Ithemba Tattu

Written and directed by Edmund Mhlongo

By Thabo Mongoato

The story follows a woman’s struggles after she is stigmatised in her community because of her HIV/Aids status.

According to director Edmund Mthembu ithemba tattu is “stigma and hope,” which are key themes that detail the character’s emotional trauma in the play, from losing her children and husband to the disease and attempting to lead a normal life.  The HIV/Aids pandemic has been repeatedly told through various mediums and may have lost its effectiveness, but Mhlongo says his play “it is very different because it tells the people how to break the silence, [even though] people are still stigmatised through HIV/Aids.”