{"product_id":"isidlamlilo-the-fire-eater-a-play","title":"Isidlamlilo \/ the Fire Eater","description":"\u003cp\u003eIsidlamlilo \/ The Fire Eater is a one-woman play inspired by the true story of a woman who served as a political assassin in the build-up to South Africa's first democratic elections. Zenzile Maseko, the protagonist, is a 60-year-old grandmother living in a women's hostel in Durban. Falsely declared dead by the Department of Home Affairs, she finds herself cast into a Kafkaesque nightmare that forces her to confront her past. \u003cbr\u003e Flown in on the wings of the Impundulu (the lightning bird), in Zulu folklore a shapeshifting bird associated with witchcraft and the harbinger of storms and death, Zenzile's story weaves a magical and terrifying tapestry. She draws on myth, religious symbolism and traditional beliefs as she shares the realities – at times brutal, at times forgiving – of survival in South Africa. Her story touches on what it means to live through political violence, the transition to democracy, the brutality of inequality, health epidemics like HIV\/AIDS, patriarchy, and the apathetic bureaucracy of government departments. \u003cbr\u003e Ultimately, Isidlamlilo \/ The Fire Eater offers a critical and unflinching look at the eddying cycles of violence and revenge that play out across generations. Yet it is most of all a story about regeneration and redemption that speaks to both the country's haunted past and its present-day complexities.\u003cbr\u003e Written with pathos and empathy, this playscript will appeal to teachers, high school learners, and tertiary students in theatre, drama and English studies.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wits University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54002566496600,"sku":null,"price":21.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0278\/1295\/4195\/files\/9781776148790_c536dd28-2c29-4f65-b7c8-6f21e71700fc.jpg?v=1777802465","url":"https:\/\/agendabookshop.com\/products\/isidlamlilo-the-fire-eater-a-play","provider":"Agenda Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}