Kunene and the King

Kunene and the King
Author: John Kani
Publisher: Jonathan Ball Publishers
Total Pages: 90
Release: 2021-04-09
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1776191331

'What lies beneath the apparent simplicity of Kunene and the King is a lot of moral, political and existential depth. This is testimony to the brilliance of John Kani.' – EUSEBIUS McKAISER South Africa, 2019. Twenty-five years since the first post-apartheid democratic elections. Jack Morris is a celebrated classical actor who has just been given a career-defining role and a life-changing diagnosis. Lunga Kunene is a retired senior male nurse from Soweto now working for private patients. Besides their age, they appear not to have much in common. But a shared passion for Shakespeare soon ignites a 'rich, raw and shattering head-to-head' (The Times) as the duet from contrasting walks of life unpack the racial, political and social complexities of modern South Africa. Kunene and the King is a vital play that combines the magnificence of classic Shakespearean comedy, tragedy and history to reflect on a new yet deeply wounded society.

Kunene and the King

Kunene and the King
Author: John Kani
Publisher:
Total Pages: 83
Release: 2021
Genre: South Africa
ISBN: 9781776191321

South Africa, 2019. Twenty-five years since the first post-apartheid democratic elections, two men from contrasting walks of life are thrust together to reflect on a quarter century of change. Jack Morris is a celebrated classical actor who has just been given both a career-defining role and a life-changing diagnosis. Besides his age, Jack has seemingly little in common with his at-home nurse Lunga Kunene, but the two men soon discover their shared passion for Shakespeare, which ignites this ‘rich, raw and shattering head-to-head’ (The Times).

Chaka

Chaka
Author: Thomas Mofolo
Publisher: Waveland Press
Total Pages: 193
Release: 2013-05-21
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1478609729

Chaka is a genuine masterpiece that represents one of the earliest major contributions of black Africa to the corpus of modern world literature. Mofolos fictionalized life-story account of Chaka (Shaka), translated from Sesotho by D. P. Kunene, begins with the future Zulu kings birth followed by the unwarranted taunts and abuse he receives during childhood and adolescence. The author manipulates events leading to Chakas status of great Zulu warrior, conqueror, and king to emphasize classic tragedys psychological themes of ambition and power, cruelty, and ultimate ruin. Mofolos clever nods to the supernatural add symbolic value. Kunenes fine translation renders the dramatic and tragic tensions in Mofolos tale palpable as the richness of the authors own culture is revealed. A substantial introduction by the translator provides valuable context for modern readers.

A Museum in Baghdad

A Museum in Baghdad
Author: Hannah Khalil
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 85
Release: 2019-12-31
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1350150827

This is about my responsibility. Doing what is right. Being where I'm needed. I've started a job and I must finish it. I owe it to the people of Iraq. In 1926, the nation of Iraq is in its infancy, and British archaeologist Gertrude Bell is founding a museum in Baghdad. In 2006, Ghalia Hussein is attempting to reopen the museum after looting during the war. Decades apart, these two women share the same goals: to create a fresh sense of unity and nationhood, to make the world anew through the museum and its treasures. But in such unstable times, questions remain. Who is the museum for? Whose culture are we preserving? And why does it matter when people are dying? A story of treasured history, desperate choices and the remarkable Gertrude Bell. This edition of Hannah Khalil's epic new play was published to coincide with the world premiere at the RSC's The Other Place in 2019.

Emperor Shaka the Great

Emperor Shaka the Great
Author: Mazisi Kunene
Publisher: East African Publishers
Total Pages: 484
Release: 1978
Genre:
ISBN: 9789966468697

The Whip

The Whip
Author: Juliet Gilkes Romero
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 154
Release: 2020-02-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1786828669

Winner of the 2020 Alfred Fagon Award. As the 19th Century dawns in London, politicians of all parties gather to abolish the slave trade once and for all. But the price of freedom turns out to be a multi-billion pound bailout for slave owners rather than those enslaved. As morality and cunning compete amongst men thirsty for power, two women navigate their way to the true seat of political influence, challenging members of parliament who dare deny them their say. In this provocative new play by Juliet Gilkes Romero, the personal collides with the political to ask, what is the right thing to do and how much must it cost?

Year of the Mad King

Year of the Mad King
Author: Antony Sher
Publisher: Nick Hern Books
Total Pages: 208
Release: 2018-03-05
Genre:
ISBN: 9781848426719

Year of the Mad King: The Lear Diaries, is Antony Sher's account of researching, rehearsing and performing one of Shakespeare's greatest roles: King Lear. His honest, illuminating and witty commentary provides an intimate, first-hand look at the development of his Lear and the production as a whole. Also included are a selection of his paintings and sketches, many reproduced in full color.

African Intellectual Heritage

African Intellectual Heritage
Author: Abu Shardow Abarry
Publisher: Temple University Press
Total Pages: 852
Release: 1996
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781566394031

Organized by major themes—such as creation stories, and resistance to oppression—this collection gather works of imagination, politics and history, religion, and culture from many societies and across recorded time. Asante and Abarry marshal together ancient, anonymous writers whose texts were originally written on stone and papyri and the well-known public figures of more recent times whose spoken and written words have shaped the intellectual history of the diaspora. Within this remarkably wide-ranging volume are such sources as prayers and praise songs from ancient Kemet and Ethiopia along with African American spirituals; political commentary from C.L.R. James, Malcolm X, Mary McLeod Bethune, and Joseph Nyerere; stirring calls for social justice from David Walker, Abdias Nacimento, Franzo Fanon, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Featuring newly translated texts and ocuments published for the first time, the volume also includes an African chronology, a glossary, and an extensive bibliography. With this landmark book, Asante and Abarry offer a major contribution to the ongoing debates on defining the African canon. Author note:Molefi Kete Asanteis Professor and Chair of African American Studies at Temple University and author of several books, includingThe Afrocentric Idea(Temple) andThe Historical and Cultural Atlas of African Americans.Abu S. Abarryis Assistant Chair of African American Studies at Temple University.

Nothing but the Truth

Nothing but the Truth
Author: John Kani
Publisher: NYU Press
Total Pages: 74
Release: 2002-11-01
Genre: Drama
ISBN: 186814657X

An award-winning play about the relationship between brothers. Nothing but the Truth is the story of two brothers, of sibling rivalry, of exile, of memory and reconciliation, and the ambiguities of freedom. The play was John Kani's debut as sole playwright and was first performed in the Market Theatre in Johannesburg. It won the 2003 Fleur du Cap Award for best actor and best new South African play. In the same year Kani was also awarded a special Obie award for his extraordinary contribution to theatre in the USA.