22 March 2023
In celebration of Human Rights Day, on 21 March, Hilton College hosted Makhubalo “Cuba” Ikaneng’s latest work, “Where do Rainbows Hide?”
A one-man play, in Ikaneng’s own words, “It explores the chaos we create in our lives and our attempts to conceal it from the world.
“Through unwavering courage and a fight for joy amidst tears and feelings of inadequacy, the protagonist seeks redemption and a way to make amends with humanity.
“The play encourages audiences to be honest with themselves, confront the truth, and find the strength to transform themselves.”
It further challenges the audience to become participants in the battle for human rights, rather than be bystanders.
Ikaneng, who has also worked on scripts for television, theatre and films, explained his simple philosophy to Estelle Sinkins, in an interview with Village Talk in 2022: “The biggest responsibility of a storyteller is not to tell people stories, it is to help them tell their stories.”
Makhubalo, the Storyteller
Hailing from Howick, Ikaneng is known to Midlands’ residents as “Makhubalo, The Storyteller”.
Last year, he received the literature champion award at the Time of the Writers Festival, which was hosted by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The award is presented to a person or organisation that promotes a culture of reading among young people, helping even the poorest of communities to have access to books.
Makhubalo has been working with young writers for a number of years through the Young Authors Book Initiative. It accepts 20 learners from schools in the uMngeni municipal area each year and, with the help of authors, teachers them to write.
Those learners then write short stories which are compiled into a book. Over the course of four years, three books have been published.
Leave a Reply