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Bongani Ndlovu, Showbiz Correspondent

THE history of the liberation of Zimbabwe cannot be told without the mention of Sir Garfield Todd, a liberal Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia who later became an opponent of white minority rule in Rhodesia. 

The play, Black Lover, gives an insight into how liberal he was during a time Rhodesia was entrenched in racism. 

Sir Todd served from 1953 to 1958 as Prime Minister of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi). 

He died at the age of 94 on October 13 ,2002, in Bulawayo and his remains were interred at Dadaya Mission in Zvishavane.

 The play, written in 2018 by New Zealand based Zimbabwean, Stanley Makuwe, is being shown in Sir Todd’s home country (New Zealand) and has sold out all 32 shows.

The New Zealand-based Makuwe, is a 2016 National Art Merit Award winning playwright for his play Chimbwido, Girl of War.

Makuwe said he likened Sir Todd to the late Vice President Dr Joshua Nkomo as well as national heroes, Dumiso Dabengwa and Josiah Tongogara.

“I was inspired to write it (Black Lover) by the links of New Zealand to Zimbabwe, and also by Garfield Todd’s contribution to black freedom in Zimbabwe. I think of him as a hero just as all the great men like Nkomo, Dabengwa, Lookout Masuku and Tongogara among others. Todd fought from within the system and he was very much part of the liberation struggle,” said Makuwe who is a psychiatric nurse.

The two-man cast which has Cameron Rhodes playing Sir Todd and another Zimbabwean, Simbarashe Matshe, as his servant Steady, is directed by Roy Ward.

According to the play’s synopsis, ex-pat Sir Todd was ousted for being a Black Lover, his fight for racial equality led to his house arrest in 1965. 

It gives theatre lovers a glimpse into the life of a man, whose commitment to African advancement infuriated his successors in the former British colony. 

Confined to his home, with the liberation war ravaging close by, Sir Todd and his family’s cook, Steady, discuss the fate of Rhodesia, their family’s uncertain future, and the urgent need to provide diabetic Todd with the insulin he desperately needs to survive.

Black Lover places a forgotten Kiwi hero under the spotlight, while providing a timely reminder of how one person with strong principles can change lives. 

Born in Invercargill, Sir Todd arrived in Rhodesia as a missionary in 1934, naming the ranch in Zvishavane where he lived “Hokonui” after a range of hills in Southland New Zealand. 

In the same year, Sir Todd ran Dadaya Mission School and one of the primary school teachers in his charge was the late President, Mr Robert Mugabe. 

He ran the mission and helped build clinics and schools, among them a teaching school for blacks where many of Zimbabwe’s future leaders were educated. 

Sir Todd was first elected to Parliament in 1946. He was elected Prime Minister in 1953 and supported independence from Great Britain. 

During his stint as Prime Minister, he, in 1956, introduced a five-year plan to increase Africa education. 

He saw the establishment of the Native Education Advisory Board, the introduction of the Unified Teaching Service, and a teacher’s pension scheme. 

Sir Todd doubled the number of primary schools and gave grants to missionary-run schools to introduce secondary school and pre-university courses for blacks.

He also introduced the appellation “Mr” for blacks instead of “AM” and he banned white people from calling their black domestic workers, boy. 

During the latter years of his reign as Prime Minister of Rhodesia, Sir Todd moved to lower property and education qualifications, but this was rejected and it caused an uproar from the then Rhodesian government which plotted his removal as Prime Minister and the installation of Edgar Whitehead as his replacement, Winston Field and later Ian Smith.

In the 1960s, Sir Todd joined forces with black nationalists who were against Smith.

He was repeatedly placed under house arrest as a result. 

This is where the play Black Lover picks up the storyline in the long life of Sir Todd.

According to Makuwe, it is very important to tell people of the past injustices that Zimbabweans were subjected to through theatre. 

He said after one of the showings of the play, he was approached by an ex-Rhodesian who was touched by it and apologised for the brutalities inflicted by the white minority rule.

“We need to tell more of our history just like the African Americans who haven’t stopped bringing their history to the forefront. 

“After our show on the opening night, a former white Rhodesian in the audience came to me and said, ‘I’m sorry for what we did to your people.’ I thought that was nice and brave of him; we need to keep voicing the injustices of the past,” said Makuwe. 

Surprisingly, not many people from Sir Todd’s home country know that their native left, settled in the then Rhodesia and later on became its Prime Minister. 

Makuwe says when he wrote the play, it reminded him of his childhood in Shurugwi during the height of the liberation war. 

“I grew up in a war zone in Shurugwi so, yes, all the memories came back as I wrote. The sound technician captured the gunshots just as they happened at that time and I felt like I was back in the zone,” he said. 

He challenged the government to let plays about the history of Zimbabwe be showcased in theatres. 

“Theatre is powerful. That’s why the likes of Cont (Mhlanga) had so many fights with the government which tried to stop the spread of the message of freedom through theatre. Zimbabwe’s history has been told in books but not enough in theatre and movies, so we really need to work hard on that. As I said, time and again, African Americans remind us of their history through theatre and film and they win major awards. We haven’t done enough to tell our history,” said Makuwe.

He attributed his success to Cont Mhlanga and Daves Guzha who supported him and appreciated his work. 

“The likes of Cont Mhlanga and Dave Guzha gave us platforms to tell our stories. Cont was the first man to appreciate my writing when he produced and directed my play, Overthrown. He was full of words of praise and encouragement. 

“From him, I learnt that when you tell stories, don’t be apologetic, just tell your story. To this day, I make sure I tell him what I’m doing and also ask for his guidance and advice when I need it. He is always full of wisdom which he shares with love and passion,” said Makuwe. 

Makuwe’s plays have been staged in New Zealand and Zimbabwe with some of them featuring at the Harare International Festival of the Arts (Hifa) in 2012 and 2017. 

He was shortlisted for the 2012 Adam New Zealand Playwrighting Awards for Footprints on Ika’s Heart and the 2011 BBC International Playwrighting competition for The Coup.