THE OSTRICH FEATHER DUSTER 2010
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In order to better understand fictional representation and its role in the study of migration, Agnieszka Flak wrote and staged a theatre play based on interviews she conducted with four migrant women involved in sex work in inner-city Johannesburg. The goal of writing The Ostrich Feather Duster was to explore how representation by others in fiction – be it film, drama or novels – compares with the way we represent ourselves. The aim of writing the drama piece was to draw parallels and examine the differences between the writer’s own representation of migrant women involved in sex work in inner-city Johannesburg and the way those said women saw and represented themselves. Ms. Flak later staged and directed the play at the University of the Witwatersrand and even engaged one of the women she interviewed as a performer. She invited the other three women to see one of the performances and evaluate for themselves the success of the play in portraying their lives. The reactions of the migrant women, as well as those of the wider audiences were collected via focus group discussions and questionnaires, and were used to examine how directors/ writers/playwrights may choose to represent others, and the consequences thereof. 1. Janet King (left) and Tebogo Makokoe in the Wits Theatre production of The Ostrich Feather Duster. © A. Rinaldi 2010. 2. Mary Theru as The Business Woman in the Wits Theatre production of The Ostrich Feather Duster. © A. Rinaldi 2010. 3. This is the poster for the play..