In 1994, four years after Nelson Mandela was released from prison, South Africa established its first democratically elected Black majority government. The previous system of racial segregation and economic and political domination known as apartheid had kept a minority White government in power through brutal violence and state sponsored terrorism since the late 1940’s.
Ten years later South Africa is still remaking itself, attempting to get beyond the pain that took the lives of so many Black people throughout the last half of the 20th century.
Everyone knows the names of Mandela, his former wife Winnie, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Stephen Biko and others in the struggle for liberation. But the millions of ordinary citizens, whose presence at rallies and protests helped galvanize world opinion are unknown, yet their contributions no less significant.
This contrast of experiences between the famous and the unknown, public activist and common laborer is the central focus of a stirring and deeply moving new stage drama Nothing But The Truth, written by and starring one of that country’s finest actors, John Kani, now in performance at Lincoln Center’s Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater.
Set in New Brighton, Port Elizabeth, South Africa in 2000, a post-apartheid struggle is taking place in the life of one man and his family. Kani plays Sipho Makhaya, a 63 year old assistant chief librarian at the for-whites-only Port Elizabeth Public Library. He has spent 33 years working there and taking care of his family, while his brother Themba was the more publicly political activist and star of the family. Themba has spent the past 20 years in self-imposed exile in London.
Sipho shares his modest four room home with his school teacher daughter Thando (Warona Seane), who during holiday, is helping out as a translator for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the tribunals established to hear confessions from Whites involved in murderous atrocities against Blacks. Thando finds the work depressing and emotionally draining, but necessary so the nation can move forward. Her father views them as largely pointless.
As the story begins, Sipho has received word of his brother’s death and is awaiting the arrival of the remains, accompanied by Themba’s daughter, Mandisa Mackay (Esmeralda Bihl). Mandisa has spent her entire life in London and has only heard stories of her family and life in her late father’s homeland. The Makhaya’s know even less about her and haven’t heard from Themba since he left.
Kani, a 1975 Tony Award winner for his role in The Island, is a wonderful storyteller as both playwright and actor. Skillfully, he juxtaposes the Truth and Reconciliation trials with the search for truth in the Makhaya household. There are deep secrets here that no one knows, which will only come out through quite painful probing. Mandisa, as the westernized outsider, can’t understand how Black South Africans can grant forgiveness to murderous White policemen, any more than she can figure out why her father and uncle haven’t spoken. Getting at the truth requires a deep understanding of culture and history, whether discussing family or national issues.
Sipho, as representative of the little man, has never received his recognition. While his brother made great speeches from abroad, he stayed and suffered the daily indignities that held the country and the family together. There are reasons why things happened the way they did, and no one has bothered to find out, until now.
For a three character play with a single set, the show is necessarily dialogue-driven, but never ponderous or slow. In fact, it builds to a quite rousing conclusion that not only reveals all but allows for some reconciliation in itself.
While Kani is solid throughout, his co-stars, both young South African actresses, at times show signs of their inexperience rushing through their dialogue. But on the whole they give good performances. They are particularly adept at contrasting the cultural differences between Africans and Brits.
Sarah Roberts’ set design warrants a special mention. She made the most of an intimate theater space in creating the tiny Makhaya residence and filled it with the kind of minute details that make it very real for actors and audience alike. A garbage can placed outside the front door had a potato chip wrapper tossed beside it as if to miss its mark, although few people could see it.
Nothing But The Truth is making its US premiere after a successful debut last year in Johannesburg. It runs until January 18.