• June 11, 2008

Khululeka team Teboho Mahlatsi, Daniel de Lange, Di Kershaw and Ronnie Maphutha before their trip to London

Khululeka actors do a humorous scene in a taxi during the play

The Khululeka play has been taken to hundreds of schools in Gauteng, with plans to take the play countrywide

Actors Ronni Maphutha, Teboho Mahlatsi and Daniel de Lange are excited about going to London

The reality of HIV/AIDS explained using stories of real people living with HIV told in English, Zulu, Xhosa and Afrikaans slang, kwaito music, a snapshot of South African history and statistics ... How will British school kids relate to it?

Quite well, reckons Khululeka actor Daniel de Lange.

Di Kershaw, managing director of Viva Hecate, the company that produces the Khululeka play agrees, saying that theatre and story telling is a universal medium, and HIV/AIDS is a global phenomenon. This will make it relatable.

The cast of the 46664 educational play Khululeka (“Let’s talk about it”) will be flying to London in June to perform at a couple of London schools as well as at a fundraising banquet as part of Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday celebrations.

“I hope kids understand the content,” says De Lange. “But even if they don’t, these themes are universal, and there’s a lot of humanity in the play.”

Viva Hecate partnered with 46664 in August 2007 to bring this educational play about HIV/AIDS,Khululeka to over 400 schools in Gauteng to date. 

Di Kershaw, Production Manager Seanori Potgieter and actors Daniel De Lange, Teboho Mahlatsi and Ronnie Maphutha make up the team that will be flying to London.

Khululeka uses fast-paced story-telling and provocative dialogue to help kids relate to the reality of HIV/AIDS. Interspersed with humorous scenes of travelling in taxis and talking amongst girlfriends, the actors drop in shocking statistics that are intended to drive the point home: 1 400 new HIV infections in South Africa daily, and 5.5-million people living with HIV/AIDS. Along with the statistics are the real stories of three people living with the disease, who decided to break the silence, talking about their triumph over HIV and living fulfilled lives even with the disease. 

As part of the powerful message of the play, the actors encourage school children to raise their left hands and shout 46664’s message: “It’s in our hands!”

Kershaw says that working in a partnership with 46664 to bring this play to schools all over the country has been an honour.

“It’s been a dream of mine to take this show to more schools, and we were hoping to find a sponsor who could see the value in it. When we met 46664 and they said they would sponsor us, we were ecstatic!”

Viva Hecate began performing to schools on behalf of 46664 in August 2007. In September the team performed the play for Nelson Mandela. Says Kershaw, “Mr Mandela then gave us the mandate to meet as many learners as possible, and to go to as many schools as possible.”

Feedback from pupils, teachers and parents has been overwhelming. Kershaw relates the example of a teacher coming up to Maphutha in the street.

“Her daughter pointed him out and said, ‘That’s the guy from the play!’ She came up to Ronnie and said, ‘I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for my daughter. She used to be wild, going to clubs … now she’s changed.’ She couldn’t stop thanking him.”

It seems the actors get as much from the play as the pupils do. Mahlatsi says that the play has helped her heal from the hurt of not being able to educate family and friends who have since died of AIDS.

“Words cannot describe how it feels to be in this production. I have lost aunts, uncles and friends to AIDS. I could not save the ones I love. This has given me a chance to save the ones who are still around.”

Maphutha says that working on the production and “breaking the silence” around HIV/AIDS has been an honour and a privilege. “If Mr Mandela could break the silence and announce nationwide that his son died of AIDS, then so can we. We are reaching souls even if it’s one soul at a time.”

The actors say that audience feedback has shown how powerful the play can be. “We have had school kids coming up to us and telling us they were raped or are HIV-positive,” says Mahlatsi.
Maphutha agrees: “It has had a great impact on people. Teachers phone us and tell us how the students are now more interested in knowing about HIV/AIDS and it has helped them in their personal lives. It’s an honour to know that we are making a difference.”

Kershaw is excited about the trip to London. “After all these years of persisting with our work on HIV/AIDS and believing that we are making a difference with our plays, an organisation as amazing as 46664 has recognised us and made us part of their outreach programme.”

“Now we are being taken to London to perform at schools and then to perform a portion of the play at a huge fundraising banquet the night before the concert – it’s such an honour and absolutely awesome.  We are also being taken to the concert in Hyde Park to celebrate Mr Mandela’s 90th birthday. This is just so exciting.”

The actors are also looking forward to the trip. Says Mahlatsi: “We have had great moments on the play, we have met interesting people, and this has given us an opportunity to reach out to people from all walks of life.”

Now Khululeka will be showcased to British children and will ask them to take on the powerful message of Khululeka and shout: “It’s in our hands!”