Black Sash

This play celebrates the work of the Black Sash women's organization, an independent, non-governmental human rights organization that has worked tirelessly for justice and equality in South Africa for more than 55 years. The play begins with the terror of a night raid in a poor black South African home. The disparity between the races is made manifest in the following scene taking place in 1955, which depicts six upper-middle-class white women meeting for tea. Their discontent with the current government of South Africa leads to their momentous decision to protest. Their commitment to nonviolence as they work tirelessly to fight constitutional changes and forced relocations, and to pass new laws, is legendary. Their sacrifice and the grief and racial struggle of apartheid are explored through incidents based on the stories of the women of the Black Sash as well as the turmoil of the black South Africans. Traditional music weaves the episodic scenes of this piece together. Actors portray an amalgam of real and imagined characters. This historical drama will enlighten and empower audiences through the celebration of the organization's victories and, finally, in Nelson Mandela's release. Black Sash presents the powerful and poignant truth that ordinary people can make a difference in their society if they have faith, tenacity and passion. Since the end of apartheid in 1994, the Black Sash has focused on the promotion and protection of the hard-won freedoms, particularly in the areas of social and economic rights. Easily adjusted for competitions.