The Zulu @ Assembly Hall

Mbongeni Ngema challenges his audience’s ears in The Zulu: an oral history of the Zulu kingdom and its political turmoils, culminating in the battle of Isandlwana. A flurry of names and places makes it difficult to pay attention to the first half of the performance. Thankfully, the high point of the story, when a gigantic Zulu army crushes British colonial forces, makes up for the rather drawn out beginning.

Ngema is at his best when he invokes his great grandmother Mkutshana, who taught him his tales when he was a small boy. When he talks about her, he slightly hunches over, clasps his hands behind his back and shuffles across the stage like an old weary lady instead of a corpulent middle aged man. Other welcome performative interludes between the narrations are provided by Ngema’s companion and his guitar, and the two quickly switch between singing and storytelling, acting out battle sequences and recreating campfire lit scenes.

The more theatrical bits add interest to the piece and broaden its appeal to those without a prior interest in Zulu storytelling. To the unititiated, the piece still seems somewhat lengthy, but maybe that is in fact appropriate to a performance that draws on an age-old tradition that doesn’t need too much sexing up.