Theatre in the Park is presenting the latest instalment of the State of The Nation (Sona) series, State of The Nation: Mirage from March 15 to 16 in Harare. This monthly showcase is a dramatised performance of contemporary Zimbabwe and an invitation for the audience to express their opinions about the state the country is in today.
Director and writer Peter Churu explains the inspiration behind this edition of Sona. “It’s about what you think is there and it actually isn’t there, and this applies to both ends of the spectrum: government on one end and the citizens on the other end. Unfortunately, what we have is an ‘us’ versus ‘them’ situation with government on one end, and citizens on the other side.”
Churu adds that State of The Nation: Mirage explores what citizens now expect from their government since November 2017 and whether or not this has actually materialised. “On one hand, we’ve got government saying that we are doing this and doing that, but what is our role as citizens in ensuring that we travel this road together?” asks Churu.
The play is a call to action and a dramatic interpretation of the ways that we understand how government plays their role as well as exploring our own role as citizens. State Of The Nation: Mirage emphasises that it is important to recognise the fact that Zimbabwe is not going to get very far as a country if everyone doesn’t work together.
This edition of Sona features acclaimed veteran actor, writer, director and founder of Theatre in The Park, Daves Guzha; Eunice Tava, Tafadzwa “Bob” Mutumbi and Chido Tenga. These seasoned and talented actors deliver extraordinary performances of Churu’s script which references events of Zimbabwe’s recent past.
This ground-breaking format asks the citizen to think about what is happening in Zimbabwe right now. State Of The Nation: Mirage follows quick on the heels of last month’s provocative and popular edition entitled, State of The Nation: Vortex. In a country reeling from the violence of January 2019 and the dramatic changes of November 2017, the monthly Sona series trains a high beam lens on key events which illustrate how far we’ve come while giving context as we try and understand and improve our lives as Zimbabweans.
Churu says, State of The Nation: Mirage is the story of our life. Everyone can take part in crafting the trajectory that we want our country to go in. This show is an opportunity for everybody who has got thoughts about what should be the priorities of our country to come through and share them with everybody else.
“We use the established Sona format to perform very current affairs and we invite people to speak to them. Every month, we ask our audience if these issues speak to them. This month, we invite people to come and express themselves. I think it’s very empowering. I really encourage people to come through to be a part of this show.”
