Who No Kno Go Kno

In this play, teenager, Yung Sango (Tane Williams Accra), is forced to reckon with past wisdom in order to confront the issues of a troubling future. Uncle Banga (Alpha Kargbo) and Ariko (Masego Pitso) accompany him on this kaleidoscopic journey of discovery.

Kudakwashe employs elements of Afro-Surrealism and Afro-Futurism to contextualise the futuristic unnamed African country where the play is set. The aesthetics of the set, costume (Zoë Rouse) and lighting design (Harrie Hogan) is vibrant and exciting. The rich colours easily evoke the African landscape, and the music and sound (Joe Paradise Lui) are equally evocative of the location. 

The performances are particularly compelling, and each performer exploits their talent to generate an appealing vivaciousness. The text covers important environmental issues, albeit in a very indirect and fabled manner. The figures of Mama Earth and Mama Sun are called upon to create this highly sensory experience. The play explores themes such as the importance of familial bonds and ancestral spirits as a way of addressing the destructive and ominous effects of climate change. The characters are all brought to life in a highly energetic performance where the kinetics of the performers perfectly aligns with the colourful staging to create a very electrifying show. 

This play was commissioned by Malthouse as part of its Education program Suitcase Series which addresses climate change concerns. Kudakwashe accentuates the erosion of social consciousness when materialistic impulses are allowed to govern society’s treatment of place and space and presents these ideas in a lively and effervescent manner.

Patricia Di Risio 

Photographer: Wani Toaishara