Event information
Empatheatre‘s electrifying and highly acclaimed Isidlamlilo/The Fire Eater a one-woman show brought to life by Mpume Mthombeni and theatre-maker Neil Coppen, comes to the Baxter Flipside Theatre.
Set in a womens’ hostel in downtown Durban, 60-something year old Zenzile Maseko (performed by Mthombeni), is a grandmother partially disabled and declared dead by the Home Affairs’ decrepit system. It is within the confines of this cramped room that Zenzile reckons with Nkulunkulu (God), recalling the unbelievable series of events that have unfolded across her lifetime. It is soon revealed that she operated as one of the IFP’s most feared assassins (nicknamed Impundulu/The Lightning Bird) in the build-up to the 1994 South African elections.
Since its premiere at the 2022 National Arts Festival, the production has toured throughout South Africa and Europe to sold-out houses and rave reviews.
