University Hosts South African Student Performers

Bokamoso youth from Winterveld spend one week living at GW and rehearsing for show at Betts Theatre.

February 4, 2015

Bokamoso students rehearsing dance moves on stage

Bokamoso youths prepare for their performance at GW this week. (Rob Stewart/GW Today)

Edwin Malang describes his first time in the United States as an experience bursting with small surprises. The 20-year-old student arrived from South Africa on Jan. 12. Although he was warned the weather would be cold, he didn’t quite expect the sharp iciness in the air. At a restaurant for lunch, a waiter placed a cheesy round of pepperoni pizza in front of Mr. Malang to try for the first time. When he got to GW, the campus looked a little familiar from photos, but most of it was unchartered territory he was eager to explore.
 
“When you’re not used to something, it’s a bit difficult to adjust, but the trip has been very exciting so far,” he said.
 
Mr. Malang will have the chance to get to know GW this week while he’s in residency with the Bokamoso Youth Center, a South African organization that unites young people from the region of Winterveld. Each year, the organization sends a group of performers to the university as part of an exchange program led by Professor of Theatre Leslie Jacobson. The students stay in GW residence halls, attend classes and meet with student groups before giving final performances at the Marvin Center’s Betts Theatre Feb. 6 and 7.
 

South African students visiting #GWU prepare for their performance at Betts Theatre this weekend!

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This year marks the 12th anniversary of the exchange. After spending some time at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, a group of Bokamoso students arrived at the university Feb. 2. Their whirlwind week on campus includes singing at an M.F.A. classical acting class, spending time with their GW student hosts and practicing for a short play written by Ms. Jacobson, her colleague Roy Barbar and Bokamoso’s drama director Thapelo Mashaba.
 
The play examines the aftermath of South Africa’s apartheid. A woman—played by student Zinhle Khumalo—must confront an apartheid policeman who killed her husband years earlier. Ms. Khumalo auditioned for the role because she thought the narrative’s themes of forgiveness and compassion resonate in South Africa today.
 
“I believe hatred is the most poisonous thing that can destroy a person. After my character forgives the man who killed her husband, that’s when she can heal herself, because she’s been living with this grudge and this pain for a long time,” she said.
 
It’s a particularly poignant year not only because of the show’s content, but also because the Bokamoso youth are grappling with the recent death of the foundation’s former director Solomon Mahlangu. A community organizer and leader in Winterveld, Mr. Mahlangu co-founded the center and collaborated with GW for many years.
 
Their new director is Mmule Tsoai, a social worker who stepped in after Mr. Mahlangu’s death. She has been guiding this year’s performers and helping them draw lessons from their time in the United States. There is extreme poverty in Winterveld, and many of the youth struggle with issues in the community, like unemployment, lack of educational resources and HIV/AIDS. The group’s itinerary in the United States is filled with opportunities to address these topics and further the students’ education. On Feb. 5, the students will lead an interactive workshop cosponsored with the GW Global Women’s Institute that looks at sexual choices among young men and women around the world.
 
“It’s not only about drama. On the trip, we are also talking about the social issues the youth are facing every single day in Winterveld,” she said.
 
Many of the students are seasoned performers who have been singing and dancing for years in Winterveld. Mr. Malanga has been a part of his church choir since he was 15, but he said that this weekend’s performance at Betts Theatre is among his most important. Betts Theatre usually fills up for the annual Bokamoso shows, and the audience has included notable guests like South Africa’s Ambassador to the United States Ebrahim Rasool.
 
“We have been performing for lots of people, but this is the big one,” Mr. Malanga said.
 
 

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As the group puts the final touches on its dances and songs, Ms. Khumalo hopes the performance will be a chance to share South African culture with the GW community. She wants the audience to walk away with a deeper understanding of her country and its complex history. 
 
“They will know what happened from apartheid until now, and what it took for us to be here and to be able to express ourselves and have that freedom,” Ms. Khumalo said.