Review: Not in my backyard, rupture of the South African Dream in Neighbourhood

In Tiisetso Mashifane wa Noni’s intriguing new play, Neighbourhood, we see the clash of two neighbourhoods, Lindela, an informal settlement and Everwood, an upper middle-class suburb. The inhabitants of Lindela live in shacks under dire circumstances and travel for work to Everwood. They are not there by choice. They are there because they have no choice. There is no meaningful work in their neighbourhood. Apartheid and legislated racial segregation may have ended but they have been failed by the government, by politicians, who keep promising to provide homes.

Framing the play are two couples – a white couple and a Black couple. They are buttressed by their privilege and their wealth which keeps them in their bubbles. They hire house help from Lindela – someone to wash the dog and the madam’s panties. The madams strut around in glee, revelling and shrieking in their privilege. It is all cool, as long as they don’t have to give refuge to their work force in times of need and they are definitely not cool with settlements popping up outside their gates: Not in my back yard.

Wa Noni remarked to me that this play is about the South African Dream and that we are all seeking home, a safe place to call home. In the play, we see the rupture of the South African Dream. The madams are presented as caricatures, heightened representations and this makes for intensely uncomfortable viewing. Watching the play and I thought – “they are such clichés”. They are buffoonish, strident as they strut around, marking out their territory. I think that Wa Noni wants us to be slapped by their strutting and aggrandising from their soap boxes of privilege. As protagonists they lack depth. It is all about clutching onto their slice of the South African Dream – dressing up and posturing as they try out different outfits.  

The inhabitants of Lindela are depicted as vividly navigating their lived experience – where every aspect of life is a challenge. Wa Noni did extensive research for this play and I find it interesting that she hasn’t segued into providing complex narratives for the Lindela neighbourhood. We don’t hear about sustenance abuse and mental health issues as a way to “explain” the situation.  They have not chosen their situation. The Lindela inhabitants are not seen. They are invisible – just a source of labour. Yes, it is not easy being a politician but the bottom line is that all people deserve to have a home which is safe and which gives them, access to work and other services.

Wa Noni’s direction is energised imbuing the actions with fabulous physical movement and comedy. Visually, the production looks beautiful with the pulling in and out of racks with clothing – blood red, flashes of plum and burgundy and blues with silky fabrics and fluffy robes.   The ensemble cast is terrific. I loved Carlo Daniels as Fufi, the dog.

This play disturbed me and jolted me. It pierces deep beyond the issues, with vivid imagery, dynamic staging and performances. I loved the seamless integration and interweaving of English, Sepedi, isiZulu, isiXhosa and Afrikaans. A lot of what is conveyed, goes beyond language, as it is teased out by the visceral physical performance.

Cape Town is freezing and wet. We are experiencing the most rain in sixty years, in July [https://www.news24.com/fin24/climate_future/news/see-record-rainfall-in-cape-town-july-surpasses-six-decade-high-20240812] For those living in informal settlements, without adequate shelter, it is brutal. This play lands like a slap loudly on stage. Neighbourhood is more than a cautionary tale. It is shriek to gaze deep into land justice and providing safe havens for all. Neighbourhood is a scathing indictment on the rupture of the South African Dream.

✳ Featured image: Tamzin Williams, Lyle October, Carlo Daniels, Nolufefe Ntshuntshe, Awethu Hleli, Carla Smith and Jock Kleynhans in in Neighbourhood, written and directed by Tiisetso Mashifane wa Noni, Baxter Studio Cape Town, August 2 -24, 2024. Pic by Fiona MacPherson.