Ndabamnye no SS Mendi (I became one with SS Mendi)

By: Mandla Mbothwe

Conceptualised and directed by Mandla Mbothwe, Living Monument and Young Soul Thirsty Soul forms part of a series of ten live installations taking place around the country in commemoration of the centennial anniversary of the sinking of the SS Mendi during World War One where over 600 Native Volunteer Corps members lost their lives.  Using S.E.K. Mqhayi’s poem, Ukutshona Kukamendi, as a motif throughout, the performance highlights the contribution of Africans in the Great War, while also interrogating certain philosophical social practises. Creatively and critically the artwork commemorates our aesthetic sensibilities, the narratives of SS Mendi, and the impact their sacrifice had on the spirit of the Nation.
A creative representation of a man who becomes one with the SS Mendi, swallowing the servicemen’s war cries, his heartbeat coming from their dance, and his belly filled with their clan names. A thirsty soul in salty waters. He is the ancestor of water and land. He is mud of the past ready to be molded to the future.

Conceptualised, directed and curated by: Mandla Mbothwe | Performed by: Lulamile Bhongo Nikani and Babalwa Zimbini Makwetu | Dramaturge: Warona Seane | Choreographed: Theo Ndindwa | Text from S.E.K. Mqhayi’s “Ukuzika koMendi” | Costume design: Leigh Bishop | Set design: Nicolas Mayer | Photography: Rob Kieth | Acknowledgements: UCT Drama Department