Homeless @ Home is a lyrical and sonic expression of love, longing, and uncertainty. It is an unsettling narrative told through poetry about a nation grappling with socio-economical politics of ownership, and a people’s volatile realities. It is a live poetry and music performance by one of South Africa’s well-known poets Mak Manaka collaborating with Malcolm Jiyane and the Alexander Choir.
The event is also a reflection of Manaka’s personal journey wrestling with his physical disability and trying to be at home with his own body. Homeless @ Home will unpack the different layers and facets to the meaning of ‘home’ and ‘homelessness’, asking “are we at home in our own skins, bodies, and languages”? If home is where one belongs, then what is home when living in a country that belongs to all, but not to itself? And address the uncomfortable issues around ownership of one’s own body, skin, and language as a major drive to being homeless at home.
Homeless @ Home aims to spark intergenerational conversations about; social cohesion, disability, depression, violence, unemployment, inequality and corruption. Overall, Manaka’s main objective is to inspire self-determination and encourage young people to remember the past, to look past the unjust violence but rather at a people’s relentless determination to achieving the impossible.
Mr Manaka and a sign-language interpreter will dance a poem together centre stage.
The event will be a free event at the door. To book your seat for the Free One Night Only event on the 20th October 2022 at Joburg Theatre’s Lesedi stage contact Hloni on 081 573 2582.
Says Manaka “Homeless at Home is an attempt to articulate what it means to be at home in your body, your skin, your language. If home is a place where one belongs, then are we at home with ourselves? Right now we have a management crisis, but the main crisis is how we relate to each other as Africans as humans, are we at home with ourselves as South Africans?
The One Night Only event will feature
Mak Manaka (lead vocal)
Malcolm Jiyane Tree-O (2 percussionist, bass, trombone, and piano)
Amakhono We Sintu Choir of 8 sin
The production is supported by The National Arts Council
For media interviews with the artists, directors & stakeholders please contact media@jtcomms.co.za or call 011 788 7632 or 083 954 6133
Issued by JT Communication Solutions on behalf of Mak Manaka Productions