South African actor, playwright and director John Kani finds himself in lockdown in London, the curtain having been brought down on his critically acclaimed new play Kunene and the King at the Ambassadors Theatre due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Just two weeks ago Kani wrote on his Twitter platform: “London, the Prime Minister has closed all theatres public gatherings pubs restaurants football and sports to halt the spread of this virus. So my play has closed in London. We were only left with two weeks to go anyway. Thank you to all who supported us. What a run!!”
With plenty of time on his hands, his thoughts have turned to his fellow South Africans. He first made a plea as the eldest of the Kani Clan,amaNtlotshane for his family and extended relatives to “ absolutely observe the 21 days lockdown”. He asked them to “ Please stay in touch with the family by social media and any other means except visiting one another. The Elder”.
It was then clear that as he watched the news on South Africa from abroad, he became increasingly disturbed by those who were not adhering to the lockdown restrictions.
Taking to Twitter again he wrote: “We are a nation with millions of our people living with AIDS, millions of elderly people and millions living with underlying ailments so this call for a lockdown, self-isolation and social distancing is not a government program, it is our project as a Nation. Please comply.”
We are a nation with millions of our people living with AIDS, millions of elderly people and millions living with underlying ailments so this call for a lockdown, self isolation and social distancing is not a government program, it is our project as a Nation. Please comply.
— JohnKani (@JohnKani2) March 30, 2020
He also observed that “poor people are watching rich people buying all the food from the shops. Where is uBuntu?”
Always on the side of the most vulnerable and exploited in society, John Kani has spent his life fighting ‘the good fight’ through the arts. His latest offering Kunene and the King is another example of his incredible skill as a playwright. It has received rave reviews with the Guardian perhaps best summing up the essence of this piece of work: ”John Kani beautifully captures the complex divides of race, class and politics in a remarkable and moving new play’.
The play is set twenty-five years after the first post-apartheid democratic elections. Two men from vastly different walks of life are thrust together to reflect on a quarter-century of change. In Director Janice Honeyman’s words, “"The play is set in South Africa. Jack Morris (played by Antony Sher) is a white South African classical actor who is well known for performing in Shakespeare roles. He’s been offered the title role in King Lear. He accepts it and then discovers that he has liver cancer. He refuses to stay in the hospital and so discharges himself, and Lunga Kunene, a black South African (played by John Kani) becomes his at-home carer.
Rumour has it that Kunene and the King will be coming to the Nelson Mandela Bay Opera House - we look forward to welcoming home one of our country’s greatest sons when life returns to normal…..hopefully that will not be in the too distant future.
