Report: Lion King Adventure for Seka theatre group

Report:  Lion  King  Adventure  for  Seka  theatre  group     “But  do  you  really  live  in  the  bush?  Like,  really  alongside  all  those  animals?”   This  was  the  question  from  an  astonished  schoolgirl  at  the  National  School  of  the  Arts  in  Joburg   after  watching  a  performance  by  Seka  drama  group.     Visitors  to  Zambia's  South  Luangwa  National  Park  may  have  already  seen  one  of  Seka's   physical  theatre  performances,  depicting  everyday  scenes  of  the  wildlife  rich  area.  An  elephant,   played  by  two  actors  with  flapping  grass  mats  as  ears,  destroys  the  maize  crop  of  a  village.  A   troupe  of  barking  scratching  munching  baboons  finishes  off  what's  left  of  the  mealies.  A  man   teaches  a  young  girl  the  ways  of  the  bush  while  a  fish  eagle  takes  flight  and  steals  a  fisherman's   catch.  A  honey  guide  leads  a  honey  badger  to  the  treasure  of  a  hive  of  honey,  and  a  group  of   tourists  ogles  a  handsome  kudu.  These  images  are  created  using  only  actors  bodies,  simple   props  and  sound  effects  and  the  melodies  of  eastern  province  traditional  songs.       In  February  this  year,  Zambian  Airways  made  it  possible  for  six  actors  from  Seka  to  travel  to   Joburg  to  see  a  performance  of  The  Lion  King  –  the  awards  winning  Disney  musical  that  was   showing  at  a  major  theatre  there.     “We  really  wanted  the  group  to  go  and  see  the  show  for  themselves,”  explains  Seka  director   Miranda  Guhrs.  “The  work  we  do  is  very  visual,  and  we  rely  on  simple,  clever  tricks  to  create  the   images.  The  Lion  King  has  such  amazing  costumes  and  visual  effects,  that  watching  for   themselves  will  help  the  group  come  up  with  more  ideas.”   Msatero  Tembo,  the  company's  co-­founder  and  artistic  director  adds  that  it  is  important  for   actors  and  artists  to  be  exposed  to  the  work  of  other  theatre  makers.   “We  work  hard,  but  we  don't  get  a  chance  to  see  other  productions.  This  was  special,  because   they  could  see  a  high  professional  standard  of  singing,  dancing,  and  of  course  the  amazing   visual  effects.”     Seka,  whose  work  concentrates  on  spreading  messages  of  environmental  awareness  and   conservation,  last  visited  Joburg  in  2002  for  the  World  Summit  on  Sustainable  Development.   They  were  commissioned  by  the  International  Union  for  the  Conservation  of  Nature  (IUCN)  to   create  a  play  that  brought  a  message  from  the  Luangwa  Valley,  one  of  the  pristine  areas  of  bio-­ diversity  in  Zambia.   “The  theme  was  human-­wildlife  conflict.  The  play  was  called  Njala,  which  means  Hunger.  It  told   the  story  of  a  guy  who  experiences  many  difficulties,  from  living  in  close  proximity  to  elephants.   The  message  of  the  play  was  that  local  people  who  live  side  by  side  with  wildlife  need  to  be   given  responsibility  in  managing  their  natural  resources,  and  they  need  to  benefit  from  wildlife   industries  like  tourism.”     Seka  was  founded  in  2001  by  Miranda  Guhrs,  granddaughter  of  the  late  conservationist  Norman   Carr,  and  Msatero  Tembo,  an  actor  from  Chipata  who  has  travelled  extensively  with  Theatre  for   Africa.     “We  were  trained  in  1999  by  Theatre  for  Africa  and  Africa  Resources  Trust”  explains  Tembo.   We  were  born  out  of  a  SADC-­wide  initiative  that  aimed  to  use  theatre  to  communicate   messages  about  natural  resource  management.  The  actors  specialise  in  a  technique  called   “Action  Research”,  where  they  live  and  work  in  a  community  for  a  period  of  time,  researching  on   the  ground  what  the  issues  in  that  community  are.     “Then  we  create  a  piece  of  theatre  especially  on  a  particular  issue  –  like  HIV/AIDS,  child  labour   or  any  other  social  problem.  We  show  the  village  the  theatre,  and  they  discuss  with  us  the   issues  they  have,  and  together  we  make  an  action  plan  that  the  community  will  implement   themselves.”  

  The  group  has  also  been  trained  in  puppetry  techniques.  Ultimately  though,  their  unique  brand   of  humour  and  playfulness  is  what  brings  them  success.  Tembo  explains  that  their  main  aim  is   to  empower  through  laughter.   “Seka  means  'to  laugh'  -­  we  believe  that  humour  makes  big  problems  seem  manageable,  and   so  people  are  empowered  to  do  something  for  themselves  after  watching  our  performances.”     Certainly,  the  audiences  who  watch  Seka's  plays  are  both  amused  and  amazed  by  the   spectacle  they  see.  In  April  2007,  Seka  won  first  prize  for  Best  Community  Play  at  the  April   theatre  festival  held  at  Lusaka  playhouse.  Tourists  in  South  Luangwa  get  a  glimpse  of   themelves  caricatured  as  photo-­snapping  nonsense-­talking  foreigners.  Audiences  across  the   country  recently  learned  about  the  negative  effects  of  littering,  in  a  roadshow  sponsored  by   National  Breweries.  A  play  about  the  importance  of  knowing  your  HIV  status  prompted  audience   members  in  Mfuwe  to  go  and  get  tested.  And  the  five  schools  in  Joburg  that  were  lucky  enough   to  see  Seka  perform  were  astonished  that  a  group  of  actors  from  the  bush  could  come  up  with   such  inventive  theatre.     “I  want  to  come  to  Zambia!”  Said  one  impressed  schoolgirl.  Thanks  to  Zambian  Airways'   generous  sponsorship  of  Seka's  tickets,  the  group  was  able  to  have  a  once-­in-­a-­lifetime   experience.       For  more  information  about  Seka,  go  to  www.seka-­educational-­theatre.com