Consent in the Spotlight: Umbhobho

By Sihle Bikitsha 

Umbhobho- The Red Pipe is an Empatheatre production, loosely translating to a performance that aspires to awaken empathy and understanding from its audience. Written and directed by Siphosethu Mankai, a Rhodes University Master's candidate, the performance tells the story of Tshepiso, a fifteen-year-old girl played by Mbali Mkhabela, who gets approached by her teacher, Mr. Ntleki, played by Asamela Chauke, who ends up sexually assaulting Tshepiso, leaving her traumatised.

The performance embodies one of the sad realities of South Africa, where teachers abuse their power against their learners, which some South Africans find justifiable. This production aims to create a safe space for open, honest conversations, allowing healing and promoting change. It shamelessly and bravely wants people to acknowledge that there's a need to confront and educate people about these complex topics, like statutory rape and the trauma that follows, and the broken systems that enable them. This includes tackling the disturbing reality of teachers exploiting their positions of power and trust to engage in inappropriate relationships with their learners. Umbhobho- The Red Pipe uses theatrical elements like body movement, songs, dialogue, and symbolic props to discuss consent boldly, confront stereotypes, and have necessary conversations in communities.

Image from National Arts Festival website

In the Oxford English Dictionary, consent is defined as "permission for something to happen or agreement to do something". One of the common examples of consent is when a person asks another person, “Can I borrow your phone?” and the other person replies, “Yes, you may”. This is a clear verbal consent. On the other hand, if the person just takes the phone without asking, or the person being asked feels pressured to say yes, then consent has not been truly given. This example shows that while the idea of consent may seem straightforward, its interpretation and practice can differ depending on cultural norms, power dynamics and individual understanding. In South Africa, amongst the youth and elders, many people lack a clear understanding of the meaning of consent, what it truly involves, what constitutes valid consent, and what conditions it can or cannot be given in. This lack of comprehension involves not only the legal definition but also the emotional, psychological and social dimensions of consent, which are heavily influenced by gender, age, sexual identity and cultural background.

One of the main themes of Umbhobho-The Red Pipe is consent and grooming. In the performance, after Mr Ntleki has approached young Tshepiso, he begins to groom her by taking her out to fancy restaurants and giving gifts, which shape Tshepiso's view on love and relationships. Mr. Ntleki mentions sex quite a few times, leaving Tshepiso feeling uncomfortable and making excuses to avoid having sex with him. He understands until he does not anymore and sexually assaults her. When Tshepiso was sexually assaulted, she physically resisted as she struggled to verbalise, saying “No”. Tshepiso initially thought that what happened between her and Mr. Ntleki was right and that is how relationships should be, but she was shocked to learn from her big sister that she was actually raped. This is a common experience that victims are groomed into normalising.

Actors on stage performing in the play

 To showcase the sexual assault scene, the performers use repetitive body movements like falling down, being caught and being tossed around by Mr Ntleki with his red pipe as it symbolises his penis. Mr. Ntleki continues to use the red pipe to touch and command Tshepiso, showcasing the power dynamics. At the same time, Tshepiso flinches every time the red pipe touches her arm, skirt or face with fear and discomfort on her entire body, as she is also being threatened that no one is going to believe her over a teacher. The scene silences the audience, with everyone having their thoughts, and no one pays attention to anyone but the performers. This allows every audience member to reflect and try to put themselves in the shoes of every victim. This traumatic experience stays with Tshepiso emotionally, psychologically and affects her academic and social behaviour at school.

The performance uses a combination of songs performed, adding depth to the performance and evoking specific emotions such as sadness and fear. Each song aims to showcase something. At the beginning of the performance, Tshepiso and her friend sing Truth or Dare, introducing the story. After Tshepiso is sexually assaulted, they sing "Bhuti ndiyeke mani uzoyihlamba le penti mani", loosely expressing that "Brother leave me alone, are you going to wash my panties" and before she tells her big sister Liyema about Mr. Ntleki assaulting her, she sings a song "Oh Sisi, I'm sorry, forgive me for what I have done". These songs contribute a lot of emotions and realism and make the scenes quite intense. The dialogue between the performances is a mirror of society.

In the performance, Tshepiso's fellow classmates find out about her and Mr. Ntleki, and they start to blame her for what happened to her, saying she threw herself at him, and she deserves it, and that is precisely what society does, they victim-blame. They question what she was doing with an old man? Her friends commented that today's kids love money. What was she wearing? And so many questions. Instead of asking why an old man would approach a child? This performance is very crucial considering the state of GBV in South Africa and the need to educate the young and old. This performance is not just art but a tool for education and creating dialogue.