05 Aug 2009 “James Matthews is a living legend amongst an entire generation of South African artists, cultural activists and intellectuals.”    A fiercely independent thinker: a writer, poet, artist, publisher and ‘one of Africa’s most gifted and original cultural activists and intellectuals!’

‘Live rAGE’ is a co-production between Two Brothers’ Art, ARTAPART, Six-Nine, Tagores, The Cape Town Jazz Orchestra, The Living Heritage Museum, SAtorirech and Artscape in a tribute performance that celebrates the work of one of our elder poet-laureates. The concept involves the interpretation and performance of a selection of James Matthews’ poems with musical accompaniment and dance.
The performance will also serve as a platform to introduce the concept to prospective sponsors for a full-scale production that will tour to commercial theater venues and educational institutions in an effort to introduce this relevant body of work to a younger audience.

In addition, it is intended to film the entire rehearsal process and performance as a part of an ongoing documentary project.

INTRODUCTION

Born on the 24th of May 1929 in Bo-Kaap in Cape Town to working class parents, Mr Matthews has just celebrated his eightieth birthday.

He left school after completing standard seven to work and held various jobs including newspaper boy, office messenger, clerk and telephonist until eventually becoming a journalist.

Over the years he was a contributor to many national newspapers such as the Golden City Post, The Cape Times and Drum magazine.

His gift for creative writing and poetry to which he was inexorably drawn – even at great cost to himself – was first exposed to the public in 1946 at the age of seventeen.

His first published collection of poetry Cry Rage (co-authored with Gladys Thomas and published in 1972) became the first collection of poetry to be banned by the Apartheid regime.

Since then he has gone on to publish ‘Pass Me a Meatball, Jones’, ‘No Time for Dreams’, Poisoned Wells and Other Delights’, ‘Flames and Flowers’ and most recently ‘Age is a Beautiful Phase’.

James Matthews’ keen sense of purpose led him to establish the first black-owned art gallery in Cape Town and to set up his own publishing house, BLAC – an acronym for Black Literature, Arts & Culture.
The art gallery and publishing house - though financially unsuccessful - were significant symbolic blows against the enforced cultural desert of Apartheid. It provided the indispensable, albeit short-lived space for true artistic and literary expression which served as the launch-pad for the continuing development of South African writing.

In 2000 he established Realities, his new publishing house to continue his dream of creating a publishing vehicle for South African writers.

Live rAGE is a concept for a tribute performance that will premier on the 1st and 2nd of September 2009 at the Artscape Arena. The performance will celebrate and pay tribute to the work of one of this country’s most prolific poets and to honour his contribution to South African literature.

Five dynamic and versatile performers will interpret a selection of James Matthews’ poetry penned over the past four decades: from the original dissident verse to his tender love poems and reflections of the world and aging. Over the years James Matthews has remained a fiercely independent thinker and an exceptionally gifted poet whose commitment to political and social justice is only surpassed by his humility and independence.

There is also the option of having an exhibition of selected photographs by George Hallett and sketches by Peter Clark if suitable sponsorship is secured.

MOTIVATION

Far too often our society fails to acknowledge and honour the contribution made by artists to our cultural heritage and the evolution of our national identity. More often than not our tributes are posthumous and as a result suffer from a lack of integrity, authenticity and sincerity.

Over the years, James Matthews was elected patron of the Congress of South African Writers at its founding in 1987 and received the freedom of Lehrte and Nürnberg in Germany where he also read and lectured at several Universities, while in the USA the University of Iowa awarded him an Honorary Fellowship in Writing. More recently he was awarded the Order of Ikhamanga – Silver Award ‘for excellent contributions to literature and inspirational commitment in the struggle for a just and democratic South Africa’: and yet despite such heady accolades adorning the walls of his home and the halls of his memory, James Matthews remains humble and true to his roots as he lives alone in his modest home in Athlone – where in former years artists and activists would gather regularly, he is now surrounded by cherished photographs, treasured works of art and endless shelves of his beloved books – with his un-quenchable passion to write.

Even though James Matthews's poetry, short stories and novel were read across the world and he was recognized as a major writer and poet, years of enforced isolation cut him off from his readership.
Deprived of the commercial success that should have been his due, Matthews's life was one of financial hardship and poverty.

James Matthews continues to give readings at local high schools and conducts a regular workshop with shop stewards at the University of the Western Cape, in addition to writing and publishing.

SYNOPSIS

The story begins with the rhythmic scratching of a pencil on paper a light slowly fades up on a single performer sitting cross legged and writing in silence. A second light fades up slowly to reveal a single musician – creating the sound with a shaker.

The performer begins to recite the poem ‘It Is Said’ from the original ‘Cry Rage’ publication. After the first verse and refrain, the sound of the shaker is joined by the staccato rhythm of a typewriter and a light fades up on a second musician – who is creating the sound by tapping on his guitar.

A second performer enters and picks up the second verse and after the verse and refrain a third musician – joins the accompaniment on bass clarinet.

The first movement of the performance is comprised of poems from the collection ‘Cry Rage’ which was published in 1973. Throughout this first movement the performers will enter to climax at the end with the title poem.

Each different movement will be comprised of various segments in which poems with similar themes will be interpreted as an extended piece with edited refrains and links.

After the performers have exited at the end of the first movement, the musicians will accompany three dancers in a short transition which will also serve to introduce the second poetic movement which will be comprised of works from ‘Black Voices Shout’ and Pass Me a Meatball Jones. The musical accompaniment will vary from solo to duo and trio in a variety of instruments including piano, synthesizer, percussion, flute, Khoi bow, melodica, guitar, cello, bass clarinet and saxophone.

The performance of the text will also vary from solo interpretations to musical, call-and-response and harmonic improvisation.

The third movement will be comprised of a selection of work from ‘No Time for Dreams’ and ‘Exiles Within’ while the forth will focus on a selection of work from ‘Poisoned Wells and Other Delights’ and the fifth and sixth on selections from ‘Flames and Flowers’ and ‘Age is a Beautiful Phase’ respectively.

The concluding movement will be a collaborative creation that pays tribute to all the artists and intellectuals – past and present – who have impacted and continue to impact on our collective sense of identity.


PARTNERSHIPS

Live rAGE is developed by Two Brothers’ Art. Gary Wentworth is a visual artist; social commentator and activist; and an events organizer who has successfully run the Muizenberg Community Festival under the auspices of the Cape Town Festival for the past three years in his capacity as manager/director and co-owner of ARTAPART. His brother Michael is an accomplished poet, playwright and polemist whose most recent play premiered on the main program of the 2008 National Arts Festival and which was produced independently by his production company Six-Nine Productions.

Live rAGE is a co-production between the aforementioned and Tagore's, The Cape Town Jazz Orchestra, SAtoritech, the Living Heritage Museum and Artscape who has committed administrative, logistical and technical support in acknowledgment of the cultural and artistic merit of the concept.

FUNDING AND SPONSORSHIP

The cost of staging a tribute of this nature far exceeds the support of any one investor and as a result numerous Government Departments, corporates, businessmen, individuals, organizations and foreign embassies have been identified as potential financial backers and a process of engagement has been initiated. To date various prospective funders have expressed enthusiasm but have as yet not confirmed their financial support.

CONCLUSION

‘Live rAGE’ not only has the potential to serve as a fitting tribute to one of this country’s literary giants, but also can be developed into a touring production that will ensure the poems of James Matthews is introduced to a new, young audience in an altered context that embraces the power of performance poetry while simultaneously acknowledging the value of the written form.