Boronga Kazi (Doing the Job Badly)

Date of Award

2-1979

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts

Department

Theatre

First Advisor

Craig Eisendrath

Abstract

The play is set in the waiting room of the Greyhound Bus Terminal in Washington, D.C. on a stifling day in August. Necessary to the set are a row of ticket booths, only one of which is open no matter how crowded the bus station; an information counter contiguous to the ticket booths and connected to them through a common back room; a loud speaker; several units of waiting room chairs; perhaps a signboard posting arrivals and departures; and doors --doors to the loading bays, doors to the restrooms, doors to the street, and doors to the Burger King the terminal restaurant. There are lots of doors to everywhere.

Bubu Mabozi 's personal effects are piled in one section of the waiting room . The pile is considerable. Just as the bus station represents America, Bubu 's belongings represent all Africa. Africa is a large continent and there is an overwhelming array of cooking pots, coils of rope, tents, water tanks, fire sticks, drums, masks, walking sticks, tarpaulins, blankets, machetes, straw suitcases, baskets, packs, and other native paraphernalia. This is Bubu 's beachhead in Washington, and, to extend the metaphor, Africa' s beachhead in North America. Throughout the play Bubu occupies much of his time setting up a safari camp, arranging the articles into a familiar pattern to protect himself from an alien environment. The safari camp protects in t he deepest jungle or bush; it will protect in the equally intimidating environment of modern America.

The Time: The play takes place in the present, on a hot August day.

The Action: The action is continuous . An intermission is indicated in the script if needed.

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