Creating a contemporary Xhosa Theatre through reimagining the intsomi form: a production of Nongenile Masithathu Zenani’s ‘Mbengu-Sonyangaza ndakwenz’int’embi!’

Abstract

This article researches the theatrical possibilities and relevance of a Xhosa folktale to contemporary South African theatre. It recycles the ancestral Xhosa knowledge of the storyteller Nongenile Masithathu Zenani to the search for acting identity as an inheritance by the Xhosa storyteller. Through examining the creation of a theatre performance from a folktale, it investigates the place of the contemporary storyteller and the influences of tradition in day-to-day life. The production searched for tools that could present a traditional Xhosa Princess’s tale from a Xhosa perspective and aimed to locate itself as a traditional Xhosa theatre genre re-invigorated for a contemporary audience. This article aims to continue the debate about the place and status of Xhosa women in the past and present, and particularly to address concerns of abuse and agency in contemporary Xhosa women’s lives. It celebrates the position of the female storyteller and responds to ancient performance techniques with respect, but also through the creation of original and innovative theatre.