View source for The Girl Who Killed to Save (Nongquase the Liberator)

''[[The Girl Who Killed to Save (Nongquase the Liberator)]]'' is an English play by [[H.I.E. Dhlomo]] (1903-1956). 

''Also found as '''[[Nongqawuse: The Girl Who Killed to Save]]''', '''[[Nonqause: The Girl who Killed to Save]]''', '''[[uNongqawuse: The Girl Who Killed to Save]]''', '''[[The Girl Who Killed to Save (uNongqawuse the Liberator)]]''', or simply '''[[The Girl Who Killed to Save]]'''.'' 

''Not to be confused with the play '''[[Nonqause]]''' by [[Mary Waters]]''

== The original text ==

A version of the story of the tragic Xhosa starvation resulting from the slaughter of the cattle under the chief Kreli, in response to the visions of the prophetess [[Nongqause]] (or [[Nongqawuse]]). Dhlomo's play is informed by a belief in progress and its desirability is not untypical of the values and beliefs of the 'progressives' of the day. The cattle killing is seen as a largely beneficial event since it destroys old tribal structures and prepares the people for the modern world.

Written in 193-35 as a reaction against the play '''''[[Nonqause]]''''' by [[Mary Waters]], which he considered the "white people’s" version by of the story. 

It was first published by [[Lovedale Press]] in 1935 as ''[[The Girl Who Killed to Save (Nongquase the Liberator)]]'', with a foreword by [[Frank Brownlee]]. It was republished in the collection ''[[H.I.E Dhlomo: Collected Works]]'' (Eds. [[Tim Couzens]] and [[Nick Visser]]) by [[Ravan Press]] in 1985.

After 1994 it has become customary to use [[uNongqawuse]], a "corrected" form of her name, in the title to Dhlomo's play, which now often reads: '''''[[uNongqawuse: The Girl Who Killed to Save]]''''', or '''''[[The Girl Who Killed to Save (uNongqawuse the Liberator)]]'''''.

== South African productions ==



2013: Directed by [[Mfundo Tshazibane]], under the altered title of ''[[uNongqawuse: The Girl Who Killed to Save]]'' featuring the [[UCT]] final year Drama students in the [[Arena Theatre]], Cape Town.

== Sources ==


"''[[Nongqawuse: The Girl Who Killed to Save]]'': review". ''bantustanvillage'', May 31, 2013[https://bantustanvillage.wordpress.com/2013/05/31/nongqawuse-the-girl-who-killed-to-save-review/comment-page-1/]

http://www.encounter.co.za/article/118.html

Andrew Offenburger: ''The Xhosa Cattle-killing Movement''[http://www.persistentfrontiers.com/xhosacattlekilling/creativeworks.asp]

[[Tim Couzens]]. 1985. ''The New African: A Study of the Life and Work of H.I.E. Dhlomo''. Johannesburg: [[Ravan Press]].  

Visser and Couzens (eds). 1985. ''[[H.I.E. Dhlomo Collected Works]]''. Johannesburg: [[Ravan Press]].

[[Mona de Beer]]. 1995. ''Who Did What in South Africa''. Johannesburg: [[Ad Donker]].

Go to [[ESAT Bibliography]]

== Return to ==

Return to [[PLAYS I: Original SA plays]]

Return to [[PLAYS II: Foreign plays]]

Return to [[PLAYS III: Collections]]

Return to [[PLAYS IV: Pageants and public performances]]

Return to [[South_African_Festivals|South African Festivals and Competitions]]

Return to [[The ESAT Entries]]

Return to [[Main Page]]