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Actors Pulane Rampoana, Zizana ‘Zizi’ Peteni and Katlego ‘Kaygee’ Letsholonyana on stage during rehearsals for Lala Ngenxeba/Of Love and Revolution.
To mark the hundredth anniversary of Robert Magaliso Sobukwe’s birth, the Market Theatre, in collaboration with the City of Johannesburg and Arts Alive, has commissioned a play celebrating Sobukwe’s life and legacy.
The play, titled Lala Ngenxeba/Of Love and Revolution, seeks to shed light on his life and contributions. The production aims to bring Sobukwe’s passion and revolutionary ideals to life through a blend of history and personal letters to his wife, Veronica Sobukwe.
Playwright Monageng “Vice” Motshabi explains that the production delves into Sobukwe’s unique perspective on love as a revolutionary force.
Motshabi says Sobukwe’s commitment to justice was deeply anchored in love: “The thing that characterises a revolutionary is above all things love, love for self, love for country, love for people, love for what is right. So love anchors a revolutionary. It’s really central to a quest for justice and change.”
“For Sobukwe, love became a means of resistance, and in the play, his love for his family and country drives his fight against oppression and racial inequality. In the context of the play, it is that kind of love which is at the centre. Robert Sobukwe lays down his life out of that love,” adds Motshabi.
INTERVIEW | A Revolutionary Love: Celebrating Robert Sobukwe’s legacy through theatre
Sobukwe’s impact is often understated, despite his pivotal role as a founder of the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) and the first president of the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC). As a lawyer, academic, and pan-Africanist, he dedicated his life to the fight for liberation.
Market Theatre Foundation’s Artistic Director, Greg Homann says, “Sobukwe is a giant who played an important role in shaping South Africa, but his contribution is diminished in the public imagination of post-struggle South Africa.”
The play highlights critical moments in Sobukwe’s journey, from the Sharpeville Massacre to his imprisonment on Robben Island and his life in Kimberley, weaving in elements of song, satire, orality, and Sobukwe’s own favourite poetry.
Motshabi hopes that the play will provoke thought on the broader impacts of apartheid and colonialism on Black South African families, including the effects of forced migration, land dispossession, and the loss of freedom fighters to exile, imprisonment, and death.
Lala Ngenxeba/Of Love and Revolution opens on 14 November 2024 at the Barney Simon Theatre as part of the KAZA KAMBA Pan-African Theatre Festival, and its run will continue until 8 December, closing just after Sobukwe’s birthday.
This tribute aims not only to remember Sobukwe’s contribution but also to inspire reflection on the power of love as a force for freedom and change, remarks Motshabi.
