An award winning African play will have it’s Bermuda debut tonight at City Hall.

The play “Sizwe Bansi Is Dead” written by Athol Furgard in collaboration with two African actors, John Kani and Winston Ntshona, is being presented by the Community of Africans in Bermuda and the University of Missouri, St. Louis under the patronage of Dr. Femi Bada.

The play is based in South Africa’s apartheid regime in the 1970s where segregation occurred socially, economically, politically, and culturally. Black people were required to carry identification on them at all times which stipulated where they could live, work and move to. Without the right documentation black people were powerless to control their destiny.

The author, Mr. Furgard, used his background as a law clerk as background for the play. Director Niyi Coker said though the play is about South Africa’s apartheid regime it resonates in today’s society as well.

“Recently in America we have had debates regarding illegal immigrants and people without the right documentation, a social insurance number,” he said. “The themes are universal, laws that try and restrict people’s lives within a country. It’s about how we decide who is an ‘illegal immigrant’ and what people will do to overcome obstacles.”

Actor Matthew Amend said the play is about how his character struggles to provide for his family within the confines of apartheid laws and after loosing all hope must make a choice to remain the man he has always been or continue his life as another man.

The play was first shown in 1972, in Cape Town, South Africa and made its UK debut a year later, where it won The London Theatre Critics award for the best play of 1974.

Here in Bermuda it is being produced by Ayo Johnson and Rotimi Martins and will be shown at City Hall.

It runs tonight until Saturday and tickets can be purchased through Bermuda Box Office, Rock Island Coffee, Bermuda Bookstore, Music Box or Caesar’s Pharmacy for $25. They will also be available at the door for $30.