STAGE AND SCREEN GAME CHANGERS
The Color Purple reigns
Directed with finesse by Janice Honeyman, the acclaimed production features an all-South African, all-black powerhouse cast
Not only is there a sense of hope and renewal sweeping through SA politics, but Black History Month in February was a positive game-changer for black representation and identity at the local theatre and movie box-office too. Black Panther, the Disney film set in the Marvel superhero universe and depicting the fictitious African country of Wakanda, had the third-highest opening in SA ever. It scooped R16.8m in its opening weekend and was seen by 200,000 ecstatic local cinema-goers. In East and West Africa, the movie smashed records to chalk up the biggest box-office debut ever. SA father-and-son acting team John and Atandwa Kani (who is currently enrolled in the graduate acting programme at New York University) speak Xhosa in the film. Connie Chiume also features, and local artists Babes Wodumo and Jabulani Hadebe take pride of place on the Billboard-topping soundtrack. #WakandaForever is trending on social media as audiences around the world rave about Black Panther’s depiction of a...
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