Mandy Production raises awareness against abuse
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Thursday November 17, 2016 15:27
The double bill will be held at Mantlwaneng at Westwood. The founder of Mandy Productions, Edward Moroka said they will be treating the audience with beautiful and touching plays to raise awareness as artists on gender based violence. He said the two plays, WAR (Women Against Rape) and A Day Before Execution, are stories that reflect on real life challenges.
WAR is a production based on rape and is performed by three women. It showcases different acts of rape such as defilement, work place rape and marital rape. He said three women will narrate their heartbreaking stories that changed their lives forever.
“WAR is a play that evokes the feeling of terror and fear. These are true stories of women who have experienced the worst forms of either emotional, psychological, sexual and physical abuse both directly and indirectly. It highlights clearly the issues women are dealing with in our present society and how often those issues are overlooked,” he explained.
He added that these kinds of stories show the vulnerability of women and how often victims choose to live in silence, fearing the stigma that may come with trying to find solace. Moroka emphasised that WAR tried to break that silence by showing women that they were not to blame for their ordeal. He also explained that if women were to share their rape stories, other women will be able to open up and share their emotionally daunting stories that they would have been bottling inside.
As for A Day Before Execution (I’m Sorry Mr President) play, he explained that it was a captivating all man cast play revealing stories of love and tragedy. In this play, four convicted prisoners facing the death sentence, faced with only 24 hours before meeting their fate share their stories with the audience before pleading for forgiveness to the president.
“In the play, each man gets a chance to speak nothing but the brutal truth, trying to explain the reason for their heinous crimes. The most important aspect that they highlight is how they think the society will benefit from their stories,” he said.
Moroka confidently promised that the stories will move the audience through their raw, uncensored use of language, the vivid explanations that paint horrific images of how those men carried out acts of murder in cold blood. He said the issues of revenge, acting out of anger and frustrations also come to surface showing how men often fall victim to their circumstances and end up in unnecessary situations.
“At the end of the day this play shows that violence isn’t the answer and the only way of dealing with certain situations. Seeking the necessary help is ideal in such situations. All these come out at the end when each man tries to explain how they will ensure that they live positive lives and even help other people through what their experience has taught them if they are given a second chance,” he said.
Both shows have age restriction of 18 years and above. Entrance fee will be P100 per person. The events start at 7pm.