Still basking in the success of its sold-out debut at the National Arts Festival, Frantz Fanon’s classical piece “The Drowning Eye” brings revolutionary love to the Market Theatre for a limited season.
Fanon, whose literary works have influenced liberation movements across the world, penned this masterpiece as a 24-year-old student, in Paris, over seventy years ago.
Directed by Tamara Guhrs, “The Drowning Eye” is part love poem, part surrealist narrative, part philosophical treatise and a powerful testimony to the power and possibilities of love as an act of resistance.
Elaborating on the play, Guhrs said: “The Drowning Eye is a love triangle, a play about two brothers who vie for the affection of the same woman. It is a deep study of love, of what it means to lose yourself, your whole identity when you fall in love.
“It's also about betrayal, and how to remain true to yourself and your beliefs. The text is incredibly beautiful - flights of poetry and lyrical language, but still rooted in human psychology, and an absorbing story with strong characters.
She continued: “While Fanon's play is a classic in some respect, it's also somewhat revelatory.
“This staging comes at a time when Fanon’s writing has achieved a new relevance for a generation of young South Africans questioning identity, what was achieved by the South African liberation struggle and the limits and possibilities of revolution today.”
According to Guhrs, for audiences that are unfamiliar with Fanon’s work, this play will serve as a potent introduction to the life and work of one of the most important anti-colonial thinkers.
“For Fanon fans, the play presents an opportunity to engage the complex interplay between poetry, psychology, philosophy, and political theory that came to define his oeuvre.
“Frantz Fanon wrote ‘The Drowning Eye’ in 1949 when he was a medical student in France before he became the influential revolutionary and anti-colonial thinker that he is known as today.
“The play was not that well received when it was performed back then. I think that, like much of his work, it was ahead of its time.
“For serious scholars of Fanon or those that have just begun to encounter and read his work, this production will be a treasure trove of references, hints of biographical detail, and a fascinating glimpse into his early thinking.
“He is grappling with existentialism, what it means to live, to take action, to make a difference in a sometimes meaningless world. Fanon experienced the horrors of World War II, which affected him deeply. What's also evident in the text is the influence of the great Aime Cesaire, poet of Martinique and Fanon's teacher.”
“The Drowning Eye” is performed as part of an exhibition “Revolutionary Love”, which seeks to explore the role of historical loves within revolutionary movements.
“Fanon left such an incredible legacy in his short life, he died at age 36. His books blazed a trail for anti-colonial movements, and he had a powerful impact on psychiatry.
“Less well known is the role that his wife Josie played, both as an activist and journalist in her own right and in typing and editing his manuscripts.
“How much do we know about women in liberation struggles? About lovers, and powerful partnerships? The exhibition gives context to the play in terms of Fanon and Josie's broader legacy but also sparks conversation about the play's relevance now.”
The production explores themes of love, identity and violence.
“Fanon is widely known for advocating violence in overthrowing the colonial system, so this idea of foregrounding love as part of revolutionary thinking feels important right now, at a time when we are introspecting about the kind of future that lies ahead for young people.
“Can we imagine love as a form of resistance, a force for change? What has love to do with revolution, or for that matter, revolution with love? Is love, as in romantic love, always in relation to the second person, or can it be for the third person, as in love for the people?
“Do we talk openly enough about intimate partner violence, and the emotional and mental health issues behind this other pandemic? What about self-love? So many questions.”
On why she thinks South Africans would enjoy this show, Guhrs said: “This play really draws you in and transports you to somewhere else.
“I think it gives us humour and those completely relatable moments of intimacy and awkwardness in relationships, but it also pushes the brink of emotional extremes; depression, self-loathing, jealousy, erotic bliss.
“Poetry, strong performances, the visual spectacle is something quite unusual. We have our own revolutionary lovers, Robert and Zondeni Sobukwe, Winnie Madikizela and Nelson Mandela.
“The play is for lovers, it's for poets and scholars. It's for revolutionaries, it's for anyone who is thinking deeply about what it means to live, love and hold onto a sense of meaning and purpose.”
The Drowning Eye features performances by the Market Theatre Foundation’s youth theatre company, KwaSha!
“What's exciting to me is that this young script by the 24-year-old Fanon is being brought to life by the KwaSha actors, of a similar age, and in many ways grappling with similar themes and ideas.”
“The Drowning Eye” will run at the Market Theatre from Thursday, October 6 until Sunday, October 23.
Tickets are available from R70 at Webtickets.