Mehlondini

Mehlondini (translated as "Bloody Eyes") is a play enacted by the blind about experiences of the blind, written by James Mthoba.

The play was a dramatization of the personal experiences of the actors as a way of showing that they are human too. The play was used to raise funds for the Transvaal Association for Blind Black Adults.

Performance history in South Africa

Presented by the newly formed TABBA (Transvaal Association for Blind Black Adults) Drama Company under the direction of James Mthoba at the Laager in 1987. Peter Kubheka was the only sighted person in the cast. Other cast members were Colbert Sobopha, Maria Sekgothe, Enos Modirapula, Pauline Shongwe and Sam Nhlapo.

Sources

Theatre programme.

Andile Xaba. 2021. 'Collective memory and the construction of a historical narrative, analysis and interpretation of selected Soweto-based community plays (1984–1994)'. Unpublished PhD thesis.

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