Swartskaap (2004)

“ It was politically incorrect and gave a fat middle finger to popular perceptions of how the ideal politician should act."

(Yolandi Groenewald, MAIL & GUARDIAN)

Swartskaap is a multi-cultural, highly entertaining cabaret that debuted with great success at the 2004 Aardklop Arts festival where it won the Anglogold Smeltkroes prize.
Yolandi Groenewald of the Mail & Guardian writes : “ It was politically incorrect and gave a fat middle finger to popular perceptions of how the ideal politician should act...Texts such as Swartskaap show that Afrikaners still love their politics, but have learnt to take themselves less seriously.”

SINOPSIS
Pappa Basson tries to manufacture the perfect politician, a man with the heart of a philosopher and warrior; and the crown jewels of a Zulu prince. But things go awry and the product turns out white(!!) and cannot be allowed to roam the streets. Hiding in a cellar underneath a township Pappa Basson is hard at work constructing the perfect Politician but is thwarted by failure. Swartskaap offers a satirical look at South Africans stuck in a society where they desperately need to adapt and don’t always know how.

Kobus Burger (Die Beeld) highlights Swartskaap as one of the few brave productions that managed to churn the intestines at the Aardklop festival of 2004. However this production did not candycoat issues – it used humour to call a spade a shovel and nobody is safe in this arena.
Pappa Basson was portrayed by the formidable and acclaimed actor Dawid Minnaar who gave an excellent portrayal of this egotistical eccentric chauvinist. Ten years in the past ('94) Pappa Basson went underground with his three daughters. The older two sisters (Henriëtta Gryffenberg and Sorina Erasmus) are the only ones who get to go out and buy whatever the household needs. This they have to do heavily disguised as young black girls and the two do this with aplomb. However Baba (Nqobile Sipamla) – the youngest and also the black sheep of the family (literally) is ordered to stay indoors. She laments her lot to the lifeless Morena (the Frankensteinian, embryonic politician) and wonders why she’s not allowed outdoors. Is it because her father is overprotective because he loves her so much or is he simply ashamed of her.
While the two sisters get to paint the town red Baba slogs away at helping Pappa Basson fulfill his dream : - to bring Morena to life. Only a man constructed from different ethnical parts can truly respresent the rainbow nation. This man seems to be South Africa’s last hope. Unbeknown to Baba, her sisters have their own plans and when Morena is brought to life the plot thickens.

Besides the impressive cast Swartskaap also boasted big names behind the scenes. Commisioning editor of SABC 2 Rosa Keet was involved as mentor to the writer. Wikus Du Toit himself no stranger to cabaret is the composer of the music and Saranti Reeders did the musical direction superbly. Diana Cupsa designed the set. Gideon van Eeden van Eeden directed this production under the mentorship of the highly acclaimed director, Ilse van Hemert as part of a development programme by the Aardklop Festival.
Swartskaap also performed at the KKNK festival and was broadcast on SABC2.