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Reviving indigenous wisdom through theatre: Macgam and Ijoloba

05 April 2024 | Story ANTHONY MTHEMBU | Photo SUPPLIED

Vibrant performance at the Mthonyama Arts Festival.

In a concerted effort to revive and celebrate indigenous knowledge and traditions, both Zabesutu Mpiti a Lecturer and Sikhuthali Bonga an Academic Facilitator, in the Drama and Theatre Arts Department at the University of the Free State (UFS), presented two groundbreaking theatre productions: Macgam and Ijoloba. These productions, which premiered at PACOFS on 15-17 February 2024 and the Mthonyama Arts Festival on 15-17 March 2024 in the Eastern Cape, mark a significant milestone in the institution’s embrace of cultural heritage.

Established in 2022 by Mpiti and Bonga, the Mthonyama Arts Festival is an annual celebration aimed at showcasing and revitalizing indigenous creative practices, including plays originating from the rural areas of the Eastern Cape. Attendees at the festival were treated not only to theatrical performances but also to cultural experiences such as stick-fighting tournaments.

Both Macgam and Ijoloba received enthusiastic responses from the audience at the festival, signifying a hunger for narratives that resonate with African heritage and spirituality.

Exploring the productions

Ijoloba, conceived by Mpiti, is a three-part production inspired by Credo Mutwa’s seminal work, “Indaba, My Children.” The narrative revolves around Ijoloba, a deity sent to restore harmony among humans. Gifted with elements crucial to survival and prosperity, such as water and fertility, humanity’s misuse of these gifts, leads to conflict and the departure of Ijoloba along with her gifts. The subsequent narrative explores humanity’s quest to regain her favour.

Bonga’s Macgam delves into the migration of the Nguni people from central Africa to South Africa, drawing inspiration from Mutwa’s works as well. It also examines the tradition of female initiation schools, through the lens of divine intervention. Conflict arises as characters question traditional practices, reflecting tensions between old and new ways of life. Both productions intertwine themes of ritualism and the role of deities in African culture.

Significance of the productions

Bonga and Mpiti view these productions as pioneering efforts within the institution, breaking away from conventional Western narratives. They incorporated indigenous techniques, such as Dr Obakeng Kgwasi’s Bosophytrics, into their creative processes, emphasising the importance of diverse storytelling methods.

By bringing indigenous stories to the forefront, Bonga and Mpiti aim to foster a culture where such narratives are embraced and celebrated. The benefit in this regard is that students who are starting within the department can see that it is possible to create such work. “Bringing these stories to the forefront is a form of representation and a departure from Eurocentric ideologies allowing space for African spiritual practices to be integrated into the study and practice of drama and theatre.’’

Continuing the journey

Following its successful debut, Macgam has been showcased on various stages, including PACOFS, where it garnered positive feedback. Both productions are set to embark on a tour, with their next stop being Makhanda in the Eastern Cape, as part of the ongoing Mthonyama Arts Festival.

News Archive

UFS PhD student receives more than R5,8 million to take agricultural research to African farmers

2015-07-06

Prof Maryke Labuschagne and Bright Peprah. (Photo: Supplied)

Bright Peprah, a Plant Breeding PhD student from Ghana in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of the Free State received an award from the competitive Program for Emerging Agricultural Research Leaders (PEARL) of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) for one of his projects.

From the more than 750 proposals for funding that were received from African researchers, only 19 received funding from PEARL. PEARL is an agricultural initiative by the BMGF to take agricultural research products to African farmers. It also aims at involving the youth and women in agriculture.

Peprah’s proposal to introgress beta carotene into farmer-preferred cassava landraces was part of the final 19 proposals funded. The project is being led by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)Crops Research Institute (CRI), and has the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) as international partners with Peprah as the principal investigator.

The development of nutrient-dense cassava cultivars needs attention to eliminate the ramifications of malnutrition among the poor in an inexpensive and more sustainable way.
Photo: Supplied

He received $473 000 (R5,8 million) for his project on the improvement of beta-carotene content in cassava.

Peprah decided on this project because the populations of underdeveloped and developing countries, such as Ghana, commonly suffer undernourishment and/or hidden hunger, predisposing them to diseases from micronutrients deficiencies. “Vitamin A deficiency constitutes an endemic public health problem which affects women and children largely,” he says.

“In Africa, cassava is widely consumed by the populace. Unfortunately, in these areas, malnutrition is endemic to a significant extent, partly due to the low micronutrients in this tuberous root crop, which is a major component of most household diets. It is for this reason that the development of nutrient- dense cassava cultivars needs much attention to eliminate the ramifications of malnutrition among the poor in an inexpensive and more sustainable way.

“To date we have selected top eight genotypes from germplasm collected from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) which are high in carotenoids and also poundable, a key trait to Ghanaian farmers. These eight genotypes have been planted at different locations in Ghana, and being evaluated by different stakeholders (consumers, researchers, producers, commercial farmers, processors, etc.). If found suitable, the genotypes will be released to farmers, which we hope will solve some of the micronutrient problems in Ghana.

“My projects seek to develop new cassava varieties that will have both high dry matter and beta carotene which has been reported to be negatively correlated (as one increase, the other decreases). The breeding method will be crossing varieties that are high in beta carotene with those with high dry matter, and checking the performance of the seedlings later. Developing such new varieties (yellow flesh cassava) will increase their adoption rate by Ghanaian farmers,” he said.

Prof Maryke Labuschagne, Professor in Plant Breeding in the Department Plant Sciences and Peprah’s study leader, said: “This project has the potential to alleviate vitamin A deficiency in the West African region, where this deficiency is rampant, causing blindness in many people, especially children."

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