South Africa’s Best Community Theatre Naledi Award winner 2010 “Sekwatlapa”
Written and Directed by Marlon Khoza First Produced by the Market Theatre Won South African’s Best Community Naledi Theatre Award 2010
About the Gala Evening
On the 7th March 2010 at Pretoria State Theatre, Swahombe Dramatic Ensemble – a Limpopo performing arts organization has made a history by winning South Africa’s Best Community Naledi Theatre Award with its theatre play written and Directed by Marlon Khoza. To celebrate this great achievement, Swahombe Dramatic Ensemble is hosting a gala event at the Library Gardens Auditorium on the 30th of March 2010.
The gala event headlines a performance by the winning production Sekwatlapa where the officials from various departments are anticipated to honour the event. Also the MEC of sports Arts and culture, Arts activists, Theatre practitioners within the province are anticipated to welcome the award.
Sekwatlapa Provincial Tour
After the Gala event, Swahombe Dramatic Ensemble will continue to celebrate its achievement by embarking on a provincial tour headlining 24 performances to schools and community halls to all the 5 districts municipalities in the province.
During this provincial tour the Sekwatlapa Production Team will facilitate free artistic workshops to schools and community theatre groups. The workshops that aimed at transforming community theatrical landscape of the province will by highlighting the importance of community theatre will include the following: workshops in script writing, acting, Directing and producing.
The tour is part of Swahombe Dramatic Ensemble’s community outreach program where its core objective is to encourage community theatre groups, individual youth to aggressively participate in development of community theatre. Young people from previously disadvantaged communities, particularly in rural areas, are being earmarked as the main target for this educational artistic skill transfer tour.
About Sekwatlapa
Sekwatlapa is a Sepedi word that refers to ‘a bag of oranges’ in English. Conceived and written by Marlon Khoza, Sekwatlapa is based on true events that took place on an orange farm in the Limpopo Province.
The play that features a very committed and energetic cast of young actors hailing around the district fuses brilliant elements of physical theatre complimented by humorous dialogue and is being performed in Sepedi, broken English and Afrikaans with its charm that lies in its simplicity and lingering melancholy.
Basically the play tells the story of two friends, Maponya and Joromiya who become school drop-outs after they stole a teacher’s lunch box and decides to go job hunting. Fortunately, Mr Van Tonder, who owns an orange farm in the neighbouring village, offers them a job. Joromiya becomes the farmer's favourite and is given the position of foreman. This leads to conflict between the two friends and tragedy strikes when Joromiya mysterically dies culminating in the promotion of Maponya as a foreman.
Despite the betrayal of friendship revolving around the plot sekwatlapa contains themes that gnaw at South Africa's social fabric: human rights violations, exploitation of farm workers, racism and brutal physical violence.
Highlight of Sekwatlapa
Sekwatlapa was first performed at the Market Theatre Annual Community Theatre Festival in May 2008 and the accolades include winning the Best Market Theatre Zwakala Festival 2008. Sekwatlapa premièred at Barney Simon at the Market Theatre between March and April for three weeks
The Play was then given a seasonal run at the Barney Simon Theater at The Market Theatre for three weeks March/April in 2009 in Johannesburg Newtown.
Sekwatlapa was invited to tour Gauteng Region as a guest production during Johannesburg Arts Alive Festival from 28 of August until 29 September 2009.
2009 Sekwatlapa was first nominated for the Best Community Theatre production in 2009.
In 2010 Sekwatlapa won The South Africa’s Best Community Naledi Theatre Awards
Upcoming performances of Sekwatlapa
Sekwatlapa is scheduled to premiere at the National School of The Art’s annual Festival Of Fame in Johannesburg from 15th to 20th March 2010
NB: Swahombe Dramatic Ensemble has been invited to present one of its plays "Beitbridge" at the international Youth Arts Festival in Pemba Mozambique from the 14-19 July 2010 as well as Namibia
About The Writer, Director and Producer
Marlon Khoza:
A poet, dancer, playwright and a storyteller is a founder and the artistic Director of Swahombe Dramatic Ensemble, a performing arts company based in Phalaborwa Namakgale. In 1998 Marlon Khoza wrote and directed his first play “The Story of a dying Friend“ and was first presented at the national stop crime drama festival held in Soweto Funda Community Centre.
Marlon Khoza joined and featured in Paul Rapetsoa’s Musical Play Get Down in 2000 and left the show to invent Swahombe Dramatic Ensemble. 2002 He won two best Scripts Awards with his Play Mshengu is Burning drama Festival which was held in Johannesburg Windybrow Theatre. He also choreographed several dance productions which were all premièred at the international FNB Dance Umbrella in Johannesburg Wits Theatre.
As an actor, Marlon was featured in several radio dramas at Thobela FM and Munghana Lonenen FM and he wrote two drama serials namely KU Fikela Rini? and HI Ta Kolwa for SABC radio Munghana Lonene FM. Amongst his theatre play he wrote and Directed includes: Ngwanaka, Makoti, Beitbridge, Crack Before Dawn, Phalaborwa, Dogs for Sales and Sekwatlapa as well as Dahl Street Pietersburg ( adapted from Vonani Bila’s Poem)
2007 Marlon became a patron at the University of Limpopo Performing Arts Centre, where he workshopped and mentored students for American Storytelling Idols and other projects. He is currently the Executive Director of two arts festivals (The City Impact Youth Arts Festival and Polokwane Theatre Festival) Limpopo Province.
Performers/Cast
1.Martin Makinta
2.Phillip Dikoptla
Contact Person
Marlon Khoza
084 982 3663
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