Shakespeare ‘praat die taal’
The beloved bard’s work will once again be honoured in the Shakespeare Schools Festival South Africa – but this year there is a twist.
FOUR hundred years after Shakespeare’s death, the playwright is alive and well in several South African schools, which are making his works their own by performing some of his plays in Afrikaans, isiXhosa and isiZulu for the first time during this year’s Shakespeare Schools Festival South Africa (SSFSA).
As many as 70 schools, including Kloof High School, Westville Boys’ and Girls’ High, Crawford Preparatory La Lucia and St Benedicts High School in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) are participating in this year’s festival.
The SSFSA takes place from now until October 9, with abridged, 30-minute performances by the pupils. A total of eight KZN schools will be participating in the event.
The SSFSA is the flagship project of non-profit organisation, Educape. Its aim is to improve language and social skills through the performing arts. The festival is also a fantastic opportunity for young people to explore their potential in a fun, developmental way, said festival director, Kseniya Filinova-Bruton.
“This thrilling, non-competitive environment builds capacity and character and fosters an appreciation for the metaphors and nuances of prescribed literature,” said Filinova-Bruton..
For more information log onto the website, www.ssfsa.co.za or e-mail info@educape.co.za
