Questions that abound educationists and politicians alike centre around equipping children for a world where they will make choices that will enable a better, value-centred future. 20 years since the release of Nelson Mandela from Robben Island, SAHETI School in Bedfordview is using thespian skills to offer pupils the opportunity to question possibilities within a challenging and changing South Africa. Focusing on its value-centred ethics founded in ancient Greek philosophy, the Executive Head of the School, Mrs Anastasia Krystallidis echoes the teachings of classicism. “The world that confronted our ancestors was plagued with conflict, war and moral choices. It was the wisdom of the teaching of Socrates, Aristotle and other great philosophers and tragedians that inspired ethical, responsible choices made by the classical youth so that their world could become a world of realistic opportunities. Things are no different here in South Africa today. The ancient theatre became the moral ground for many teachings. The motto of the school, KNOW THYSELF, as taught by Socrates, inspires philosophical engagement at SAHETI. If all South African children get to know themselves and their peers better, their world and their informed choices will create happiness and opportunities for transformative peace. Such has been our vision for staging ‘The Prize of Peace’”.
The play deals with a fictional recreation of a dialogue between Nelson Mandela and FW De Klerk on the eve before the two leaders were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. As their individual contexts are revealed, the audience engages in the possibility and vulnerability of peace in a world that is not always ready for it. The knowledge of a subversive murder plot becomes the new and immediate challenge confronting the leaders. The dialogue, which centres on hunting, sacrifice and iconic peace, becomes the central metaphors of this post-apartheid play. In the spirit of Ubuntu, ‘The Prize of Peace’ debates the fragility of reconciliation in a sensitively-fused environment.
The play will be world premiered on the SAHETI stage on June 1, 2 and 3 and has the collaboration of diverse minds. Professionals in the legal, theatrical and educational sphere have joined forces to create a unique learning experience. Les Morison, the playwright, was moved to write the play for a younger audience by a radio interview with Janet Buckland in 2009. “She told me,” comments Morison, “that one cannot doubt the power of theatre once one has observed the effect on a community of a theatrical production in which that community’s young people have shone.”
Using the classroom as a broader teaching experience, Morison’s play has been explored in SAHETI’s senior English classrooms with interesting comparative discussions with Athol Fugard’s ‘The Blood Knot’. “The plays have resulted in meaningful and valuable engagement with real issues and events within South Africa. Theatre has become a living experience of a thinking community,” adds Krystallidis. “SAHETI feels committed to its responsibility socially. The teaching materials used in the senior English classrooms for both Fugard and Morison’s plays will be available to educators who would like to use these in their schools. In addition, proceeds of the gala evening on 2 June will be used for the George Bizos Bursary Fund which will continue to educate South African children from the broader South African community.”
For bookings, phone SAHETI School on 0861 724 384. Teachers wishing to obtain the educational material can email hpanayotakis@saheti.co.za |
