Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday Life Reporter
IN the chill of an early winter morning, pupils from schools around the Matabeleland region watched as the text of Shakespeare’s Othello came to life on stage at Eveline High School.
Thought to have been written in 1603, the great playwright’s words had travelled 421 years, finally tumbling on the stage of the school located on the corner of Leopold Takawira Avenue and Samuel Parirenyatwa Street in Bulawayo.
Suddenly, in the hands of the all-black cast, the play which was initially performed by the King’s Men at the court of King James I on November 1, 1604 came alive, leaping into life right before them. It was a nice change of pace from what the pupils from Northlea, Mtshabezi, Solusi, Lighthouse, Gwanda, Matopo, Eveline, and Founders High Schools are used to in their literature lessons.
They watched as Iago, like the biblical serpent, whispered into the enterprising Venetian General Othello’s ear, planting the seed of doubt that in time germinated into full-on paranoia and mistrust of his wife, Desdemona. They watched as Othello ended the life of Desdemona and after realising the folly of his actions, took his own life, bringing an end to a life that had seemed so full of promise.
In the end, Othello and Desdemona’s demise was greeted with a round of applause, as those in attendance recognised the work that had gone into bringing the production to life.
Co-directed by Philani A Nyoni and Gift Chakuvinga with Thabani H Moyo serving as the producer, the play was enacted by actors from the Centre for Talent Development as part of the Performance-Based Workshops project.
While the play itself was engrossing, the discussions afterward were equally illuminating, as many felt that Othello, was a representative of black excellence in a world that has sometimes, openly and covertly, conspired against people of colour.
actors go through a scene in Othello at Eveline High School
On Friday, the play was also a part of the Africa Day celebrations and thus, the discussion seemed apt.
“It all went well and the audience was highly appreciative,” said director Philani Nyoni.
“What I enjoyed from the discussions that the attendees had after the play was that Othello represents black excellence. That is something wonderful that came out of that discussion. To the audience Othello, before his downfall, represents black excellence. He represents the fact that you can make it in a society that is very much different from what you are. You can make it in life by strength of character and ability. I think that was the most positive message that came out today. Your origin doesn’t have to define you and that is particularly relevant when you look at Othello, who in a white-dominated Venice, became a general and the most powerful soldier in the country.”
Nyoni said despite the fact that the play was written by an erstwhile British playwright, the production resonated with an audience of mostly young black people because it resonated with their everyday interactions with the world.
“Even the opening scene, speaks about an ‘old black ram tupping his white ewe’ which shows the fact that race is a central theme. Later on, we see Brabantio denies Othello the hand of his daughter, Desdemona, in marriage on the simple basis that he is black. Yes, Othello is accomplished but he is black. So, for me this is all very relevant even in this time and day, there are still spaces that we cannot occupy for the simple reason that we are black. For me, this is a very interesting text to delve into, especially on Africa Day,” he said.
Nyoni said Shakespeare is a very interesting writer who has survived over 400 years for the simple reason that his stories are relatable across time and space.
“That’s one of the things that I love about William Shakespeare. So, if you explain the texts, which is primarily our job as directors, the actors can see themselves in his plays. Our job as directors is to help the players see the themes and motives of the characters so they get a better understanding of the text. Love is a universal theme and so are betrayal, ambition and other topics that Shakespeare brings out in Othello,” he said.
He added that universal themes cut across time and space and were relatable.
“Interestingly, Othello was a Moor, which meant that he was a black man. So, we are very excited to have done this play on Africa Day. It’s a Shakespeare play yes but is also about the life of an African. Racism is a very strong theme in Othello because when they refer to him, they emphasise calling him the Moor.”
Nyoni said African or Zimbabwean actors do have their interpretation of Shakespeare and every time, an actor is given a role or character to play, they have to lead the director.
“A director is not the one who is supposed to lead the actor. So, they have to interpret the roles according to how they see it and after they interpret it, all they have to do is exercise their judgments and execute.
“That’s how we work. Most of the time, if an actor is led by the director, they become stiff and when that happens there’s no flexibility or realism in terms of executing the character. So, the actor has to interpret the character for himself or herself,” he explained.