Katanga January 17, a production set to play at the Market Theatre during Heritage Month this September, is aimed at strengthening African artistic collaboration, encouraging an exchange of stories and celebrating the African liberation heritage.
Katanga was a secessionist province in the Republic of Congo in which the first prime minister of that country, Patrice Lumumba, and his associates were assassinated by a firing squad on 17 January 1961.
The show tackles important conversations about colonialism, African solidarity, instability, independence and decolonisation through the revered life of Lumumba, the slain Prime Minister. Blending poetry and prose, Katanga, January 17 presents a biography of Lumumba and how his legacy continues to impact present-day Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Furthermore, it explores events surrounding the assassinations of Lumumba and fellow comrades, Joseph Okito and Maurice Mpolo.
The story is aptly narrated through the eyes of a former child soldier, detailing the well-documented psychological, physical and social impact of war on child soldiers.
Written by Lesego Rampolokeng
Katanga, January 17 was co-written by renowned writer, poet and academic, Lesego Rampolokeng, in conjunction with Bobby Rodwell, a human rights activist, playwright and director. Rampolokeng enriches the script with captivating poetry, while Rodwell provides personal narratives of the people she’s interviewed. The third co-writer of the play is Lumumba himself, through his famous last letter to his wife, Pauline Lumumba.
‘The mouth of a lion’
Audiences can expect to be transported to the eastern DRC – where ‘home becomes the mouth of a lion’ – and be exposed to the lived realities of the Congolese people, while touring the African liberation route. Additionally, the play triggers moments of deep reflection about the role of former colonial powers in the scramble for Africa’s resources, and the realisation of an African renaissance built on the strong pillars of good governance, democracy, unity, trade, economic transformation, and peace, among others.
The production is co-directed by Bobby Rodwell and Khutjo Green (who is also in the cast). According to Rodwell, Katanga, January 17 attempts to speak to the complex history and precariousness of life in the DRC as illustrated by the living descendants of Lumumba and Okito. “We are the children of war,” says Juliana Lumumba, daughter of Patrice Lumumba. “As my father ran in 1961, when his father, Joseph Okito was assassinated, so the children of the Congo are still running,” adds Joseph Okito’s grandson.
Katanga, January 17 is told in English, Ki-Swahili, Lingala and French. It features a proudly pan-African cast of South African and Congolese thespians. The South Africans in the cast are much-loved actors, Billy Langa and Khutjo Green. Billy recently featured in Poet-O-Type at the Market Theatre, while Khutjo Green was seen in Ka Lebitso La Moya at this year’s National Arts Festival.
Congolese actor Charly Azade, who performed in mehlo-maya’s Frontières, and Nji Alain, originally from the Camerron but now living in South Africa, complete the pan-African cast.
Don’t miss this dynamic cast as they weave together a narrative that, through movement and text, reveals a critical moment in the history of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and its significance to the African continent.
For reduced price block bookings (of 10 or more) and school groups, contact Anthony Ezeoke (Audience Development) at AnthonyE@markettheatre.co.za or 083 246 4950, or Mamello Khomongoe mamellok@markettheatre.co.za at 081 572 9612.
What: Katanga January 17
When: 7 – 22 September 2024
Where: The Market Theatre, Johannesburg
WS
