Eliot Moleba is a story

 

From left to right: Nena, Antonio, Sondos and Eliot (me)
From left to right: Nena, Antonio, Sondos and Eliot (me). What a lovely group of people I have met in the past few days since my arrival at the D&F Academy.

Who am I?

Eliot Moleba is a story. His story is of a playwright, theatre-maker and director based in Johannesburg, South Africa. He is very passionate about storytelling and believes that we, as human beings, are made up of no more than a collection of stories. As such, these stories continuously shape and influence who he was, is and will be. Given this immense power of storytelling with the potential to change or transform us, Moleba uses it as a device to identify, highlight and advocate for social transformation and change issues in South Africa. He believes that it is through our stories that we remind ourselves and each other what it means to experience, share and embrace our common humanity.

Why am I here?

In partnership with Drama For Life and Education Africa, Eliot Moleba has founded The Marikana Scholarship Fund to aid the displaced and stranded children of the miners who were tragically killed in the confrontation with police at the Marikana mine in South Africa. The labour unrest across the country, especially the Marikana tragedy, has left many families without breadwinners. This initiative is founded on the belief that unless something is done to help secure the future of the affected children, the perpetual cycle of illiteracy and unemployment will continue to rise and remain an epidemic for the next generation, and that education is the key to breaking the cycle.
The Fund will be collecting donations both locally and internationally to support the education of the children of those who died in the Marikana tragedy, with the hope of raising enough funds to cater for primary, secondary and tertiary education. The project will also partner with local and international universities and schools.

Eliot Moleba has also created a theatre production, The Man In The Green Jacket, which is, in part, a response to the Marikana massacre. The theatre production openly dramatizes the question of how such a tragic event will affect the immediate (and extended) family members of the late miners. It will tour locally and internationally to raise both awareness about the tragedy and funds for the communities directly affected by the aftermath.

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