Umhlaba Wethu - A Man's World

According to the organisers, the theatrical production is a fairytale looking at the reality of society and the role of men today. The performance is designed to deal with problems facing young South African men such as:

• traditional macho behaviour, which is no longer fitting in a changing society in which women live more as equals with men;
• lack of fatherly guidance in the growing up of many South African males;
• lack of employment;
• the failure by young males to know how to positively prove their manhood; and
• the growing number of rape cases, resulting in an alarming increase in the number of HIV infections.

Directed by Jerry Pooe and Roel Twijnstra, Man's World was written by Dick van de Heuvel and Jerry Pooe. It tells the story of brothers Mbeki (the eldest), Sxaxa (the middle one), and twins Goso and Sizo, who struggle to cope with the death of their mother. The story begins with energy, singing, and dancing as they carry their mother's coffin. The men are more than a little drunk. As their tongues and minds loosen, memories, accusations, and revelations happen as they dare to say things they would never have said when she was alive. They discover they are all from different fathers and have major issues with their mother and with each other.

The main character is Sxaxa. Raped by his adopted father, he hates women, as he feels he has now become one. Living with HIV, he is bitter, angry, and wracked with guilt at the things he has done in his life, which include child rape. Mbeki has been in exile, spending most of his life in a disciplined environment; he wants to control the others. On the other hand, the twins just want to have a good time, dance, and kid around - that is, until the violent side of their nature is revealed. Through all this, the spirits watch, manipulate, guide and - in what is meant to be impressive imagery - become their mother.

The play went on tour in South Afica (from August-December 2008 and March-November 2009). The 84 performances were expected to reach a total of 16,800 visitors across villages, communities, and fruit farms in Kwazulu Natal. Voluntary testing and counselling (VTC) units accompanied the performances so that audience members could undergo a HIV/AIDS test. In the case of a positive outcome, they were encouraged to seek further medical treatment at a local hospital. The VTC project was financed through Stop Aids Now! funds.

HIV/AIDS, Gender

Het Waterhuis (literally: The Waterhouse) is a professional youth theatre company based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, that has performed for children and teenagers since 1995. International interest and involvement motivate Het Waterhuis to regularly go abroad and develop productions with foreign local theatre companies. The productions that originate from such cooperation are performed on-site and afterwards in the Netherlands and Belgium.