By Richard Swartz
WINDHOEK
Committed Artists of Namibia on Saturday evening made a clean sweep in 5 of the 8 categories of the bi-annual Theatre Zone Competition of the National Theatre of Namibia.
The oldest theatre group in the country won Best Play, Best Actor, Best Newcomer, Best Supporting Actor and Best Costume and Technical Presentation from 19 nominations.
The timeless historic play on the forceful eviction of the people from the Old Location – an event that started the Namibian liberation struggle – won the Best Play award. As part of the price, the stage work will be performed next year in a Southern African country of the group’s choice.
Winning playwright, Frederick Philander said: “CAN’s first choice would be the annual Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) in April next year because festivals such as the Klein Karoo Kunste Fees and the Grahams Town Arts Festival in South Africa do not pose any creative challenges to CAN any more. HIFA provides better challenges for greater international exposure in Europe and elsewhere to the group and the new generation of actors we have started with earlier this year”.
He said CAN has performed a number of times at South African festivals, which have become more commercial than anything else.
Basil de Waldt, an artist who acted more than 16 years ago at university level, surprisingly won the Best Actor in The Bigamist, depicting a marginalised Baster man, married to an Oshiwambo wife, as well as the Best Supporting Actor Award for his portrayal of the camp commander in The Mole People, dealing with the incarceration of Namibians during the liberation struggle.
“I am very happy with these Awards, which came as a complete surprise to me,” said Dewaldt, a man of few words, but lots of stage talent.
Intila Katambo, was awarded the Ombili Katangolo Newcomer Award, for her role as the Oshiwambo wife in The Bigamist.
On received the award Katambo said: “I feel very good. I am on cloud nine. I am sure more stage doors will open for me in Namibian theatre. I like acting very much”.
“CAN would prefer to perform the Best Overall Play in Namibia instead of a SADC country. The reason being that Namibian rural areas have been starved of theatre for too long. We have barely started entertaining and educating rural folk in theatre – something we felt indebted to do as a national organisation,” said Philander.
Philander thinks Namibian theatre compares exceptionally well with its counterparts in the rest of the continent.
“I must thank the Bank Windhoek Festival, the NTN, The FNCC, the American Cultural Center and the Angeline Jolie/Bratt Pitt Foundation for financing CAN’s four-play festival, which ends with the play, Papland, on 29 and 30 at the end of this month,” said Philander on Saturday when he was honoured for his contributions towards Namibian theatre over the years.
“In fact, I did nothing extraordinary. I only updated the four works that had been performed for possible publication in the near future. I owe this to the Namibian theatre fraternity and myself as well as the next generation. But full credit goes to the new generation of actors CAN are presently working with for their performances, dedication and commitment,” the playwright, who has written 20 plays over the past 29 years, said.