Blantyre-based Youth Developers Collaboration (YDC) Theatre Group from Blantyre brought The Journey at Lampeduza, a stage production to Lilongwe on Sunday at Kweza Afrika Hub.
The play, which drew a youthful audience, delivered a strong message on migration, resilience and human dignity.
Inspired by the 2013 Lampedusa tragedy in Italy, the play follows a group of African migrants crossing the Mediterranean in search of a better life.
Set against the backdrop of the Italian island known as a major entry point for migrants into Europe, the story sheds light on the harsh realities of migration from strict immigration laws to human rights violations and life-threatening conditions at sea.
Amid calm waters and crowded shores, the characters embark on their journey in search of peace, love, career opportunities and safety. Along the way, they are confronted by moral dilemmas, dwindling resources and the question of who gets to travel freely and who is forced to flee.
The production fuses storytelling, commentary and raw performances to challenge prevailing narratives around migration and highlight the human cost of displacement.
According to director of YDC theatre Fumbani Phiri, the group first staged the play in 2021 and it has since attracted a wide attention after its debut online.
“We performed the play online during the Covid-19 pandemic as we were supposed to go to France but couldn’t. We got an award after that and have toured different places to perform the play,” he said.
Phiri said the play focuses on the main factors pushing young Africans to look for greener pastures elsewhere.
“This is why we want to perform it across theSouthern African Development Community [Sadc] region.
“We have many people who, in their quest to look for greener pastures, end up being subjected to unimaginable hardships. This play is a reminder that sometimes home is the best place,” he said
The group is set to take the play at various places in Blantyre for fundraising as they prepare to stage it at Mitambo International Theatre Festival in Harare, Zimbabwe.
The play is also expected to go to Broadway International Theatre Festival in Ghana before Zambia and Nigeria.
Acknowledging that there has been a decline in terms of audiences for theatre, they have integrated the use of digital platforms for performances.
“We should accept that things have changed and if our audience is migrating to digital platforms, we should also find a way to incorporate our performances in the digital space,” he said.
One of the attendees, Phil Kuipa Phiri, commended the production’s quality, saying it was a strong performance and that the attention to detail brought the story to life.
“The cast delivered with energy and professionalism. One could tell this wasn’t just a play, it was a well-thought-out and powerful production,” he said.
Since 2021, it has also been staged at the Tumaini Festival, Zimbabwe in 2022 and Germany in various cities.
For Kweza Art Hub, which hosted the performance, the play marked its first theatre production at one of their frequent events known as Busk which takes place on Sundays.
