Letsatsi theatre steals hearts

Kgomotso Molelekeng
Correspondent | Monday October 15, 2012 00:00

 

The performance used dance and conversation to address pressing issues such as youth employment, HIV/AIDS, teenage pregnancy, passion killings, corporal punishment and other issues affecting communities on a daily basis. The group  added more flavour to the show using dance to tell this story, set in a village where boys and girls sit under trees and carry out their normal activities.

Here, they engage in a debate about issues that hinder their country from succeeding. Each character in the performance represents points of view that are usually held by people in society. For example, characters represented people in everyday life who hold hypocritical stances, are ignorant, ambitious and even the misunderstood who are often those who are rejected by society.  The character who brought some of the audience to tears was that of K played by Bontle Mogwera. The plot is centered around her, whom society rejects because she is a dreamer aspiring to make a success of her life.

Ultimately, everybody wants to be the girl's friend  but it wasn't before she had to endure much hardship. Speaking with Mogwera, she said that her character is a girl who wants to be a model but people keep discouraging and pushing her away:'I was happy to have been given the opportunity to play this character and I enjoyed every moment of it,' she said.

Molebi Moopi, a linguistic and theatre graduate from UB, who played the character that represented the hypocrisy of some people in society also shared her excitement with Showtime:'I have learned a lot from this drama, especially that anything is possible with effort and self- discipline,' she said.The director, cheographer and producer of the show Jean- Raoul Austin de Drouillard, who is also a lecturer at the University of Botswana, told Showtime that it took him a year to bring this amazing show to stage and he encourages people to learn from it:

'I wanted to bring something exciting and different to the people that will harness the creative potential of Botswana's youth in terms of music, dance and theatre thereby educating them and also entertaining and I hope I did that,' he proudly said.The show displayed  captivating fusions of ballroom dance, contemporary jazz choreography, traditional and modern dance. Although the show was not highly attended, those who were there seemed to enjoy  every moment of the show as they excitedly applauded  all the performances.