Kwa Ntliziyo Ndise (To place where I'm lead by my heart/ Take me to where my heart leads)

Image taken from: "Umhle Kangaka Khe Warhuba?" (2012)

From left: Kamogela Molobye, Mathabo Tlali, Fezokuhle Mthonti, Ondela Zweni and Noxolo Mafu

Photographer: Robynne Peatfield

Tumblr: the-sun-follower.tumblr.com

                  

This blog was originally started to promote a devised piece my good friend Fezokuhle Mthonti (Fez) and myself directed called "Umhle Kangaka Khe Warhuba (Your beauty is so apparent and rich its as though you have never undergone suffering of any kind)?", hence the url "Artistic Scores". "Umhle Kangaka Khe Warhuba?" is a rhetorical question highlighting the beauty in question. Fez and I had no idea what we wanted the blog to be called, through this theatrical exploration we wanted to explore the notion of hybridity, identity and the tensions which come with a number of languages and cultures having to negotiate their own space in an already tight area. Those were the nuances of the piece.
The phrase,"Umhle Kangaka Khe Warhuba?", the title of the play was taken from a powerful poem written by my good friend Ondela "Ondy" Zweni who wrote it for the play.

"Kwa Ntliziyo Ndise was a recommendation I made, not for any profound reason but it was a term which encompasses the fluidity of life, so even if we could not find a phrase which directly spoke to the title of the piece it at least spoke to the nature of the piece. Kwa ntliziyo ndise. We wanted the audience to travel guided by their hearts as they engaged with the themes transported through imagery, music, words, bodies and movement which we hoped would sink in their sub-conscious. We wanted them, without realising, to take an introspective and perhaps a retrospective journey through their lives.

The reigning theme throughout the process was "My pain is my crown", this I believe helps one realise that hardships are never in vain but are there to mold and refine you. I know how "preachy" this sound but I refuse to carry burdens and pain inflicted towards me by myself and others and not gain something worthwhile from that. If the natural environment is anything to go by, life itself is beautiful when things work in harmony, it is when we are out of tune that general negativity comes. From those experiences our duty is to gather what we have left and make our lives work in harmony again. It's so hard but we cannot avoid it nor can we call those experiences mistakes- we need them to grow. You are battered and bruised physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually and yet in this brokenness you need to put yourself together again. Humpty-Dumpty had the assistance of all the kings horses and all the king's men but in our reality, we need to sub-merge ourselves in the pain we are feeling and confront all the brokenness and misery. Phew! What a freaking task!

I have learnt that the journey that your heart leads you in comes with many unexpected glories, riches, laughter, joy, tears, heartache, confusion, disillusion, surprise and so much more! We need to take all of these experiences in, benefits and consequences, and with our characters know how to deal with what is dished at us. Kwa ntliziyo ndise. Every time I think about this term it calms my often anxious spirit, I am able to divorce myself from my own expectations. Some of our expectations are too low, unrealistic, pessimistic and just burdensome cause you simply can't carve out a path that ensures everything goes according to plan. Kwa ntliziyo ndise, where my heart (which belongs to God) leads me. It's reassuring and instills a sense of hope which flues my heart and mind with the vigor and "chutzpah" to run towards my vision. When I think about kwa ntliziyo ndise, I feel streams of peace flowing gently down my heart, I am at peace because the curves and bends of the journey do not phase me, I know kwa ntliziyo ndise is where I'm supposed to be :-)

I'm happy, not because the circumstances around me necessarily allow for me to be but because I know that I am where God wants me to be, guided by faith and not by sight.

Mathabo Tlali

Fezokuhle Mthonti 

Photographer: Robynne Peatfield (2013)

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Ondela Zweni 

(Image taken from: "Umhle Kangaka Khe Warhuba" (2012)

Photographer: Robynne Peatfield

Tumblr: the-sun-follower.tumblr.com

Image taken from "Umhle Kangaka Khe Warhuba" (2012)

From top: Sandisile Dlangalala, Tristan Jacobs, Mathabo Tlali, Zano Mthembu and Kamogelo Molobye

Photographer: Robynne Peatfield 

Tumblr: the-sun-follower.tumblr.com

                                  Image taken from "Umhle Kangaka Khe Warhuba" (2012)

                                        From back: Kamogelo Molobye and Tristan Jacobs

                                                     Photographer: Robynne Peatfield

                                                  Tumblr: the-sun-follower.tumblr.com

Image taken from "Umhle Kangaka Khe Warhuba" (2012)

Noxolo Mafu

Photographer: Robynne Peatfield

Tumblr: the-sun-follower.tumblr.com

Image taken from "Umhle Kangaka Khe Warhuba" (2012)

From left: Fezokuhle Mthonti, Ondela Zweni and Noxolo Mafu

Photographer: Robynne Peatfield

Tumblr: the-sun-follower.tumblr.com

Image taken from "Umhle Kangaka Khe Warhuba" (2012)

From left: Noxolo Mafu, Tim Abel, Ondela Zweni, Mathabo Tlali, Kamogelo Molobye, Michelle du Plessis and Fezokuhle Mthonti 

Photographer: Robynne Peatfield

Tumblr: the-sun-follower.tumblr.com

Image taken from "Umhle Kangaka Khe Warhuba" (2012)

From left: Mathabo Tlali and Zano Mthembu

Photographer: Robynne Peatfield

Tumblr: the-sun-follower.tumblr.com

Image taken from "Umhle Kangaka Khe Warhuba" (2012)

From left: Kamogelo Molobye and Michelle du Plessis (unfortunately I do not know the name of the little girl)

Photographer: Robynne Peatfield 

Tumblr: the-sun-follower.tumblr.com