Magnet Theatre Trainees Present Final Performance Project for 2017 With G7: OKWE-BOKHWE

With its first performance having taken place last night, G7: OKWE-BOKWE - which means "like/of a goat" - is the final project of the year for the 2017-2018 Magnet Theatre trainees. With a performance scheduled tonight for invited guests, a final performance will take place at 12:00 tomorrow.

G7: OKWE-BOKWE is based on the historical records of the Gugulethu Seven, members of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), who were ambushed and heartlessly killed by the South African security forces on the morning of 3 March 1986, during the anti-apartheid struggle years. The Gugulethu Seven memorial was built on the site of the ambush to commemorate the life and death of those activists. The production forms a part of the broader Gugulethu 7 Project, which looks at notions of performing the archive as one of the imperative elements in remembering collective narratives.

Together with the 2017-2018 trainees on the Magnet Theatre Full-Time Training and Job Creation Programme, Mandla Mbothwe has created a powerful mourning play, drawing together the voices and bodies of twenty-one young performers to celebrate the memory of these seven young men who sacrificed their lives for the struggle. Showcasing the talent and commitment of the fifth cohort of Magnet trainees, the performance is a search for healing and regeneration, allowing the wounds of our history to be exposed, attended to and validated.

The cast of G7: OKWE-BOKWE includes Abigail Mei, Andiswa Anthony, Asamkela Ketelo, Bonga Tshabalala, Carlo Daniels, Kamva Obose, Luxolo Mboso, Meltina Samuels, Mpumelelo Phanginxiwa, Siyavuya Gqumehlo, Nthabeleng Jafta, Palesa Mohlala, Rene Brown, Siphesande Mkokose, Sivenathi Macibela, Sizwe Lubengu, Sydwell Klaas, Songezo Mtshixa, Sityhilelo Makupula, Vela Zozo and Yvonne Msebenzi, with singing by Babalwa Makwetu.

Mbothwe heads the creative team, with Zukisani Nongogo serving as assistant director. Choreography for the production is by Mzokuthula Gasa, with Jennie Reznek on board as the movement director. The design team includes Linda Mandela and Themba Stewart.

Performances of G7: OKWE-BOKWE take place at the Magnet Theatre in Observatory. Bookings can be made through Nomsa, either by phone on 021 448 3436 or by email.

Magnet Theatre wishes to thank the following organisations who give their support to the Training and Job Creation Programme: TK Foundation, Rand Merchant Bank, Oppenheimer Memorial Trust, HCI Foundation, HCI Foundation Community Transport Support Programme, Western Cape Government Expanded Public Works Programme, Rolf-Stephan Nussbaum Foundation, Potjie Foundation, The Joan St Leger Lindbergh Charitable Trust, Distell Foundation, Business and Arts South Africa, and Ampersand Foundation.