Gregory Maqoma is known and respected throughout the world as a catalyst of change, for breaking new ground, for addressing existing stereotypes and speaking against injustices in the arts, through his award-winning storytelling. He honours the journey to his 50th birthday with a work that means everything to him. Directed by James Ncgobo, this is one of his last performances before he retires from performing. This sensitive solo work reflects on and explores the memory and legacy of Maqoma’s ancestor Chief Jongumsobomvu Maqoma, one of the most renowned Xhosa leaders, who was born in 1798, arrested when he ordered English colonisers to liberate Xhosa land, and died on Robben Island in 1873. The core of this work is memory; rephrasing the notion of existence and the notion of simply existing in order to exist. Through this production Maqoma takes a moment to pause; to look back; to rewind to the days when the tapestry of South Africa was about the collision of biographies. A resonance that is as poignant and relevant today as it was 200 years ago.
