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The South African State Theatre will once again be home to this year’s 7th Annual “Vavasati International Women’s Festival., with the theme “In Equality seizing the megaphone”. This theme unequivocally emphasises that gender inequality is still deeply embedded in our society through patriarchy and the ongoing legacies of colonialism and apartheid.
“Vavasati” is XiTsonga for “women”. The focus on gender for the Vavasati International Women’s Festival is unapologetic. Systemic structures of power continue to discriminate against women.
The play explores a young woman; Thulisa, coming to terms with her sexuality. She is shadowed by an imaginary twin; Siphokasi, who died before birth.
Till Death Do Us Part is a Performance Art Installation that interrogates Intimate Partner Violence, Rape and Femicide in South Africa. The subject is however not just relevant in SA but around the world.
In a fictional country it is election. Three main parties battle it out to gain power. They deploy all sorts of tactics to grab at power ultimately leaving their people. Those who are meant to be the ultimate wielders of power more disenfranchised. The show uses rhythm and dance to depict how Politicians are just playing an ego game of who has the bigger stick.
This is a story of how a young woman digs deep into her past to unearth the truth and reclaim her innocence; we follow her journey, her tribulations and through an investigation of trying to find the murderer of her stepfather, a story of a girl with a painful past unfolds.
The police are uncovering the murder of a Gang leader (Tyronne Willett) who disappears from his community. As the police start to investigate members of the community, Tyronne’s baby brother takes them to a look out where he uncovers more than what the police had bargained for.
What is clear is that there is more than cutting hair that happens in this salon. And so, because the hair bulb forms the base of the scalp, the community of lakeside must protect it!
Deepened scars come back and haunt us! I have lost people in my life, some I have met and some not. I have lost opportunities in my quest to fulfil my passion. I’ve been trying to build a haven for myself, but it has never lasted, at the end I felt as if it was waste of time. This is my journey.
It wasn’t my intention the collage. The story it’s about 6 women with different stories as they are telling their stories in prison, the reason they end up in prison is that they were trying to defend themselves without having knowledge of law, however, some fought for other women without the knowledge or knowing the constitution.
Explores different experiences of young black women who identify as lesbian. It takes us through their daily lived life experiences through provocative images- how does it feel to be a woman, young, black, disable, a mother and immigrant lesbian in south Africa. It brings different Art forms together in collaboration, photography, visual art, poetry, movement, singing and sound-scaping.
The play Igama? Intersects five women’s stories inside a boxed community and are seen through the eyes of their oppressor. Trying to break out of the frame by re-identifying who they are. Do they conform in the boxed frame or do they rebel out?
Her Skin Speaks is a movement dedicated to celebrating women’s ever-changing bodies. It is here to set a reminder to women that they are okay as they are. Women’s bodies have always and continue to be battlefields and Her Skin Speaks serves as a platform to share real life stories by women who have lived them.
We chose to go the nudity route because we want to decolonize how society sees us and most importantly how we see ourselves.
Empty Wraps is a series of deconstructed monologues, broken down into thoughts and experiences. These thoughts and experiences are a result of loss, uncertainty, love, hate and broken relationships that has manifested into the lives of four women. These four women are a facet of each other and are occupying a space that is filled with empty boxes and we get a sense that the setup of this space exists in their minds. The unfolding of the thought provoking conversations and confrontations are a discovery of deeply embedded and hidden experiences that these women have had to deal with their lives.
FOOL - an attempt at global demystification. Do we need the adversary? What defines the fool’s appearance, whether endorsing or opposing the world?
The Messenger, the nameless one, the sought-after friend or dreaded foe in our universal opus of existence. Merrily the fool greets the world, his stage, while painfully reflecting upon its fate, the destruction of everything. Who can tell me who I am? Welcome to the pleasure dome! On stage a face, a body and a discourse spring into being. Based on the fool from Shakespeare’s King Lear, inspired by ‘Folly’, emerging from the quill of Erasmus von Rotterdam, and influenced by the lyrics from ‘Praise for Nothing’ by Boris Mitic.
With tracks like Kuwone Bani, Cruel world and New Day, this one-hour long offering brings puzzles from AyaZungu’s life brought together through musical and lyrical compositions.
Taken from an unreleased offering she calls: Non-Fiction.
Bloom is a work of choreography that is created by women, performed by women and for women. The show explores themes of female sexuality and its expression, as well as female masturbation and the female orgasm. The expression of female sexuality, and themes relating to it, is a reality that has been deemed socially taboo. Unlike men, women are made to feel ashamed and even disgusting for expressing their sexuality. People do not talk about women masturbating in the same way they talk about men masturbating.
Bodies under Siege is a spoken word poetry and jazz showcase featuring power house women poets who are activists accompanied by an all women band lead by Pianist /Lecture and PHD candidate Puti Sepuru. Through their work, they have been very vocal and introspective to women’s issues, including femicide, body shaming, patriarchy and many other societal issues facing women.
It is a show that encourages a good relationship between mothers and their daughters. TO teach tolerance between the two and pass the baton to the young ones. To show by example how it is done best and the importance of our culture. The productions have an element of showcasing the capabilities and professionalism of female musicians
Pauline “Ndoniyamanzi” Mbata is an Afro-Jazz/Afro-Pop female performing musician, who writes and composes her own music. Her music is mostly in Zulu love and motivational songs and in other African Native languages such as Swahili, Shona and Ibu.
My work is the self-involvement of capturing images with an eye of my experiences of violence using Poetry as a tool to break silence of being a survivor.
LEGAGA Is Teresa’s Autobiography/ an exploration of memory, dreams and nightmares told through movement, song and text. Inspired by Phuti’s personal journey as performer and woman, LEGAGA takes us through a journey from childhood to adulthood, a rite of passage and its complexities, difficulties, Fears, rejections and tragedies.
Solace can live #backtobasics is a show that take you through a journey inspired by her creative world.
Her life in the township and village she lived in ,had a great influence in the writing in her songs. Lyrically her her performance with dancing.
UHAYI unqandabalwayo ,when we were kids whenever one would be angry and speak out against any dissatisfaction one would be silenced by these words ‘Hayi’ but in this sense one would not be fighting but speaking out about what ever bothered them . In response the one who is being reprimanded would respond in saying ‘UHayi unqandabalwayo’ in saying this you would be saying that you are not fighting but saying your truth. This was a way of silencing us
XUN. Is a multi-media, multi-sensory performance installation. This solo piece performed by Trixie Munyama,
In its original installation, is a collaboration between a range of young and older Namibian experienced artists.
