departure Wednesday
Actor and contemporary dancer Robert Magasa left the country Wednesday through Chileka International Airport for Switzerland, where he is expected to star in a play titled My Sweetsland.
This is an Ubunthu production directed by Mbene Mbunga Mwambene, who is based in Switzerland, and he is expected to stay there for six weeks, with close to seven performances lined up.
“It’s been hectic and stressful in finalising the visa process but finally everything is done,” he said yesterday before departure.
The production, My Sweetsland, tells the journey of two displaced black men and it is clear that they are not from the country they are in.
“They are misfits who have dared to seek freedom and dream of being artists and educating themselves. They are about to realise their dreams and need to perform for their joint masters project in order to get funding for further performances in Switzerland. And they have to play it in a European way, for European money and for a European audience. But do they really have to?” Magasa said.
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He further said that the oppressive cultural institutions push the two to fight each other instead of uniting and facing the real enemy together.
“Their disagreements touch on various issues, ranging from cultural hegemony and cultural imperialism to visas, freedoms, priviledge and gender. They illustrate the complexities of black political, geographic, religious, economic and cultural diversity that have often been oversimplified,” Magasa said.
He said he was excited for the opportunity to act in this production.
“This is an opportunity where I get to use my skills and experience so that I can contribute to the project and also learn from their authentic cultural ways of making art and, at the same time, grow with their experiences professionally,” Magasa said.
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He said it was every artist’s dream to work on different kinds of projects with different teams so that he can propel growth beyond his ability.
“This is the project which gives me a platform to showcase the talent from Malawi to the world as regards theatre. From this, I also hope to initiate more projects,” Magasa said.
