Cry the Beloved Eldos In the wake of service delivery protests in coloured dominated communities where residents are calling on the government for better services and for a speedy drug intervention programme, Roseline Wilkens’ choreographic work couldn’t come at a more pertinent time. Cry the Beloved Eldos explores the circumstances that have become ingrained in these communities and how they shape the youth. The piece will be presented during Vuyani Dance Theatre’s annual Vuyani Week, a showcase that will take place at Dance Factory in Newtown, opening on Friday 30 November through to Sunday 2 December 2018.
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ry the Beloved Eldos was inspired by a desperate mother, Dereleen James, who penned a letter to then-president Jacob Zuma. In this letter, she and a few other mothers and sisters relayed their stories
of family members who had been swallowed by the drug problems in the community. ‘I have withdrawn myself from society, I can no longer cope, I live like a prisoner. My son climbs through the trap door to break into his own home. I’m forced to give him all my money, just so that I can have peace. I keep my purse in my panty and I lock my room door just in case he becomes violent. I wish he can die or for me to have the courage to end my life. I wonder if God will forgive me.’ These words are from an unnamed 67-year-old mother who contributed to the letter.
50 / Creative Feel / November 2018
Gregory Maqoma’s Fullmoon, performed by Vuyani Dance Company
