Peu

Language | Khelobedu

Written by | Kgothatso Makwala

Performed by | Kgothatso Makwala

Ulwini | Khelobedu

ubhalwe ngu | Khothatso Makwala

Impembelelo ngu | Imbewu kaKate Mulvany

Umdlali | Khothatso Makwala

Peu

The piece is written mainly in Khelobedu, a language spoken in the Northern part of South Africa and a touch of English here and there. Although the language is considered a part of Sotho/Tswana language groups and has around 2 million speakers and although its speakers are a nation with a Queen and (recently a king), a culture and homeland, the language remains outside of the 11 official languages of South Africa.
The monologue tells the story of a woman who discovers that she is unable to bear children and is confronted with the difficulty of coming to terms with it. While smiling and congratulating pregnant women at face value, she is seething with jealousy and a deepening hatred that has her wishing the children dead before they are born. People’s questions about when she will have a child, drive her to a murderous rage and make it harder to accept that she will never give birth to her own child.

Isibeleko 

Eliqhekeza libhalwe isikakhulu ngesiKhelobedu. Olulwimi lusetyenziswa kumantla oMzantsi Afrika kwaye kubekho isiNgesi apha naphaya. Olulwimi lubonwa njenge nxalenye nolwimi labeSotho/Tswana kwaye kuqikelelwa into yokuba izigidi ezimbini zabantu zisebenzisa olulwimi. Nangona abasebenzisi bolulwimi beluhlanga olunye nekumkanikazi ( kutshanje iKumkani), inkcubeko kwaye nekhaya lakubo, olulwimi lusakhutshwelwe ngaphandle kumalwimi alishumi elinanye asemthethweni eMzantsi Afrika.
Lencoko ibalisa ibali lomfazi ofumanekisa intoyokuba akakwazi ukuzizalela abakhe abantwana. Kwaye, ujongene nobunzima bokwamnkela esisehlo. Lo gama encuma kwaye ejongene nabo bakhulelweyo evuyisana nabo, uyagcugca ngumona, kwaye lenzondo anayo imenza anqwenele zikhabe ibhekile ezontsana zingekaliboni eli. Imibuzo yabantu ngemeko yakhe yokuzala imenza abeludlwabevu ngumsindo lonto yenze kubenzima ukuba asamnkele isimo akuso songakwazi ukuzizalela eyakhe inzala.

This is a project of the Market Theatre Laboratory