Clever. Everything was clever. This isn’t a play you just hear about. You need to see
It, to experience it. The well-delivered lines, the clever writing, and the props were
Expertly integrated and managed to do what most satires fail to do. It was hilarious,
serious, and honest.
When giving the boys their feedback, Nat Ramabulana said something along the
lines of, “Tjo, this is one of the best social critics of South Africa that I have seen in a
long time.”
Monty Boomslang and the Holy Vaccine is a satirical retelling of how Bheki Chele
secured the Covid-19 vaccine up until he received his vaccine shot as a publicity stunt. The play uses this narrative as a vehicle to deliver multiple critics of the social-political climates of South Africa. Jeppe boys did not shy away from calling a boomslang a boomslang, while making caricatures of our government officials.
We also received smaller satirical takes of ordinary everyday South African things.
For example, the characters use a well-crafted replica of a taxi for their
transportation or when the character of Bheki Cele bribes police officers with
“kooldrink” in bitcoin, not rands.
The caricatures and exaggeration of the various South African accent were done tastefully. Even the music was produced by the students; There was a South African disstrack that played at the end that I would pay good money for.
I do wish that some of the actors projected their voices more, or did not swallow their
words as they were speaking and moving. Sometimes it was difficult to make out
what they were saying, which could be detrimental to the quick-witted dialogue
they performed.
Overall, Monty Boomslang and the Holy Vaccine is a perfect example of how
creative and intelligent GenZ is. If we were all able to effectively criticise and
communicate the socio-political climate around us, then maybe
we would be able to
create greater change.
written by Nokukhanya Sibanda
copyedited by Ashley Allard
photographs courtesy of FEDA
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