Zizana Peteni stars as Robert Sobukwe in the play Lala Ngenxeba/Of Love and Revolution, written by Monageng ‘Vice’ Motshabi and currently playing at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg. Through captivating photographs taken by Thandile Zwelibanzi, the emotion of the performance art is revealed to be intense and profound.
This week marks the centenary of the birth of Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe (1924 – 1978), founder of the Pan-African Congress. The play at the Market Theatre offers a gripping exploration of his legacy, shifting the focus from his political philosophy to the deeply personal dimensions of his life.
Inspired by a letter Sobukwe wrote to his wife Veronica Zondeni Sobukwe, the play captures the emotional depth and human vulnerability behind his revolutionary ideals.
For Monageng “Vice” Motshabi, the play’s author, the letter transformed Sobukwe from a near-mythical figure of resistance into a man who loved deeply and endured unimaginable pain.
The title, Lala Ngenxeba – isiXhosa for “lying on the wound” – signals the play’s dual exploration of pain and resilience.
And as Motshabi tells the Mail & Guardian, this performance rejects the mythologising of struggle heroes, presenting Sobukwe as an ordinary man who faced extraordinary challenges.
Lesego Chepape: What inspired you to focus on Robert Sobukwe’s personal life, particularly his relationship with Veronica Sobukwe?
Monageng Motshabi: The inspiration came primarily from how deeply I was touched by Thandolwethu Sipuye’s sharing of one of Mangaliso Sobukwe’s letters to his wife during a panel discussion in his honour hosted by the City of Johannesburg earlier this year.
I noticed that while the rest of the conversation stimulated my mind and engaged parts of me that struggle with Sobukwe as a god-like figure because of his intellect, Sipuye’s reading of the letter presented a man who was in love with his wife and grateful for her courage and loyalty in the midst of the apartheid state’s assault on them.
This resonated with me directly and I thought it would be valuable to create an experience that primarily addressed the heart before engaging the intellect.
Pulane Rampoana plays Robert Sobukwe’s wife, Veronica Sobukwe, in the play Lala Ngenxeba/Of Love and Revolution.
This seemed to be the door I had to go through to understand the impact of the price Tat’u Sobukwe paid on him and Mam’ Zondeni. I wanted to lift the veil of stoicism and the almost godlike resistance to pain and look at the wound.
Can you explain the meaning of the title Lala Ngenxeba/Of Love and Revolution?
It is taken from an isiXhosa saying that encourages those who are faced with pain to lie on the wound, both as a way of coping and embracing the pain, and also as a way of learning not to complain too much about tragic events – as they are guests in every home and an inevitable part of humanity.
It is essentially about accepting one’s fate and acknowledging that everyone who lives experiences pain in some way.
The piece attempts to zoom in on this wound as it relates to Tat’u Mangaliso and explores the effect that this wound that he kept invisible may have had on him and how, in a way, it is also what has eaten away at his body from the inside. This wound induced by apartheid.
The love and revolution aspect refers to the question of love in relation to Tat’u Mangaliso’s love for black people and the price he ultimately paid for it.
It also provides a useful framework to explore the relationship with Mama Zondeni, as a deep love was the anchor of that relationship.
There is no attempt to represent the figures of the struggle without making them human.