WeeklySA_AdminPUSH: A pivotal moment in the struggle for quality, affordable, decolonised education…
By Gugu Sibiya
Johannesburg’s iconic Market Theatre will be the auspicious setting for an introspective look into the tumultuous #FeesMustFall student campaign which rocked the country’s campuses a decade ago.
The theatre will stage the play “The Fall and The Good White” to take a long, sobering, introspective gaze into the student upheavals, from April 9 and May 4.
During the nationwide unrest, students who could no longer afford fees although they were determined to get a good education, locked horns with the state. The intention was to change the trajectory of tertiary education by making it accessible and lightening the load for disadvantaged students. To mark this moment in time, the Market is celebrating the 10th anniversary of #Fees Must Fall through The Fall and The Good White.
Individually both plays explore the watershed period and the complexities surrounding it. Taking place in post-apartheid South Africa, the crusade galvanised student activism nationwide and gripped the national consciousness. From the minute they lay eyes on the two works, crowds are likely to be transported back to the past decade to come face to face with the first #RhodesMustFall protest.
The protests began at the University of Cape Town (UCT), culminating in students’ demand for the removal of colonial monuments across campuses nationwide. Ultimately, it dovetailed with the #FeesMustFall movement calling for free, quality and decolonised education.
The staging of “The Fall and The Good White” shines the spotlight on the achievements of the movement. To date, thousands of disadvantaged students still struggle to afford the ever-rising fees of higher learning, coupled with the exorbitant cost of accommodation, transport, food, late or bungled payments. Though some inroads have been made, a lot of work still needs to go into achieving what these young people rose for.
Catch the searing and insightful play that will take you back to the glorious days of #FeesMustFall activism so that you dare not forget. Tickets are available at the Market Theatre box office. For block bookings contact: anthonye@markettheatre.co.za or call him on 083 246 4950.
