As part of the Cultural Olympiad, London's Globe Theatre this month plays host to 37 Shakespeare plays in 37 languages. Each has its own compelling story to tell. But of all the players from war-torn, drowned and oppressed countries, few can have made such an extraordinary journey as the South Sudan Theatre Company, which presents Cymbeline tonight and tomorrow.
Born in the camps where displaced people fled a 40-year civil war that claimed almost two million lives, the SSTC is a potent symbol of a country's new nationhood. Last July, South Sudan finally achieved independence from the north of Sudan, making it the youngest country to take part in the Globe to Globe festival.
"It is hard to describe how important this moment is for us," says co-director Joseph Abuk, the man who took on the translation of the play from Shakespearean English to Juba Arabic, a language without a dictionary. "It is a moment when we celebrate our freedom."
For more than two decades, it was impossible to read Shakespeare in South Sudan because the government in the north banned books written in English. Often the stories were passed on through word of mouth, but there were also contraband copies of Shakespeare plays in circulation.
"When we put the call out for Shakespeare productions from different countries, the proposal we got from SSTC was the single most compelling and irresistible," says Tom Bird, director of Globe to Globe. "It was six months before independence, and was written by the man who would go on to become the country's first minister for culture. He wrote that he used to lie in the Bush under the stars reading Shakespeare plays to avoid thinking about the killing that would happen the next day. No other proposal was like it."
In the hands of the SSTC the play's conflict between Ancient Britain and imperialist Rome takes on a new resonance as King Cymbeline's refusal to pay tribute becomes South Sudan's fight for freedom.
"When we read this man Shakespeare we think he was writing about us," Abuk says. "We can see all our problems and stories are in the play."
In a new country made up of many different tribal languages, SSTC chose Juba Arabic as a neutral lingua franca. It also appealed to Abuk and his colleagues to bring Shakespeare to England in a language that was at one time banned by the imperial British. "Juba Arabic grew up because the African people in the south were not allowed by the British to speak Arabic," he explains.
Translating the text was a painful process Abuk says. "There were many lines that nearly defeated me." The players have been rehearsing 3,500 miles from the South Bank, and it will be the first time they have flown in an aeroplane. "It will be very tough for our actors," Abuk says. "They need to breathe the air of London, acclimatise to the cold weather and become less nervous."
In many ways, Bird points out, the SSTC are close to the spirit of the Globe. "They are used to performing outside in daylight. Some of the companies coming from grand European theatres will have more of a shock."
Almost a year on from independence, war rages on in the disputed territories along the border of Sudan and South Sudan, and the challenges of poverty and a deep lack of development are manifold. As a symbol of hope then, Cymbeline is timely, reminding the new nation of its ambition to rise above its past.
'Cymbeline', Globe Theatre, London SE1 (020 7401 9919) today & 3 May
Newer articles:
- UN gives Sudan, South Sudan 48 hours to halt hostilities - Channel News Asia - 02/05/2012 18:00
- UN Council threatens Sudan, South Sudan with sanctions - Orlando Sentinel - 02/05/2012 18:00
- UN threatens sanctions against Sudan, South Sudan - KFVS - 02/05/2012 17:26
- South Sudan asks IGAD to help AU resolve conflict with Sudan - Sudan Tribune - 02/05/2012 08:47
- South Sudan army threatens to “kill Jonglei raiders” - Sudan Tribune - 02/05/2012 06:00
Older news items
- Syria; Sudan/South Sudan; Myanmar; Somalia; and more - UN Dispatch - 02/05/2012 00:00
- South Sudan civilians are trapped in conflict over oil - Washington Post - 01/05/2012 23:42
- South Sudan: 27 Sudan soldiers killed in clashes - KFVS - 01/05/2012 20:20
- South Sudan: 27 Sudan soldiers killed in clashes - Salon - 01/05/2012 20:19
- South Sudan accuses Sudan of attacking it oil region - The West Australian - 01/05/2012 19:03
Latest news items (all categories):
- رسالة مفتوحة إلى مدام لميس الحديدى - 01/11/2024 17:50
- Policy actions to strengthen Public Finance Management in South Sudan - 01/11/2024 15:30
- WFP Calls for Cash to Frontload South Sudan Operations Amid Warnings of Rising Hunger - 01/11/2024 15:26
- DTM South Sudan: Biometric Registration and Cash Assistance - Raja Town (October 2024) - 01/11/2024 15:23
- Urgent Call for Government Regulation of Land in the Capital Juba and other areas in South Sudan to Prevent Community Hatred - 01/11/2024 14:52
See also (all categories):
Random articles (all categories):
- South Sudan: Gov't Condemns Oil 'Stealing', Says Khartoum Has No Control Over Resources - 16/01/2012 11:29
- South Sudan to build new pipeline through eastern Africa to export oil - 21/01/2012 13:02
- South Sudanese return to Sudan but find more hardship - 27/08/2022 09:00
- South Sudanese begin journey home: IOM - Pakistan Daily Times - 12/05/2012 22:47
- African regional bloc loses 92 per cent tourism earnings due to Covid - 11/10/2021 01:48
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 54139 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 22157 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 21273 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 18708 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 17379 times