Episodes

  • Zulu Shakespeares - Part Two
    Feb 22 2025

    Picking up where we left off at the end of Part One, this episode explores recent and ongoing creative practice involving translations of Shakespeare's plays and poems into isiZulu. Listen to extracts of performances by Anelisa Phewa, Michael Mazibuko and other translators and theatre makers. Along the way there is music, politics, history and more!

    Image: Anelisa Phewa as Sir Thomas More in SPEAK ME A SPEECH (dir. Victor van Aswegen)

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    30 mins
  • Zulu Shakespeares - Part One
    Jan 24 2025

    We're back ... welcome to Season 2 of Shake the Sword! This new season kicks off with a pair of episodes on Shakespeare translations into isiZulu, the most widely-spoken home language in South Africa. In part one, we find out more about K.E. Masinga's Zulu translations, produced as radio plays in the "Sophiatown era" of the 1950s. Then we turn our attention to Welcome Msomi's uMabatha, the famous "Zulu Macbeth". The episode finishes with recent interpretations of speeches from uMabatha - looking ahead to part 2, which will focus on contemporary translations and performances in isiZulu.

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    27 mins
  • Nigerian Shakespeares: Travelling tales
    Feb 28 2022

    Part two of our mini-series exploring Shakespeare in/and/from Nigeria. Director of the Tsikinya-Chaka Centre, Chris Thurman, introduces the TCC's partnership with the Drama Factory in Somerset West. Then we learn more about Shakespeare. Nigeria and "travelling tales" thanks to the expertise of Ifeoluwa Aboluwade, Lekan Balogun, Odirin Abonyi and Bernard Ogini. And of course there is more Fela Kuti!

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    22 mins
  • Nigerian Shakespeares: Naija, English, Yoruba and more
    Feb 28 2022

    Part one of another double-header, this time exploring Shakespeare in/and/from Nigeria. Director of the Tsikinya-Chaka Centre, Chris Thurman, talks to scholars, playwrights and translators who share insights into Nigeria's language landscape and Shakespeare's place within it: Ifeoluwa Aboluwade, Lekan Balogun, Odirin Abonyi and Bernard Ogini. Along the way, listen out for the musical genius of Fela Kuti!

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    23 mins
  • Kiswahili Shakespeares - Part Two
    Oct 8 2021

    In our first two episodes, we learn about translations of Shakespeare's plays into Kiswahili - a language spoken by more than 100 million people across eastern, central and southern Africa. Part two explores this topic beyond the prominent figure of Julius Nyerere: we discuss the work of his contemporaries and those who came after him, and the relationship between Shakespeare and Kiswahili today. Director of the Tsikinya-Chaka Centre, Chris Thurman, introduces two experts on the subject: Kimani Njogu and Serena Talento. You'll also hear snippets from Kenyan theatre company Bitter Pill and from musical sensation Sho Madjozi!

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    28 mins
  • Kiswahili Shakespeares - Part One
    Oct 1 2021

    In our first two episodes, we learn about translations of Shakespeare's plays into Kiswahili - a language spoken by more than 100 million people across eastern, central and southern Africa. Part one focuses on the background to the translations undertaken by Julius Nyerere: liberation hero, political philosopher and the first president of independent Tanzania. Director of the Tsikinya-Chaka Centre, Chris Thurman, introduces two experts on the subject: Kimani Njogu and Serena Talento. You'll also hear snippets from Kenyan theatre company Bitter Pill and from musical sensation Sho Madjozi!

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    29 mins