The Market Theatre Foundation Returns To The National Arts Festival

The Market Theatre Foundation returns to the National Arts Festival in Makhanda

The Market Theatre Foundation returns to the National Arts Festival in Makhanda with two compelling productions – The Cry of Winnie Mandela and Children of the Buffalo Thorn Tree – that interrogate memory, power dynamics, how history is remembered and which voices are heard. Presented as the country marks the 50th anniversary of the Soweto Uprising, both works grapple with the ongoing work of transformation, the power of representation and the place black women and young people have in history.

The Cry of Winnie Mandela (26 – 28 June 2026 – Rhodes Theatre)
The critically acclaimed The Cry of Winnie Mandela – based on Njabulo S. Ndebele’s seminal novel of the same name – reignites collective and individual memory around struggle stalwart Nomzamo Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, reflecting on her place in South Africa’s historical narrative. Following its run in Makhanda, the show will transfer to Jo’burg for a strictly limited and highly anticipated return season of 6 performances only at The Market Theatre, starting 08 – 12 July 2026 in the John Kani Theatre. Tickets available through Webtickets here.

Directed by MoMo Matsunyane, the play brings together four women bound by the shared experience of waiting. Through intimate moments of reflection and fellowship, they draw strength from – and locate themselves within – the legacy of Winnie Mandela.

The women interrogate their waiting, and the emotional, psychological, and social impact it has had on their lives. These explorations unfold into layered, haunting and deeply resonant conversations that connect the historical struggles of women to contemporary realities—highlighting how the past continues to live in the present.

Matsunyane describes the work as a courageous story of endurance and emotional survival:

“Winnie Mandela continues to be a powerful, multi-layered figure to explore. Her revolutionary spirit, resilient character and generous heart have become anchors for many women of all generations and identities. Indeed, she did not die; she multiplied.”

Children of the Buffalo Thorn Tree (26 – 29 June 2026 – Centenary Hall)
Created by second-year students at The Market Theatre Laboratory under the direction of Monageng Vice Motshabi, Children of the Buffalo Thorn Tree uses forensic approaches to memory, testimony and excavation to uncover the stories of young people lost, erased or buried without recognition in South Africa’s violent past.

Presented in the context of the 50-year commemoration of the 1976 Soweto Uprising, the production confronts the absence of young bodies in the national archive, grappling with unmarked graves, missing youth and silenced narratives.

The work asks urgent questions: How do we honour those who resisted but remain unacknowledged? What histories remain buried? And how can theatre function as a form of forensic recovery—restoring presence to those rendered invisible? In doing so, the production collapses past and present, positioning history not as something concluded, but as a lived and unresolved reality that continues to shape contemporary identity and consciousness.

At this crucial moment of national reflection, these works – in their own distinct ways – confront memory, struggle and place, using theatre and empathy to connect us.

The Market Theatre Foundation is an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture.

The National Arts Festival takes place from 26 June – 6 July in Makhanda in the Eastern Cape. The full programme can be viewed here. Tickets can be purchased online here.

About National Arts Festival
The National Arts Festival is South Africa’s largest multi-disciplinary arts event, operating continuously since 1974. Held annually in Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown), the Festival presents new and established work across theatre, music, dance, comedy, literature, visual art, and experimental forms. The Festival serves as a key platform for South African cultural production, artist development, and international cultural exchange.

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