THE Mannie Manim section of the Market Theatre complex in Newtown, downtown Joburg pulsated with a stomping fusion of music and dance during the presentation of poet, Maakomele ‘Mak’ Manaka’s ground-breaking theatrical experience, “MINA NAWE The Last Language” – a powerful confluence of legacy, innovation, and personal triumph – on the Friday evening of March 14th!
A one-night-only performance weaving together three generations of South African artistic excellence – the show marked a profound milestone as Manaka celebrates 30 years of resilience and artistic growth since his life-altering accident in 1995.
Following in the footsteps of his father, playwright Matsemela Manaka, ‘Mak’ has orchestrated a masterful fusion of poetry, dance, and music that bridges generations of South African theatrical excellence. The production showcased an extraordinary assembly of talent bound by both blood and artistic legacy, featuring choreography by his mother, Nomsa Manaka, with his dancer aunt, Jeanet Mokhela, part of the cast.
The musical direction, helmed by Tshepo Mngoma, son of the late songstress Sibongile Khumalo, displayed a rich tapestry of sound complemented by percussionist Lebogang Mokhela, as well as pianist Phumzeni Khonjelwayo – whilst the unique voice of featured vocalist Phumla Siyobi, echoed the tradition of discovering extraordinary talent which harked back to when Manaka’s father cast a then-unknown Sibongile Khumalo in his 1980s production, “Goree.” Billy Langa and Mahlatse Mokgonyana of the Theatre Duo directed.
“MINA NAWE The Last Language” delves deep into the intersection of identity, disability, and self-discovery, as Manaka crafts an immersive journey through movement, word, and song. The performance explored the complexities of being a Black man living with a physical disability, woven into a narrative about relationships and self-acceptance. At its heart, the production advocates for the courage to listen to one’s inner voice.
The production probes the different moments in the lives of a couple named Muntu and Kele, whose roles are performed by Manaka (as the pivotal character’s voice), Siyobi (as Kele’s voice during the young love stage), Mokhela (as Kele’s body at an aged stage) – with Mduduzi Buthelezi and Tebogo Mogotsi, in roles of a younger and an aged Muntu, applying visual expression to the production.
At some juncture whilst the cast act their artistry through the narrative, the voice of Manaka’s dad, Matsemela, becomes heard in which it explicates regarding the conflict between art and romance.
“This performance is not just a celebration of artistic legacy but a testament to the power of unlearning and rediscovery,” reflected Manaka, adding, “Through the language of poetry, music, and dance, we’re creating a space where personal struggle transforms into universal understanding.”
The unique blend of familial artistry and contemporary expression showcased an unprecedented theatrical experience which honours the past while boldly stepping into the future. Additionally, the exclusive engagement represented a milestone in South African theatre, where disability representation meets artistic excellence and family legacy.
A public preview – with a seasonal run scheduled for May onwards – the show was in partnership with the National Arts Council (NAC), The Market Theatre Foundation, Dramatic Artistic and Literary Rights Organisation (DALRO) and Manaka Publications.
Maakomele ‘Mak’ Manaka’s Bio
On October 31, 1995, a then 12-year-old Mak Manaka suffered injury to his lower spine after part of a wall of his family’s yard in Diepkloof fell on him whilst he was playing with six of his friends.
A spiteful neighbour had reversed his vehicle on the barrier, causing it to crumble onto the youngsters.
The incident caused him to have rods inserted on his back, rendered his left leg dysfunctional, no sensation to his feet and had him confined to a wheelchair for about a year and a half. Furthermore, it claimed the life of one of his playmates and resulted in him having to endure part of his childhood in hospital wards. His lengthy convalescence from the injury would, in addition to physiotherapy, be enabled by his mom, Nomsa, a choreographer – who applied dance therapy to induce movement to his legs.
It would be a considerable while before he could progress to utilizing crutches in order to move around, ahead of which moment he had to contend with his limbs’ struggle to keep up with the rigours of mobility – an experience he would later sum up in a poem titled, Poet of the Pavement. His unforeseen fate would have the ramification of causing his father to drift away from his family – resulting in him eventually separating from his wife.
Manaka would later in 2003 produced an anthology of poems titled, If Only, through which he dealt with the unfortunate period. In November 2009, he would follow that up with a second compilation titled, In Time – which he described as an expression of moving forward from things which held him back.
Prior to that tome, he had released a music and poetry album named Word Sound Power which fell-short of expectations. “I learnt that experimenting with music is not as easy as rhyming to a beat,” the young poet – who deems being part of an artistic family as both a curse and a blessing – was quoted as mulling at the time.
In 2015 Manaka commenced an MA in Creative Writing at Rhodes University pending which he encountered the rigorous scholarship and mentorship of Lesego Rampolokeng and Robert Berold – in addition to him having to reckon with sound and imagery, at which he had to figure out how to sound words whilst stringing them together to say something more than a handed-down image.
2016 had the wordsmith releasing his third collection of verse named Flowers of a Broken Smile – progressing, in 2018, to releasing a fourth anthology containing 46 sharp-edged poems which unpacked his feelings about disability and manhood titled, Oncoming Traffic.
Not one to focus on his disability – possibly a hereditary by product since mom Nomsa happens to be a cancer survivor who carries on with the business of living sans self-pity – Manaka rather concentrates on the need of earning a living, observing that, “South Africa is one of the few countries where a poet can earn a living on the stage.”
A globetrotting artist, he has performed at varying destinations such as Switzerland (where in 1998 he performed a tribute to his father), Holland, Germany, Jamaica, Cuba as well as neighbouring southern African countries – whereat he has shared stages with the ilk of artists such as Mutabaraku, Saul Williams and Ursula Rucker, et al.
Born in 1983, Manaka’s parents exposed him to the theatre when he was merely 18 months young, as well as Funda Centre in Diepkloof – giving the then youngster the impression that art was life.
Aged 15, he would lose his father when Matsemela perished in a car crash at the age of 42.
All images Jacob MAWELA (Phumla Siyobi, the lead vocalist, and voice of Kele, recorded in full cry during performance in the theatrical production, Mina Nawe, at the Market Theatre).
