1789 makes one to ask If South Africa is far from what propelled the French into the streets centuries ago

By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTS Editor

When a group of us gathered at Sibikwa Arts Centre in Benoni on the East Rand on Thursday, July 13, 2023, there was something expectant in the chill night air. Invited by the French Institute and the Embassy of France in South Africa to witness a play that captures well the 1789 Revolution that replaced the monarchy supported by the elites in society, mainly the rich business people, this production is so well done that it takes the audience right into the centre of the French Revolution.  It is a collaboration between Sibikwa, the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) andThéâtre du Soleil of France.

The cast, all South Africans, but who received coaching from a team of French producers of the play, the cast not only made us smell the revolution, but saw it, heard it and we felt as if we were part of the revolution ourselves. This is how good the cast was assembled by Small Ndaba and Philis Klotz, founder of Sibikwa. Something must also be said about the stage craft that went into turning the floor of this theatre into am master piece of workmanship.

It was indeed a marvel to watch a play of this nature on five stages and that assisted in elevating the play to another level. It made us feel like we were actually watching the revolution in the streets of Paris, the way it may have taken place in 1789. Scholars of history will tell you that that revolution changed French society for ever, and no wonder when I told a friend later that evening in Melville what I and the others that attended the show had witnessed on stage, she remarked that that spirit of activism, particularly protest politics, still defines the character of French protest till this day. I agree with her observation.

The play also made us see what happens when those in leadership do not listen to the cries of those they lead, ignoring their genuine issues, and in the process, forcing those they lead to do what human beings do when they yearn for something and have reached a point where they cannot take their suffering anymore. The play also made us aware of the negative effects on the lives of the poor when those in leadership connive with the powerful in society, such as the wealthy at the expense of the poor majority.

But we also learned that when ordinary people come together and fight an oppressive system possibilities open up, including the attainment of liberty.

We were also made aware of the role that intellectuals played in that revolution. They did not sit aside behind their desks and only wrote to complain about what was going on in that society, they actively participated, giving leadership to a protest that was led by ordinary Frenchmen and French women.

This is a play that local politicians might need to watch, even as it might make them uncomfortable as it would appear that given the problems that the country is facing right now, we are a few years from the situation that forced the French to topple the oppression of the monarchy in cahoots with the business elite.

The country’s problems such as corruption by both those in business and politics, unemployment rate that has just shot up to the scary 40 percent, the rise of so called business men and women whose only clients are government and the rise of a new kind of rich people who do not shy away from public display of their wealthy, some of which is ill-gotten,  continuous power and water supply disruptions -these conditions make one wonder how far away we really are from the conditions that forced the French to storm the Bastille to regain their dignity and claim their space in how they should be led, and I am not the only among those who attended show who is wondering as to how far we really are from a situation that might force people to go into the streets.

“On Thursday I went off to Sibikwa Arts Cente in Benoni for the opening of 1789 and what a great experience it was, an immersive theatre experience with 5 stages in the theatre.

The high energy of the young cast was wonderful, I loved the use of space and that the venue as soon as you stepped in was 1789, a theatre in the round but using the space so smartly.

The craft of theatre in the set, staging, movement, tech, costumes and stage craft was tangible, one appreciates theatre that uses these mediums so much. – well worth a trip out to Benoni this weekend to catch this, it runs until 23 July.

This is a Sibikwa collaboration with French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) and Théâtre du Soleil. Really great to see good colleagues and friends out despite the cold.

And although it’s set in France 1789 one could not help but feel that the content speaks very loudly to where we are now in our own country, just different issues and what are we going to do about it,’ writes arts publicist Bridget Van Oerle  on Facebook.

.1789 runs till July 23, 2023 at Sibikwa Arts Centre in Benoni and it is a highly recommended production.