When theatre breaks the fourth wall

East London audiences can expect an evening of theatre that refuses to simply sit back and be watched. On August 22, theatre-maker Zimkitha Kumbaca brings Confessions of a Blacklisted Woman: She Bellows at Legends Showcase Exclusive Venue for a one-night interactive showcase.

The play uses satire, dark humour and surrealism to examine the complicated realities of black womanhood, patriarchy and gender-based violence. At its centre are five life-sized dolls trying to become “real” African women, confronting the expectations, silencing and control that shape their lives.

This version, performed by students from the Sonwa Sakuba Institute for the Performing Arts, tears down the traditional fourth wall, inviting audiences into the conversation.

The result is less a conventional night at the theatre and more a space for uncomfortable questions, reflection and dialogue.

Catch the performance at 6pm at 42 Stewart Drive, Berea. Tickets are R100 early bird and R150 at the door via Webtickets. Expect theatre that entertains, unsettles and asks what needs to change.

Kwanda Mahlombe turns perseverance into song

Kwanda Mahlombe is turning perseverance into music with his latest single, Ungayeki, available on streaming platforms.

The Eastern Cape vocalist, who hails from Komani, has been building towards this moment since discovering his voice in school.

Raised in a musical family, Mahlombe first found his footing behind a keyboard before Arts and Culture classes revealed another instrument: his voice.

His journey took him to Idols South Africa, where he made the Top 16, giving him a taste of what was possible beyond his hometown. Since then, his online performances have continued to draw attention, including from established artists such as Vusi Nova.

Ungayeki, meaning “don’t give up” captures the spirit behind his journey.

More than a motivational title, the song reflects Mahlombe’s determination to keep moving despite uncertainty and setbacks.

For a dose of hopeful South African vocals, add Ungayeki to your playlist.

Kaza Kamba returns with theatre, film and debate

Theatre, music, film and political conversation converge at The Market Theatre this weekend as the Kaza Kamba Pan African Theatre Festival returns from August 20 to 23.

Now in its third year, the festival takes on the theme Memory Against Forgetting, asking audiences to consider what happens when societies choose to remember — or deliberately forget — their histories.

The programme moves between performance and debate, bringing Pan-African perspectives into conversation with some of the continent’s most pressing questions.

Highlights include iPhupho L’ka Biko’s Marikana Still…fontein, a multidisciplinary reflection on the Marikana massacre, while Skierlik revisits a devastating act of racial violence through storytelling. Kenyan production The Dying Need No Shoes explores buried family trauma, while A Season of Hillbrow turns Johannesburg’s Hillbrow into a landscape of poetry and rebellion.

There will also be film screenings, workshops, play readings, a book launch and the Pavement Café. Documentary screenings and workshops are free, while performance tickets are available through Webtickets.