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PLAY OF THE GIANTS by Wole Soyinka @ Alliance Francaise, Harare Review by Chris Hamblin The Programme notes say that the play: "written in mid '80s ...... examines Africas political problems and how they manifest themselves to become continental scourges. It is quite a funny satire about a period in recent African history that was everything but funny." As the play was presented by Rooftop Productions it was difficult to watch, there were some awkward moments in this production. It was far from funny though it's satirical intention was evident. I had been led to believe that Soyinka has a great way with irony and language, (see link about poetry http://landow.stg.brown.edu/post/soyinka/poems.html and this one for an overview of Soyinka http://landow.stg.brown.edu/post/soyinka/soyinkatheme.html ) this performance though did nothing to enlighten me about all this. The Play is set in a room in the Ugandan Embassy in New York a meeting between Kamini - Idi Amin (Dylan Wilson-Max) Kasco Bokassa (Jasen Mphepo) Tuboum - Mobutu (Vulindela Gamedze) Guenema - Nguema (David Ndjavera). The meeting is to pose for a portrait representing the four Leaders to be displayed at a United Nations Art Exhibition at the top of the stairs. Dylan Wilson-Max's Kamini came across as a buffoon, speaking in pidgeon english and as such was difficult to believe. The one dancer in the cast Elias Banze (the portrait painter) did two, too short lively introductory routines at the beginning of each half and spent the rest of the play daubing paint on a picture at the back. It is difficult to understand why a dancer was needed for this part since it added nothing to the plot. The plot was a series of 'shoot the messenger' scenes, ambassadors defecting and Leaders railing abusively about power. The speech by Gunema about his search for the 'elixir of power' emerged as the dramatric center of this production, an insight into the inner quest of the tyrant, showing some metaphorical possibilities in some extemely gruesome details. It told of a woman who sleeps with Guenema, to save her husband's life and then continues to do so even after the husband's execution. An hour was cut from the play, so maybe some of the important content or subtlety have had to be removed? The play does however, enable the discussion of parallels as presented to developments in Zimbabwe and Africa today? There was the usual problem with the small Alliance Theatre with a good sized audience, the closed windows lent to the claustrophobic atmosphere disempowering the audience.
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