Fresh from its run at the 2006 Grahamstown National Theatre Festival, the UCT Drama Department is proud to present An African Syzygy.

The play is written by postgraduate student Tichaona Chimoga, directed by fellow student Sanjin Muftic, and performed by senior performance students.

Together with lighting design by Daniel Galloway and costume design by Illka Louw, this is a new African play, combining elements of Greek tragedy and Shakespearean language, while dealing specifically with African issues.

It tells the story set in an African village where, on his death bed, old Boromiah clears his debt to his friend Faramiah by giving him his daughter Arawin. However, while studying at varsity, Arawin has fallen in love with Coel, another student, and has promised her heart to him. Arawin's mother is torn between forcing her daughter to follow the traditional wishes of her father or the desires of her heart. A talisman, a returning brother, and all the characters come together in this village where their desires lead them to desperate actions they might have normally never taken.

Arawin's story and her dilemma between her tradition and love are not far removed from that of many young adults in Africa today. It poses a question that is relevant to all young Africans: how much can we live with our traditions in the modern world? Is there a way to live combining the world of our past, and the world of the future? The play tackles the complex issues that inform this question, seeking to find a way to an African future.

An African Syzygy will be playing at the Arena Theatre, 37 Orange Street, from August 1 to 5 at 20h00.

For bookings and more info please call (021) 480 7129 or email bookings@hiddingh.uct.ac.za.