rich people and there were those who were struggling to make it, like any other community,” he says.
Although Moolman acknowledges that Sophia produced many musicians and writers, he believes that its demise was inevitable. It was the apartheid government’ s desire for a racially segregated country that brought an abrupt end to Kofifi in 1955.
After rezoning, it became a whites-only area and was renamed Triomf. It was only in 2006 that the named Sophiatown was restored.
Moolman, a Wits University law student, plays the role of Jake Mamabolo, a character who is the pillar of the narrative.
While Jake is the narrator, he is also a Drum magazine writer. As Don Makatile puts it in his article Criminal Minds:“ Sophiatown was Drum and Drum was Sophiatown.”
The pages of this publication carried the stories of the people of Kofifi- from the swinging night life to the political upheavals of the time.
Along with his fellow cast members, Rinkie Nqolwana, Titus Mekgwe and Marius Soldaat, Moolman tells the story of living in Mamariti’ s shebeen. Mamariti has two children, 16-year-old Lulu and Mingus, who is part of the infamous Americans gang.
They live with Mingus’ s girlfriend Princess and his trusted side-kick Charlie, who never says a word throughout the play.
When Ruth Golding the Jewish girl from Yeoville comes to stay with them everything changes. And Jakes just wants to write about it.
Moolman says the script gives a glimpse of the personal stories of the people of township.
“ In a sense Sophiatown was completely erased and it is just a memory, but it’ s important to keep the spirit alive.”
Moolman is part of a group of youth called the Sophiatown Ambassadors who have been groomed by the Trevor Huddleston Memorial Centre to help preserve the memory of Kofifi through community workshops and school tours.
Kofifi Theatre Company
All of the cast members are ambassadors.
This year the play has been a big part of this educational mission. It started showing at the Soweto Theatre and ended up at the Johannesburg Theatre in Braamfontein. In the 1980s veteran actor Patrick Shai played the role of Jake. He attended one of the Joburg Theatre performances.“ He was sitting in the front row and when I saw him, our eyes met.“ I told myself:‘ You better put on a good performance because that man was the pioneer’,” Moolman says.
Shai commended the youngsters on their efforts afterwards. The big dream now is to take Sophiatown to other provinces.
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TrueReelzTV is a bi-weekly, Cape Town based, LIVE web show where Ruan Lotter( filmmaker) and Martin Venter( actor, writer) discover, discuss, review and interview all things entertainment.
Whether it’ s about a local / international film or an up-and-coming actor / filmmaker / musician, they are sure to dish it to you in a slightly off-beat, crazy and opinionated manner.
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