ISBN 9780994708151
Pages 234
Dimensions 210 x 148 mm
Illustrations B/W Illustrations
Published 2019
Publisher Botsotso Publishing , South Africa
Format Paperback

Botsotso 20: Drama

The Dramas of Life

edited by Allan Kolski Horwitz, Siphiwe ka Ngwenya, Ike Mboneni Muila

The Botsotso literary journal started in 1996 as a monthly 4 page  insert in the New Nation, an independent anti-apartheid South African weekly and reached over 80,000 people at a time – largely politisized black workers and youth – with a selection of poems, short stories and short essays that reflected the deep changes taking place in the country at that time. Since the closure of the New Nation in 1999, the journal has evolved into a stand-alone compilation featuring the same mix of genres, and with the addition of photo essays and reviews. The Botsotso editorial policy remains committed to creating a mix of voices which highlight the diverse spectrum of South African identities and languages, particularly those that are dedicated to radical expression and examinations of South Africa's complex society.

Botsotso 20: Drama. The Dramas of Life is an anthology of eight South African plays drawn from the last decade (2008 -18) engages with personal dilemmas and social realities. The themes reflect the general unravelling of the 1994 political settlement as racism, poverty and inequality, patriarchy, violence against women and LGBT people, the failure to provide quality education and high levels of corruption expose widening fault lines. They display great energy and dramatic virtuosity in their exploration of these and other themes and create vivid characters who transcend the rhetorical. The plays included are  "Isithunzi" by Sipho Zakwe, "Sleeping Dogs" by Simphiwe Vikilahle, "The Good Candidate" by Hans Pienaar, "Shoes and Coups" by Palesa Mazamisa, "Book Marks" by Allan Kolski Horwitz, "The Couch" by Sjaka Septembir, "Iziyalo Zikamama" by the Botsotso Ensemble and "Finding Me" by Moeketsi Kgotle.

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About the Editors

Allan Kolski Horwitz

ALLAN KOLSKI HORWITZ was born in 1952 in Vryburg, South Africa but grew up in Cape Town. Between 1974 and 1985 he lived in the Middle East, Europe and North America, returning to live in Johannesburg in 1986. Since then he has worked as an organiser and educator in the trade union and social housing movements. He is a writer in various genres as well as being a songwriter and singer. Since leaving full-time employment in the trade unions in 2009, he continues on an ad hoc with his work as an educator and activist. He is a member of the Botsotso Jesters poetry performance group and of the Botsotso Publishing editorial board. 

Siphiwe ka Ngwenya

Siphiwe ka Ngwenya was born in 1964 in Soweto, Johannesburg where he still lives. He is a member of the Botsotso Jesters group.