Truth in Translation
Encyclopedia
Truth in Translation is a stage play conceived and directed by Michael Lessac
, with music by Hugh Masekela
. It tells the story of the interpreters at South Africa
's Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
The play was written in a collaboration between the interpreters who worked at the TRC, writer Paavo Tom Tammi and the company of South African actors. It premiered in Rwanda
, has toured South Africa
and is touring to international conflict zones such as Northern Ireland
, Sierra Leone
, the Balkans, Jerusalem/Ramallah
, Sri Lanka
, Peru
, and Indonesia
/Timor
to tell the story of the South African experience. The project includes workshops with audiences, exhibitions (The Forgiveness Project and Jillian Edelstein's Truth and Lies) and filming of the interaction between audiences and the company, and attempts to provoke a global dialogue around notions of healing and reconciliation.
Michael Lessac
Michael Lessac is a theatre, television, and film director and screenwriter. Lessac is also the Artistic Director of Colonnades Theatre Lab, Inc and of Colonnades Theatre Lab, South Africa. He is the Project Creator & Director of the international theatre piece, Truth in Translation.-Career:Lessac...
, with music by Hugh Masekela
Hugh Masekela
Hugh Ramopolo Masekela is a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, and singer.-Early life:Masekela was born in Kwa-Guqa Township, Witbank, South Africa. He began singing and playing piano as a child...
. It tells the story of the interpreters at South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
's Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
The play was written in a collaboration between the interpreters who worked at the TRC, writer Paavo Tom Tammi and the company of South African actors. It premiered in Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, has toured South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and is touring to international conflict zones such as Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
, the Balkans, Jerusalem/Ramallah
Ramallah
Ramallah is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank located 10 kilometers north of Jerusalem, adjacent to al-Bireh. It currently serves as the de facto administrative capital of the Palestinian National Authority...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, and Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
/Timor
Timor
Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, north of the Timor Sea. It is divided between the independent state of East Timor, and West Timor, belonging to the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara. The island's surface is 30,777 square kilometres...
to tell the story of the South African experience. The project includes workshops with audiences, exhibitions (The Forgiveness Project and Jillian Edelstein's Truth and Lies) and filming of the interaction between audiences and the company, and attempts to provoke a global dialogue around notions of healing and reconciliation.
External links
- Truth in Translation
- Time magazine review of Truth in Translation
- Litnet review of "Truth in Translation"
- theforgivenessproject.com
- The commission's home page
- The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission Videotape Collection at Yale Law School
- Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report (PDF)