By Tselane Moiloa
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Nicky (Dieketseng Mnisi), Stephanus (Nic Beukes) and Popi (Diana Maseko) in a reconciliatory scene in Madonna of Excelsior.
BLOEMFONTEIN – The technical crew and actors who have adapted the historical novel Madonna of Excelsior into a play have received praise from the book’s author, Professor Zakes Mda, who admitted that while he prefers not to see his work brought to the stage, this adaptation brought something new to the table.
After years of putting it off, Kobus Moolman adapted the novel for the Performing Arts Centre of the Free State (Pacofs) and produced the play which was directed by Roel Kwijnstra.
The cast of nine professional and five student actors from the University of the Free State “forced” Mda to watch the first rehearsal where the various scenes were combined.
The play centres around Popi, played by Diana Maseko and her quest to who her father which leads her to discovering the infamous “Madonna of Excelsior” – a group of 19 women who were subjects of a sex scandal in 1971 in Excelsior. The women were having affairs with white men, primarily for money. Popi was the daughter of one of the women, Nicky.
Popi goes from pillar to post asking for the truth but although everyone in the township seemed to know who her father was, no one seemed willing to tell her.
One of the themes which struck the chord was of sex and power elations between the two groups during apartheid, where Nicky’s husband comes home to find her pregnant with another man’s child.
In one of the scenes, Nicky tells of how she was raped by one of the men, yet this was brushed aside by the other women because it had been normalised. The sexual exchanges were mutually-beneficial, they argued.
“When the white men were heaving and squealing on top of us, we were in control. And when they had vomited inside of us, they were back in control,” she says with an emotional undertone that cannot be missed.
Mda, who was in Bloemfontein to speak at the Central University of Technology on Thursday, August 2, said he “did not cringe” throughout the show, which was a good sign.
“I hate watching my plays…I usually sit there and cringe a lot. In your case, and I am not saying this to buy your faces, I did not cringe at all. I sat there with no expectations, but as you progressed, I relaxed, which is a good thing.
“To adapt a novel into a play is very difficult,” Mda said, adding that “the people who adapted this novel made it work in such a way that it was new to me.”
In preparation for their roles, the cast visited Excelsior, a small quiet town 110 kilometres south of Bloemfontein in Mantsopa Local Municipality, where they met with some of the people the book is based on, while taking in a dose of life in the hidden town.
“We felt like we were opening a can of worms because most of the people still do not want to talk about it. About 10 minutes after our arrival at Viliki’s place, the neighbours had come out of their houses staring at us and the police suddenly arrived on the scene,” said Diana.
Maseko continued: “It was even more unnerving for me because of my coloured features. Going there and speaking to locals has given me the background I need to bring my character to life.”
Having received feedback from Mda, director Roel Twijnstra said they would now focus on perfecting the play before it opens on August 15.
“We will fix where we have to; but from now on it is not about being creative anymore but just hard work,” Twijnstra said.
“This is not just a play. It is history, and also shows how the town is still stuck in the past. Nothing has changed – it does not feel like the new South Africa there,” he added.