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Odwa Cliff Sigcau is a theatre performance artist and producer of Misplaced, the spirit of Oliver a play written by Bongani Payi. This artist hails from Bizana in the Eastern Cape and through his play aims to groom young Eastern Cape artists into being professional performers.
Sigcau says he lives art and art is what defines him, he believes that art should evoke consciousness. “On stage I love people who express their background through their performance, the audience must be able to tell who is being portrayed from how the performer sits, walks and talks from just that the audience should know that this is a Mpondo person because that’s how amaMpondo sit or walk and talk.” Said Sigcwawu.
Misplaced the spirit of Oliver is a play that portrays the life of Oliver Tambo from when he was born at emaMpondweni in Nkantolo, Bizana to being a young boy then a young man who goes to the mountain and follows all the cultural practises of emaMpondweni. Sigcau explains that Oliver Tambo did not like to be defined by a specific culture or tribe but wanted to be known as a native African. Sigcau says the play uncovers a lot of unrevealed things about the life of Oliver Tambo he says;
Most books do not reveal that when Oliver Tambo went to study in Gauteng at Holy Cross Commission School he was being funded by white people who were strangers to him and his father but knew him through church. We reveal all these things through theatre performance art.
The play misplaced, the spirit of Oliver has been written and produced by Eastern Cape based artists who know where Oliver Tambo is from, where he grew up and what his life was like growing up in Bizana. Sigcau says the play did not get a chance of exposure here in Eastern Cape but was performed on big stages in other provinces. “We have now gotten our funding from the National Arts Council (NAC) and now our play will get the chance on bigger stages in Eastern Cape because NAC saw our vision with the play. This project is meant to uplift young black children. The play is here to showcase what we want our young emaMpondweni children to do.” Said the producer of misplaced.
Sigcau feels that theatre performance has been side-lined for far too long in the emaMpondweni region, so through their project they aim to groom children into being professional theatre performers who can earn a living through art. “By grooming these children in art we also train them into being entrepreneurs within the art space. By so doing we are trying to eradicate the common misconception of thinking that you cannot earn a living through art.” said Odwa Sigcau.
This artist says one of the major arts festival in the Eastern Cape the Makhanda National Arts festival is not doing much for the small rural towns of Eastern Cape such as Bizana. This then gives them reason to want to inspire young artists through their project. By teaching entrepreneurship within art Odwa Sigcau will grow artists that do not depend on being hired to perform but those that will create opportunities for themselves and others.
Sigcau says they have workshops they run which have people from National Arts Council, people from LOTTO commission, youth funds, and various other officials who will encourage young people to love art. He says the young people who are in performance arts should not depend on being recruited but should create their own opportunities.
He says “young people must have the mentality of being creators, know how to write your own script, know how to run your own business.
Odwa Sigcau says through this project they will create the John Kani’s of tomorrow.
