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Showbiz Correspondent
BLOOD Tongue, The Musical, a theatrical production that aims to foster audience engagement and facilitate community dialogue on leadership and election processes, returns on stage this month.

Bluez Cafe publicity and gender officer Penny Yon said the play is being showcased in Bulawayo again as they want to use it to urge people to vote as part of their Blood Tongue Get-Out-the-Vote tour which begins later this month.

The play will first be shown at Bulawayo Theatre on July 26 then Theatre in the Park in Harare on July 27 and 28.

“The refreshed Blood Tongue aims to encourage citizens to not only exercise their constitutional right to cast a vote for the candidate of their choice but to exercise this right with a conscience,” said Yon.

“The musical aims to foster audience engagement and facilitate community dialogue on leadership and election processes thereby building capacity for independent critical thinking.”

She said initially, Blood Tongue was scheduled for Harare last year but was upstaged by last November’s events.

The initial play that premiered last year explored leadership accountability, the manipulative excesses of the political elite and the struggles faced by strong-willed women in present-day Zimbabwe.

Yon said the re-made 2018 edition reflects and strengthens the get-out-the-vote message backed by the outstanding 14 musical pieces which make up the original score.

The play whose production shone brightly at the recent Bulawayo Arts Awards 2018 where it was nominated in three categories, was written by the award-winning playwright and author Christopher Mlalazi.

It was directed by Bafana Dladla (SA) and Eunice Tava, with music composed by Bafana Dladla and Tshepo Pheko (SA).

Musa Sibanda plays the lead role with other members of the cast being Bulawayo actresses Lady Tshawe, Rea Moyo and Agnes Ncube backed by a five-piece band.

Tshepo Pheko, one of the musical directors who is also a pianist and composer from the SA group Generation2Generation, said: “Blood Tongue is a wonderful show and it has a very strong message in the play that needs to be heard across the world.

“It has a wonderful cast of people who are willing to learn and have the heart for art. I’m glad I had the opportunity to work with these amazing souls, creating the music for the show together with Bafana Dladla – it was a great pleasure.”