Aviwe Mtila
The mere fact that this theatre production was
filled to capacity indicates the extent of its appeal.
Produced by the Handspring Puppet Company, Ubu and The Truth Commission combines
puppetry with live acting, animation and documentary footage. While it is
guaranteed to have you laughing most of the way, it will also get you on the
emotional side as it reflects on the past injustices of the apartheid era.
Pa Ubu (played by David Minnaar) is a former police
general from the apartheid era. Memories of all the people he tortured and
murdered keep haunting him every night, so he constantly takes a walk in the
evening with his three dogs.
Ma Ubu (played by Busi Zokufa) is convinced that her
husband must be seeing other women with all his late night activities, while
she is ironically unaware of his dark and murderous past.
This is all
happening while the TRC (Truth and Reconciliation Commission) is taking place
and Pa Ubu is tempted to confess stating that the righteous can forgive the
unrighteous, but decides against it.
Scenes of the TRC are evident in the play with
family members giving explicit details of what happened to their loved ones.
Eventually Ma Ubu finds documents and lots of other evidence that link her
husband to his horrifying sin.
It’s a good trawl through South African history.
Special mention must be made of the protagonists, David Minaar and Busi Zokufa
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