Isitha Sabantu

The jury's
conclusion

With the project «Isitha Sabantu'', the Durban-based theatre organization Empatheatre aims to reinterpret two of Ibsen's most iconic plays, «An Enemy of the people» and «A Doll’s House», to a South-African context. From there, the artistic collective will create an entirely new script. The jury was especially intrigued by Empatheatre’s aim to reimagine Ibsen’s two plays through a critical African feminist lens. With clear sociopolitical and environmental engagement, «Isitha Sabantu» will investigate the brutal consequences for many female environmental activists in South Africa, weaving their stories into the fabric of the play. Drawing inspiration from both Dr. Stockmann and Nora, as well as local activists like Fikile Ntshangase - the artistic collective aims to create a composite main character - Nomsa Dlamini - a social and environmental ‘justice warrior’. The play/performance aspires to unravel how neoliberalism disrupts Ubuntu philosophies so prevalent to traditional African communities, and critically investigate the exploitation of natural resources in South Africa. Empatheatre uses an applied theatre approach, working from a methodology founded in the idea of democratization both within research development and within the artistic process. Under the guidance of Neil Coppen, and with a diverse and highly skilled team of artists, and a very interesting methodology, the Ibsen Scope Jury is confident that this artistically ambitious, multifaceted and truly emphatic project will bear fruit in all levels of development over the next two years.

About the project

Isitha Sabantu (is Zulu for An Enemy of the People) is an innovative new project developed by South African Theatre company Empatheatre which sets out to reinterpret Henrik Ibsen’s «An Enemy of the People» and «A Doll’s House» within the framework of South African social-ecological justice struggles. Empatheatre, known for its decolonial research-based theatre methodology, will develop a script through extensive research, involving co-participants in identifying and exploring concerns. Isitha Sabantu intends to reimagine Ibsen’s works through a critical African feminist lens, focusing on female activists in South Africa facing challenges for voicing environmental concerns. The project aims to highlight interconnected struggles against profit-driven initiatives and environmental degradation, exploring the broader consequences of activism, especially for women. Over the course of the narrative Nomsa, a Zulu grandmother (and the play’s protagonist) attempts to resist a coal mine expansion which will see her and her community removed from their ancestral land. Envisioned as a lament, the production draws inspiration from real life stories from Zululand region of KwaZulu Natal and features South African actor Mpume Mthombeni as Nomsa, combining physical theater styles with a sung musical landscape reflecting South Africa’s rich history of protest songs. By building composite characters based on real-life stories, the project explores courage, sacrifice, and tragedy, offering a powerful theatrical exploration of South African struggles for justice and ecological sustainability.

Empatheatre
Empatheatre was founded by Neil Coppen, Mpume Mthombeni and Dylan McGarry in 2014. The South African company and methodology has been heralded for its unique approach which sees the creative team forging creative responses to complex social concerns while uniting a range of stakeholders including policy-makers, citizens, community based performers, storytellers, artists, musicians, activists, human-rights lawyers and academics. Empatheatre has been responsible for launching several ground-breaking Research-based theatre projects over the last decade in South Africa including Soil & Ash (focusing on rural communities facing pressure from coal-mining companies), Ulwembu (street-level Drug addiction and harm reduction advocacy), The Last Country (female migration stories), Boxes (homelessness and Urban land justice inequalities in the city of Cape Town) and Lalela ulwandle (an international project supporting sustainable transformative governance of our oceans). More recent works, Umkhosi Wenala and Isidlamlilo, tend to the re-membering South African history in regenerative and restorative ways. In Umkhosi Wenala, an entirely Zulu musical made with 13 young activists develops new methodologies for counter-hegemonic mapping and democratic decision making, and Isidlamlilo, surfaces unheard or erased perspectives of complex socio-political herstories in South Africa. Empatheatre was recently nominated as one of The Daily Maverick’s 2022 artists of the year and awarded the Bertha Artivism Award for their theatre and social-justice work as well as the 2023 Fleur Du Cap award for innovation in South African Theatre. The company’s work has toured across South African and internationally to Egypt, Rome, New York, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland with their unique theatrical approach currently being taught in Universities and schools around the world.