Imvelaphi yeshashalazi labantu kuleli
UMLANDO weshashalazi eNingizimu Afrika usikhombisa ukuthi kusukela ngezikhathi zenqubo yobandlululo ezeshashalazi zazinindekile nazo ile nqubo. Kwakuneshashalazi labamhlophe nalapho izindawo zabo ezingamatheatre zabe zinakho konke okudingwa umdlalo weshashalazi noma ngabe owaluphi uhlobo. Ngakolunye uhlangothi bese kuba neshashalazi labantu boHlanga elagcina seliduma njengeshashalazi lasemalokishini (township theatre) lona-ke lalidlalelwa kakhulu emahholo lapho zazingekho khona izinsiza njengalezo ezazitholokala kwelabelungu.
Ngasebelungwini kwakuhamba phambili imidlalo ka-Athol Fugard okwakuthi yize ithinta ngokwakwenzeka kuleli kodwa yayibonakala ukuthi yenzelwe kakhulu abendlu emhlophe futhi ingalumeli kangako ngasekugxekeni inqubo yobandlululo. Yingakho nje isikhathi esiningi yayikwazi yona ukudlala ingatholi ukuhlukumezeka njengaleyo yabaqondisi boHlanga. Imidlalo ka-Athol Fugard yize yayibhekiswe kumcindezeli kodwa udaba yayilubeka kwasakuncenga ukuba kube nonembeza wokuzishaya kubacindezeli. Enye yezinkakha zaboHlanga kwezeshashalazi uMnu uZakes Mda uyibeka kahle le ndaba lapho ethi imisebenzi kaFugard yize yayikhuluma ngesimo sengcindezelo kodwa yayinganiki umqondo wezixazululo okumele zilandelwe ukuze kuphele isimo esibi sobandlululo ngaphandle kokukhuluma ngesimo esidabukisayo saleso sikhathi. Ngisho nalapho yayidlalwa khona imidlalo yakhe kwakuba semadolobheni nokwakwenza ababukeli bezinye izinhlanga kubenzima ukubuka imidlalo yakhe ngenxa yokumba eqolo kwamathikithi ayo, inkinga yezinto zokuhamba – khumbula ukuthi izinto zokuhamba eziya emalokishini zazinqamuka ngehora lesishiyagolombili ebusuku ngenxa yemithetho yewashi.
Lesi simo saphoqa ukuthi kuqhibuke ‘ishashalazi labantu’ nelalithandwa kakhulu emalokishini ngenxa yokuthi lalinganiki nje kuphela ababukeli ubumnandi bokuqeda isizungu kodwa lalikhumbuza aboHlanga ukuthi bayahlushwa ezweni labo kanti ukuthula kwabo ngeke kubasize ngalutho komele basukume balwisane nesilwane sobandlululo ababebhekene naso. Abamhlophe babelibukela phansi ishashalazi labantu bethi ngelabahlupheki ngenxa yokudlalelwa ezindaweni ezingalifanele kanye nokwesweleka kwezinsiza ezifana nokokukhanyisa isiteji kanye nemisindo yakhona. Kubantu boMdabu lokhu kwakungasho lutho inqobo nje uma abalingisi beshaya khona futhi nomyalezo unemba ngqo kumcindezeli. Yingakho ligcine selaziwa ngeprotest theatre.
Phambilini ngesikhathi saleprotest theatre kwagqama kakhulu uMnu uGibson Kente nowagcina esethathwa njengobaba weTownship Theatre. Kusukela eqala ngeminyaka yowe-1966/7 kuze kube eboshwa ngonyaka we-1976 imisebenzi yakhe inikeze ithemba kwabacindezelwe kanti yayiyibeka njengoba injalo indaba yenhlalo yaboMdabu ezweni lokhokho babo njengemidlalo yakhe iHow Long, i-I believe, Isikhalo, iToo Late neminye. Emidlalweni kaKente wawubona ngempilo yo‘tsotsi’ besikhathi leso, umculo wejazz yabantu, izindawo zokuhlanganyela ezifana namashibhi ayengavunyelwe ngaleso sikhathi kanye nokutshengisa impilo yaboHlanga njengoba injalo. Okwakwenza imidlalo yakhe idume kakhulu ubuchule bakhe bokukwazi ukuhlanganisa umculo, ukulingisa kanye nokuhlekisa kodwa ebe edlulisa inkunzimalanga yemiyalezo neyayifudumeza abacindezelwe ukuba bavuke bazithathe!
Ngemuva kowe-1976 kuvele ababhali beshashalazi abafana noMatsemela Manaka nenkampani yakhe iSoyikwa African Company (1976) neyayigxile kakhulu ezimfundisweni zokuzazi komuntu oMnyama ngaphansi kwenhlangano yeBlack Consciousness nalapho okwabonakala khona iprotest theatre ishintsha amagiya aya phambili ikhuthaza ngqo ukuba abacindezelwe bavuke bayibambe balwisane nobandlululo. UManaka wayeboleka kakhulu enqubeni yokuxoxa imidlalo yakhe ngokulandela ukuxoxwa kwezinganakwane ngendlela yakwaXhosa. Imisebenzi yakhe eminingi yayilandela kakhulu imisebenzi kaMnu uWole Soyinka neminye yababhali baseNtshonalanga ye-Afrika. Kanti-ke wayefunde ishashalazi ngokulandela inqubo yombhali wasePoland uJerzy Grotowski nalapho afunda khona kuye ubumqoka bokuba nobuchule bomlingisi, ngokomzimba womlingisi kanye nokusebenzisa izwi ngezindlela eziningi ekulingiseni.
Kuqala iminyaka yawe-1980 iprotest theatre iphinde yanyukela egiyeni eliphezulu ngokungena ngeshodi kukaMnu uMbongeni Ngema noMnu uPercy Mtwa ababekade bekhule ngaphansi kwesandla sikaKente nalapho beqhamuke khona nomdlalo weshashalazi iMama and the Load, uNgema elingisa phambili kanti uMtwa ecula abuye adanse. Balandelise ngomlilo womdlalo iWoza Albert (1981) besizwa umlungu waseMarket Theatre umqondisi uBarney Simon. Lo mdlalo ubahambise amazwe aphesheya wawina nemiklomelo eScotland ku-Edinburgh Festival naseLos Angeles. Lo mdlalo waze washintshelwa nasolimini lwesiFulentshi ushintshwa umqondisi nombhali uPeter Brook ngowe-1989. Le mpumelelo kaNgema noMtwa ibabone bekhula beba abaqondisi nalapho uNgema ebhale waqondisa umdlalo i-Asinamali (1985) ngodaba lwentela eLamontville kwathi ngonyaka ofanayo uMtwa yena waqhamuka nothi Bopha owawungephoyisa elalibopha abantu bakubo ngisho abomndeni walo. Yomibili le midlalo ishise izikhotha nokwaholela ekutheni iBopha ize yenziwe ifilimu phesheya! UMtwa wake wathi ukunyamalala ngenxa yempi yakhe nabaqondisi baseHollywood ayekhala ngabo ngokuhlanakezela umdlalo wakhe iBopha kanti lokhu kuyisana ezikantolo nabo kwamudla kakhulu ephaketheni.
UNgema kwathi ngowe-1987 waqhamuka nesiklwibhisi somdlalo oyimusical iSarafina owagcina ungene naseBroadway eNew York wagcine sewuqoshwe waba ifilimu namanje okusakhulunywa ngawo.
Yizo lezi yizingqwayingqwayi zakithi eziyibambe ishisa kwezeshashalazi zilikhulisa isikhathi sisibi zingabheke nanzuzo kodwa zilwa nokudlulisa umyalezo ngaphansi kwayo iprotest theatre. Iprotest theatre ilime enkulu indima ikhiqiza abalingisi okunamuhla babeke enkulu induku kule mboni yezobuciko kanye nokuqikelela ukuthi udaba lo muntu wase-Afrika alukhohlakali. Ukuvela kwentando yeningi kuke kwayididisa imboni yezobuciko kwezeshashalazi nalapho abaqondisi nababhali babengazi ukuthi sekumele bathathe yiphi indlela yeshashalazi eselibuka okusha okuphethwe intando yeningi! Yize sekukhona inhlansana yokuvuka kweshashalazi kabusha manje kodwa licishe lalimala ngoba ukuphaphama kwalo livuke selibangisana nezinto eziningi abantu abese behamba nazo nokwenza lidonse kanzima ekuvukeni kwalo nosekulenza kube sengathi lakhela kabusha!
Iprotest theatre iphonsele ishashalazi lamanje inselelo yokubheka ukuthi iziphi manje izinto okumele liziqhakambise. Okugqamayo ukuthi abantu boHlanga abaningi balahlekile abazazi bangobani nokwenza ababhali nabaqondisi bamanje bahlalelwe umsebenzi wokusebenzisa loqhude ekuvuseleleni aboMdabu ukuze bazazi bangobani nokuzobenza bakwazi ukubhekana kahle nezinselelo zanamhlanje. Kumele-ke liqiniswe kakhulu ezikoleni ishashalazi ukuze ikusasa lalo lime unganaphakade ngoba phela inkunzi isematholeni.