Mzuni stages Fugard’s ‘Blood Knot’

Mzuzu University (Mzuni) Theatre Arts Group (Mutag) has engaged actor Thlupego Chisiza to stage Athol Fugard’s Blood Knot at Jacaranda Lifestyle Lounge on Saturday and Mzuni on Monday.

Thlupego, son to renowned dramatist the late Du Chisiza Jnr, will perform alongside Mutag’s Misheck Mzumara.

The Lions Theatre director will act as Zachariah whereas Mzumara will be Morris in a play about two brothers who share a one-room shack in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

The story is a parable of apartheid in South Africa where the two brothers—representing both sides of the racial divide—share a mother, but have different fathers.

Zachariah works as a security guard at a park dominated by Morris’ race, keeping out children from his race while Morris looks after the house and his brother’s health.

Zachariah and Morris lose themselves in hopes and dreams about a woman they have never seen, but their naive optimism gives way to realism and the consolation they find in being brothers.

In an interview, Mzumara—who is a staff associate at Mzuni—said the performance by both actors is honest and true to the characters themselves.

“Mutag’s performance is stunning and it is clear that the intention was to honour Fugard’s work and clearly project the intended message, but at the same time bringing its own style and ideas to the piece. It is a powerful message and one that still rings true in today’s society.

“Though these characters have differences—different skins, different education, perceptions, dreams and find it hard to relate to each other—they are still tied together through blood in a blood knot which could be construed to the audience as a microcosm for today’s society as well as the contemporary one in which the play was written,” he said.

Mzumara said theatre lovers should be on the lookout for the masterpiece to be performed with devotion and attention to detail as Fugard himself contributed.

Meanwhile, Mutag has been listed to perform Romeo and Juliet at the Lake of Stars Arts Festival at Chintheche in Nkhata Bay.