Amajuba - Like Doves We Rise

With stories based upon the lives of the cast, Amajuba is a stunning work of the amazing endurance of the human spirit. A testament to the inner strength and resolve that lies within.


A lifetime away from modern conveniences such as running water, food and knowing that tomorrow will come, Amajuba looks at the harsh conditions of South African life during the Apartheid regime.

Through the eyes of six deeply personal and very different journeys, there is one constant: adversity is not for the faint of heart. Connection with the audience is instant and familiar as the characters are engaging and warm. The stark stage area fills easily with the presence of the ensemble cast.

Jumping in and out of various characters from their lives, they regale with the remarkable journeys from their turbulent pasts. Energetic and emotionally explosive, passion is clearly evident as the dripping beads of sweat leaving the stage a slight water hazard area.

Dancing and footwork is fast, fleeting and freeing. Voices are solid and project a strange combination of being intimate while loud enough for those in the back to pick up every syllable. Songs are nothing short of serene with a vocal soundtrack that perfectly underscores each movement in their punctuation. Joys of laughter, playing to keep away the thoughts of hunger and school yard roughery, to the lows of senseless violence and marginalisation keeps the production down to the gritty, barren earth. A fluid balance between the emotional states is ever present on the precarious nature of human frailty.

Lighting superbly captures the essence of each storyteller and the focus on their tales. Shadows on the backdrop echo an intense imagery to the foreground play. Silhouettes of more than a few scenes transport the stage into a deeper plane than the actual physical can ever hope to achieve. Personal triumphs prevail all through the night and through the many tragedies that define a life.

The final cast piece serves as a riveting, heartening reminder that while survival of the fittest may be cruel, those that break through know how rich their lives can be for it. The tales of Amajuba prove that, that which does not kill you, can make you stronger. But only if the soul sees the struggle and oppression as a challenge to the human spirit; to shine and rise above it all.

Unbelievably uplifting and damningly enjoyable, Amajuba is a beautiful experience.


Amajuba - Like Doves We Rise is playing at Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney, until 27 November, 2005.

Soon Van

Published October 2005 at The Program - NSW Stage reviews

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