Sibuyiselo Sbuja Dywili: Picture provided
The Jakes Gerwel Foundation and Passa Porta international house of literature in Brussels are thrilled to welcome two Belgian and four South African writers to their two-week Brussels to Karoo residency at Paulet House in KwaNojoli, Eastern Cape.
Belgians Nele Van den Broeck and Gerda Dendooven and South Africans; Sibuyiselo Sbuja Dywili; Shireen Mall; Charl-Pierre Naudé and Ayanda Xaba are now sharing the two-week residency borne out of Professor Jakes Gerwel’s considerable legacy. As it was from the Vrije Universiteit of Brussels in 1979 that he received his doctorate in Literature and Philosophy (magna cum laude).
Below is an interview between Naomi Meyer and Sibuyiselo Sbuja Dywili on the residency.
Sibuyiselo, you write for the theatre. Why did you apply for this residency at Paulet House?
It’s interesting that you ask this question. Why do I write for theatre? Why do I even write at all? It’s a question one finds oneself asking in the witchy hours of the morning, when a very good idea may not be coming out well in the writing – why do I even care to write! I say it’s interesting because, firstly, I shouldn't be doing this, writing for theatre; I should be writing films and for television, as that is what I have an advanced diploma in. And secondly, I keep asking this: why should anyone bother to read or come watch a play written by an unknown young man who lives in the outskirts of Cape Town, where everything is far from him and the city lights are supposedly fantasies? And who lives every day looking up hoping to see a billboard of a role model in the township, but only gets to see the walking, unsung heroes who once tried and failed, the many who sought stability and did everything right, yet still crashed?
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And secondly, I keep asking this: why should anyone bother to read or come watch a play written by an unknown young man who lives in the outskirts of Cape Town, where everything is far from him and the city lights are supposedly fantasies? And who lives every day looking up hoping to see a billboard of a role model in the township, but only gets to see the walking, unsung heroes who once tried and failed, the many who sought stability and did everything right, yet still crashed?
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And the constant sight and wonder of the city – people know how sometimes a young girl in torn skirts carrying a full water bucket on her head can have a heroic existence to her family and friends. I keep asking myself that question. Perhaps it is the reason I care to write – to uplift the spirit of those I left in Kraaifontein and many who resemble the same life. Every day, I wake up at 4:00 am and I hear voices talking. In my head. In my home. In the streets. Residents chatting. Complaining. Laughing like nothing matters. Preparing to go to work. Being parents to the children – preparing them for school. And I get very much inspired. But when I get to theatre – all of the voices I heard back in the informal settlement are gone. I don’t hear anything that sounds like them. Or a story similar to what I see every day. And I wonder why. Could it be that less is known about them? Or simply that there’s no care for putting their voices and stories under the lights? Well, we can never truly know. But I do know how important it is for them to hear themselves, see themselves up there – or one of their own – to restore their belief, their dignity, their aspirations, and let it be known that some heroes are 12-year-olds who carry water buckets and do not need capes. These heroes need to be sung about, too. I have taken it upon myself to compose the score that will sing “everything them”. I like to think this is why I write theatre – to bring life and light to the voices of the people who have not been given a voice. And I knew that to finish this play that I’m writing, I would need a lot of support, and the Brussels to Karoo residency at Paulet House became that for me.
Cover of Ganga, nyoko! Inzima, nyoko! by Sibuyiselo Sbuja Dywili (Photo: provided)
Can you tell our readers a bit about the project you are working on at present, or if you do not want to talk about this specifically, could you please tell us about the work you write in general?
I’m writing a play that I have titled The salt lesson. I have been writing a lot in Xhosa, and my first play, Ganga, nyoko! Inzima, nyoko! (Catch, brother! It’s heavy, brother!), is in Xhosa and has brought many opportunities and much experience and learning for me. But The salt lesson is very different from my first play and is set to introduce me as an English-writing playwright as well. The salt lesson takes the audience on the journey of a young black man who has a white father who’s suffering from dementia and has ultimately forgotten him (the son). It explores the politics of race in an interracial family, belief, fatherhood and family conflicts through the lens of a dementia patient and a forgotten son. What does it mean to be forgotten? Well, I suppose what I want to ask is: what does it mean not to be seen, even when wearing the brightest of clothes? What does it mean not to be heard, even when speaking the loudest? Like my first play, The salt lesson is very personal for me and is the result of many talks, arguments, lessons, dates and motivations from my own father – he’s black, and I have made my character’s father white, just to detach the project a bit from myself, and ultimately give it more room for other races.
What do you wish to achieve at this residency? What do you think is the best part of a residency like this one: inspiration, time to write, no tasks at home, or anything else?
I think it’s a surreal feeling when suddenly something you have thought of, becomes widely spoken of and impacts people for change and makes them think. I think it’s even more surreal when you get an opportunity like this – that says to you, “Hey, forget about all your worries. I’ve got you. Now it’s time for you to write.” It is a very motivating feeling. And here, at Paulet House, in only one day I’ve found much support from my fellow writers. You are made to feel important and seen. It’s a very emotional thing for me. And last night, I was told that since this residency began, I’m the first playwright ever to be accepted into it, young as I am! And I had no idea! There’s just so much care for everyone, so much support and so much belief in everyone, and it’s very inspiring! I am going to work hard at this residency to make sure that I finish writing my play! On 13 and 14 June, I will have a staged reading of this play in Cape Town at the Magnet Theatre, and I’m here at Paulet House to write for that. If you are in Cape Town around that time, come check it out! And let’s have a chat later about it and about you, too. 🙂
Also read:
Brussel tot Karoo-skrywersresidensie: ’n onderhoud met Vlaamse skrywer Nele Van den Broeck