inkatha Freedom Party. To get him on board, negotiators employed a number of tactics, including splitting him from his backers, offering compromises and refusing to allow the momentum of the process to be slowed by his boycotts. This memo examines the negotiators’ efforts to manage Buthelezi’s demands and draw him into a coalition, as well as the longer-term consequences of those moves. Daniel Scher drafted this policy note on the basis of interviews conducted in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town, South Africa, in February 2010. INTRODUCTION government and the opposition in the form of the “I think the dominant factor in our minds African National Congress (ANC)—the task of was that we realized that if we didn’t progress … refashioning the apartheid state into a new, there would have been blood in the streets in democratic system would have been difficult South Africa,” recalled Roelf Meyer, chief enough. negotiator for the National Party during the talks But the National Party (NP) and the ANC, to end apartheid. Meyer was confident that if while the biggest players, were not the only ones.
    [Show full text]
  • Assemblées Des États Membres De L'ompi Assemblies of the Member
    A/49/INF/3 ORIGINAL: FRANÇAIS/ENGLISH DATE: 5 OCTOBRE 2011 / OCTOBER 5, 2011 Assemblées des États membres de l’OMPI Quarante-neuvième série de réunions Genève, 26 septembre – 5 octobre 2011 Assemblies of the Member States of WIPO Forty-Ninth Series of Meetings Geneva, September 26 – October 5, 2011 LISTE DES PARTICIPANTS/ LIST OF PARTICIPANTS établie par le Secrétariat/ prepared by the Secretariat A/49/INF/3 page 2 I. ÉTATS/STATES (dans l’ordre alphabétique des noms français des États) (in the alphabetical order of the names in French) AFGHANISTAN Amel FRAIDOON, Attaché, Permanent Mission, Geneva AFRIQUE DU SUD/SOUTH AFRICA Abdul Samad MINTY, Ambassador, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission, Geneva Luvuyo NDIMENI, Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission, Geneva Astrid LUDIN (Ms.), Commissioner, Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC), The Department of Trade and Industry (the DTI), Pretoria Sibusiso XABA, Director-General, Department of Arts and Culture (DAC), Pretoria Lungile DUKWANA, Acting Chief Operations Officer, Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC), The Department of Trade and Industry (the DTI), Pretoria Theunis KOTZE, State Advisor, Office of the Chief Law, Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), Pretoria Selai KHUELE, Deputy Director, Economic Relations and Trade, Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), Pretoria Tom SUCHANANDEN, Director, Indigenous Knowledge Systems, Department of Science and Technolocy (DST), Pretoria Mashilo BOLOKA,
    [Show full text]
  • I Stand Corrected and Somnyama Ngonyama
    PERFORMANCE PARADIGM 15 (2020) Aylwyn Walsh Poethics of Queer Resurrection in Black South African Performance: I Stand Corrected and Somnyama Ngonyama Mamela Nyamza’s long legs stick out from the dustbin, her torso inside. Her body is surrounded by black trash bags that are illuminated by light. Charlie, played by artist Mojisola Adebayo, spins the narrative that has led to this moment: she is due to be married that morning to her South African lover, Zodwa. While Adebayo’s character waits for her, goes searching for her, and entreats the South African police to help her find her, Zodwa’s body lies in the trash. Murdered, and discarded, like so many other women each year in this violent country. I Stand Corrected (2012-2014) is a performance created collaboratively by British/Nigerian writer/performer Adebayo and South African dancer/choreographer Nyamza.1 Adebayo is a well-known arts practitioner working internationally; and as a young person, Nyamza was taught ballet in a rare opportunity for people living in townships (Giovanni 2014). She is one of South Africa’s leading Black female dance professionals (until recently also artistic director of the South African Dance Umbrella at the State Theatre).2 Starting from the sad and infuriating statistics of an estimated 500,000 rapes a year in South Africa (Action Aid 2009), the work plays on a gruesome phrase: there is a growing trend for men (often groups of men) to rape lesbians to “correct” their sexual orientation. Action Aid reports that: a culture of rape is already being passed down to younger generations of South African men.
    [Show full text]