RE-INVENTING MEMORY AND REFORMING PERFORMANCES: A GENEALOGY OF PANIC THEATRE IN ZIMBABWE BY C2009 Joy L Wrolson Submitted to the graduate degree program in Theatre and Film and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ________________________________ Chairperson* ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ Date Defended________________________________ The Dissertation Committee for Joy L Wrolson certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: RE-INVENTING MEMORY AND REFORMING PERFORMANCES: A GENEALOGY OF PANIC THEATRE IN ZIMBABWE Committee: ________________________________ Chairperson* _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ Date approved:_______________________ ii Table of Contents List of Figures ........................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................. vi Glossary .................................................................................................................................. vii Acronyms ................................................................................................................................. ix Chapter 1: Re-Inventing Memory and Reforming Performances in Zimbabwe: A Genealogy of Panic Theatre (theatre for development, after the Murambatsvina) ................................... 10 History of Theatre and Performance in Zimbabwe ............................................................. 22 Methodology ....................................................................................................................... 32 Memory ........................................................................................................................... 36 Haunting .......................................................................................................................... 38 Audience ......................................................................................................................... 40 Chapter 2: Theatre and the Murambatsvina Crisis in Zimbabwe ........................................... 47 Socio-Economic Background ............................................................................................. 47 Land reform vs. farm takeovers .......................................................................................... 54 POSA and AIPPA ............................................................................................................... 66 Operation Murambatsvina .................................................................................................. 68 Theatre during the crisis: censorship and adaptation .......................................................... 72 Chapter 3: Memory, Crisis, and Hypocrites: the performer’s responsibility to act and panic theatre ...................................................................................................................................... 82 Ghosting of space and Highfield community performance hall ......................................... 85 Ghosting of other performers and memory ......................................................................... 88 You Have No Right to Not Remain Silent ........................................................................... 90 Hypocrites ........................................................................................................................... 95 Memory—ghosting of TfD and HIV awareness ............................................................. 95 Chapter 4: Remember Me, O Lord: All Systems Out of Order, Haunting and Panic Theatre ............................................................................................................................................... 112 All Systems Out of Order .................................................................................................. 114 Three productions ............................................................................................................. 120 Theatre in the Park ........................................................................................................ 120 Chishawasha Mission.................................................................................................... 125 Beit Hall at the University of Zimbabwe ...................................................................... 130 iii Satire and panic theatre ..................................................................................................... 132 Chapter 5: Conquered Plans: Playing Games with Memory and Panic theatre ................... 136 Ghosting of Text ............................................................................................................... 140 Ghosting of Actors’ bodies ............................................................................................... 149 Performance Space and the Ghosting of the OM .............................................................. 157 Chapter 6: From TfD to Panic Theatre ................................................................................. 161 Afterword: Panic Theatre in the time of Cholera and Diamonds ................................. 171 Appendices ........................................................................................................................... 175 PUBLIC ORDER AND SECURITY ACT [CHAPTER 11:17] ........................................... 175 ACCESS TO INFORMATION AND PROTECTION OF PRIVACY ACT ....................... 204 Bibliography ......................................................................................................................... 259 iv List of Figures FIGURE 1 LAND APPORTIONMENT IN RHODESIA IN 1965. HTTP://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/LAND_REFORM_IN_ZIMBABWE ................................................................ 58 FIGURE 2 WRECKAGE OF HOME REDUCED TO RUBBLE BY OPERATION MURAMBATSVINA ("CLEAN UP") JUNE 8, 2005. KUBATANA.NET ..................................................................................... ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED. FIGURE 3 CARTOON BY JONATHAN SHAPIRO. THE UNION BUILDINGS MENTIONED IS THE RESIDENCE OF SOUTH AFRICA'S PRESIDENT. (NCUBE, BATE AND TREN 2005) ............................................................................... 72 FIGURE 4 ZIMBABWE HALL WITH NYAU MASQUERADERS ON AFRICAN CHILD DAY. ONE IS WEARING A HEADDRESS, THE OTHER IS POSSIBLY MASKED AS A WHITE PRIEST OR AN OLDER WHITE MAN. PHOTO J. WROLSON .................................................. 86 FIGURE 5 MARITA BEING QUESTIONED. YOU HAVE NO RIGHT. PHOTO J WROLSON ............................................................... 91 FIGURE 6 STRUCTURE OF PHYSICAL SPACE BY DIANE THRAM. .......................................................................................... 124 FIGURE 7 ALL SYSTEMS OUT OF ORDER AT CHISHAWASHA MISSION. PHOTO J WROLSON ..................................................... 128 FIGURE 8 SNAKE SPIRIT CONFRONTS TARU. FROM REHEARSAL AT BEIT HALL JULY 21, 2005. PHOTO BY J WROLSON ................. 145 FIGURE 9 SCENES FROM CONQUERED PLANS AND ALL SYSTEMS OUT OF ORDER, BOTH DIRECTED BY STANLEY MAMBO. PHOTOS BY J. WROLSON .................................................................................................................................................... 150 FIGURE 10 TAWURANA'S INITIATION AND INSTRUCTION. PHOTO J. WROLSON .................................................................... 155 FIGURE 11 MATANDA JOINS THE TWO. PHOTO J. WROLSON ........................................................................................... 155 FIGURE 12 MATANDA'S INITIATION. PHOTO J. WROLSON ............................................................................................... 156 v Acknowledgements This dissertation is the product of many years and many people’s assistance in my research. My fieldwork was funded by the Fulbright Hays Fellowship. KU: Folabo Ajayi-Soyinka, Elizabeth McGonagle, Peter Ukpodoku, John Gronbeck-Tedesco, and Tamara Falicov. Joy Richmond, Lisa Hall, Craig Pearman, Karla Conrad. Zimbabwe: Tim Smith, Amy Moser, Gladys, and Charles at the United States Embassy Public Affairs. Ethel Dhlamini-Maqeda and Nkanyiso Maqeda, my friends and hosts for the first part of my research; Owen Seda, chair of the Department of Theatre who worked so tirelessly to assist me in getting my research permit and work permit; Sis Maria; Florence Mukanga, my student and research assistant; my third year honors students; other members of the department and the post graduates. All from the University of Zimbabwe. Jingo James Mukwindidza from Vuka Afrika; Shillah Chipamuriwo and Tafadzwa Muzondo from Edzai Isu, George Nyamuzinga and Stanley Mambo from Conquered Plans; Tsungai Garise; Susan Hains. All friends, colleagues and informants. Joyce and Mavis. Medhat and Mohamed, my neighbors who celebrated Christmas Eve and Christmas with me, and occasionally fed me. Patrice Watson, Maxine Sample, Bryan McColgan, William Morse, and Bernardo Solano, Fulbrighters, colleagues and at times neighbors. Gudula Mueller-Towe; Ingvill Morlandsto. Back in the US family and friends: