My Children! My Africa!

ABOUT

NNCT By arrangement with DALRO (Pty) Limited, Presents

MY CHILDREN! MY AFRICA!

A story that is as valid today as it was at tis premier in 1989 which was directed by Athol Fugard himself: NCT’s production of Fugard’s My Children! My Africa!

will be staged at NCT on Saturday, 11 March 2023

Directed by Kathy-Jo Ross

Directed by Kathy-Jo Ross

NCT proudly presents a return production of Athol Fugard’s My Children! My Africa! at the South African State Theatre, Pretoria from 1 – 17 March 2023, followed by a performance at NCT’s Indoor Inspiration Theatre, Parktown, Johannesburg on 11 March 2023

My Children! My Africa! is a compulsory set work studied by Grade 12 government school learners for English as a First Additional Language.

We’re thrilled that Kathy-Jo Ross, who was cast by Fugard to be the first Isobel, acting with John Kani as Mr M and Rapulana Seiphemo as Thami, is once again connected with this play and is again NCT’s Director for this production.

Set in 1985 in the Western Cape, South Africa, My Children! My Africa! explores the interaction and relationships between Thami, a gifted 17 year old black student, his teacher and mentor of many years, Mr M, and Isabel, a confident and enthusiastic white student who befriends the other two during an inter-school debate held in the Location, at the edge of a small provincial town.

The two youngsters strike up a gently competitive friendship and are enrolled to enter an English literature school quiz, and as the drilling for the competition advances, tension mounts.

The play presents the obstacles encountered by two young people whose friendship is coloured by the racial divide and the tensions of the society that they live in, and juxtaposes contradictory approaches to achieving racial equality. Fugard skillfully explores the continuous struggle between the political and the individual in the context of relationships fraught with unresolved personal conflict, frustration, and loneliness.      

Says Moira Katz, CEO of NCT, “My Children! My Africa!” may be set in a different century, under a different political system, but its themes and conflicts find echoes in the 21st-century. But it’s what Mr. M says that has particular resonance, especially when he’s confessing how hard it is to hope in a world of division and systemic injustice. He tells Thami, who is tempted by militant activism: “If the struggle needs weapons, give it words. This is a heartbreaking and powerful must-see play, as relevant today as it was 32 years ago. I’m so proud we’ve been able to bring this production to life every year for the past four years.”

NCT’s Creative Team:

Director: Kathy-Jo Ross

Set and Costume Design: Sarah Roberts

Lighting Design: Jane Gosnell