Yawazzi Fish Tank

At this year’s National Arts Festival, I went to see a production entitled Ma Ravan (a review from a Cape Town performance here, done by Theatre Talipot from the Reunion Islands. It was a stunning performance. I did not find it a play, with a clear storyline or dialogue, but more an incredible stirring collection of physical and aural images. The combination of these two, together with the raw performances of the four actors/musicians/dancers, took you on an emotional journey that did not need comprehension. It was uncomplicated and powerful and almost trance-like. The moment in which one of the performers started playing the instrument (resembling a kora) tore plucked away at something inside me. It was the one of my two top shows at the Festival, and one of the best I have seen in my lifetime.

Coming back to Cape Town, I read that the company had moved on to Johannesburg to perform their show. In this press release, they also listed their previous productions, one of which caught my eye. It was called The Water Carriers (read a review here, and it had been performed around the world in the late 90s. I then remembered that I had seen this production as teenager living in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 1998 (I think). It had been performed at the Alliance Francaise, and the audience were all seated on the floor in this little hall (which I think had been the dining hall). It was my first time watching a play in that particular style – minimal props, use of live sound, strong physical performances, storytelling…and it was magic.

Looking back at it, I think it was the first time that I realized how magical the theatre space could be. Up until then I had watched plays rooted in realism and comedy shows, but this was the first time I had seen magic created on stage, where my imagination got activated and took me outside of my own world. And it did this without relying on text. It was quite an experience for a 16 year old. At that time, I am not even sure that drama was a strong interest or desire. I would like to think that in watching this work, my desire to work in theatre began.

The experience of Ma Ravan had scratched at that old memory of their first show that I saw. Honestly, I can’t say that I had thought much about The Water Carriers in the last few years, I had forgotten it. However, a link was made, a memory retrieved, and it made me realize why I am in this theatre world. In both cases, after watching their shows, one more than 10 years apart from the other, my reaction was the same. It also left me with the same desire: to create work that is as powerful as theirs.

Thank you Theatre Talipot.