Drama students speak the unspoken

Dylan Botha

Art is often seen as a tool to make the world a better place. This has been affirmed during UP’s AntiDiscrimination Week, which ran from 26 to 30 September. The UP Transformation Office and second-year BDram students used the performing arts as a platform to address social matters students are faced with on a regular basis, such as stalking, gender-based violence, racism, and discrimination against those living with disabilities.

Taking a walk through UP’s many beautiful hallways, you are bound to find people from all corners of our beautiful country. The buzz you often come across at the Aula grass consists of many different languages, cultures, genders, and personalities – and that is what makes it so beautiful, is it not? However, many students still face “othering” for being different, or for straying from the “norm”. Discrimination remains the root of several societal issues we face daily, on and off campus.

The following plays were seen during this week: Unseen, which told the stories of people living with disabilities and how they are faced with the same struggles as able-bodied persons; U People, which discussed the issue of racism and its many side effects, such as language exclusion and tribalism; Blame, which unpacked the struggles of gender-based violence and how this problem is often more complex than meets the eye; Nothing Happened, which exposed how gender-based violence is often overlooked in our social circles; Around the Corner, which moved its audiences with a shocking storyline about how serious stalking could be if not dealt with; and, finally, Gastronomies, which revealed the snowball effect of the evergrowing class divide and resulting power imbalance in South Africa.

According to second-year student, Nzuzo Dlamini, they rehearsed their performances for more than five weeks and spent a lot of time researching, interviewing, and observing people on campus in order to depict a true sense of reality onstage. PDBY also spoke to second-year BDram student, Wianné Fourie, who said “I was never aware of how influential and evident these matters were until we started researching [them]. I am so glad we were given the opportunity to raise awareness. I believe that is where change starts”.

These plays sparked conversation among audience members, leaving them to ponder the seriousness of these matters and their own responsibility in enacting change in their environment.

For more information, contact the Transformation Office via email (transformationoffice@up.ac.za) or WhatsApp (012 420 8404).

My name is Ashleigh, and I have been the Entertainment editor of PDBY for over a year now, and this section has been my pride and joy. This is my final issue as editor, and this is my last playlist, so I thought I would just mention how much I loved curating these playlists and looking at the wonderful musical talent of South Africa. PDBY has a Spotify account (@pdbymedia) of all the music that has been added to these playlists, but you can also scan the QR code to give it a listen. Here’s a list of some of my favourite South African musicians ever. Please enjoy:

“Blue Eyes” - Springbok Nude Girls

“Fine Again” - Seether

“The Knife” - Zebra & Giraffe

“Genie” - Springbok Nude Girls

“Tattoo” - Desmond and the Tutus

“Secret Police” - FUZIGISH

“Stereo Kids” (reprise) - Pyramid

“Long Pig” - Squeal

“Home Wrecker” - The Dirty Skirts

“QQ Me” - The Finkelstiens

Grace by Barbara Boswell

Vuyiswa Fumba

Grace is a fiction novel that explores topics of particular importance in a South African context, such as genderbased violence, the patriarchy, and loss. The author, Barbara Boswell, uses her experiences growing up in the 1980s and 1990s to paint a realistic picture of the country’s postapartheid condition.

The novel, set in a Cape Town township in the 1980s, follows a girl named Grace and her dysfunctional family as they navigate their brutally complex relationships – particularly her downtrodden mother and abusive father. She is, however, able to push past these obstacles and create a beautiful life for herself. The unexpected return of a childhood friend, though, reveals that she has more of her traumatic past to work-through than she had previously thought. It is a compelling read, and the author showcases the generational effects of abuse, violence, and trauma with great skill.

The book shows that breaking a cycle of abuse is not easy and that reinvention takes time, effort, and the confrontation of one’s deepest fears and darkest memories. Grace is a great and worthwhile read for anyone who has ever needed an open discussion about domestic violence and its long-term effects.