Sheela Langeberg |
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| VITUKO A dynamic, African Dance/Text/Mime show. Vituko is a hilarious story full of magical storytelling, captivating chanting, electrifying dances and moves and moving nature sounds and mesmerising drum music. *Sheela Langeberg, internationally renowned playwright, celebrated dancer acclaimed storyteller and performer brings you a story about three separate families living in three separate villages within Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, East Africa. Mama Yeyo, a loner and old crone lives in a hut built of stones, rocks and hay straws. She has no husband, no children of her own, no teeth, no hair-not even one and no bottom! In "Masika" during the long rain seasons, she sits all day and night long, on a huge rock raised in front of her hut singing and chanting in concert with the rain. Birds love her tunes. They'd hover in the mid air, helping themselves to a drink and dancing to the old crones melodies that never ended. In Kiangazi, during the long dry and hot seasons, Mama Yeyo would always sit in her doorway, grunting and groaning in wait for her death that never came. Soon enough at least that's what all the other villagers thought. People, in particular children, feared her because she would say things that always came true...It's true! Mzee is also a very old man. He lives in a lone hut built of logs and tree limbs. He has no wife, no children or family of his own. He has no hair, no teeth-not even one and no bottom! He, though, has the most compelling eyes you have ever seen. During Masika, he sits in his tattered, old rocking chair by a little ambient-cascading creek that runs through the middle of his hut. He watches curiously as the water and the tiny fishes travel downstream on their journey to the big sea. Mzee even has special names for all the tiny fishes depending on the temperament, behaviour and mannerisms. Like: Matata, Upendo, Upepo, Kazi, Kelele Kishindo e.t.c, e.t.c. When the rains stop, he'd whistle to call in all his friends-the big toads and the mud crabs-who have been burring themselves deep into the soil for years waiting for the rains to come. Then they'd gather for a special wine drink and dance in playful competition in what they call 'the toad, the crab and the human dance"! And laugh their lungs out. During Kiangazi, when all his friends are gone, Mzee sits in his doorway, talking to himself in a whisper, staring and laughing at everyone and everything that goes past with his alluring eyes. Nobody knows how old these two oldies are or how they came to live there. Their seclusion and secrecy leaves the other villagers in mystery. In contrast, on the other side of the valley, there live two mysterious boys-presumed identical twins. Their hut is of old tins, pans broken glass and plastic potato sacks built around a huge avocado tree. On the other side of their hut, an old, old Landrover stands deserted. In it, live ten featherless chooks. These chooks that feed on a tiny corn and vegetable garden, only lay eggs with either twin or triplet yorks! The boys have no parents of their own, they visit no one and no one invites them to their homes. The boys have too many bad teeth in their mouth, bad breath, and they are extremely loud. They always bunch together in front of open fire-in fact, any fire they can make of find and their home is always surrounded by pacified Rhinos determined to extinguish the fires. But if the boys hear any sound or noise, they would get a fright and cling together like spider monkeys. They stare inquisitively at anyone and everything that goes past. Often, they, like the monkeys would climb the avocado tree, pick fruits and throw them at passing people or objects! No one knows how old these boys are or how they came to live there. No one has ever seen them eat, sleep or drink. They never grow or shrink! Their bodies never change and they are not know by any particular names other than the Umbilical Twins! |
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