Stemme | Voices | Amazwi is LitNet’s series of 15 short, powerful monologues, written by established and upcoming playwrights, presented in collaboration with Suidoosterfees, NATi and ATKV.
In Jane Mpholo’s Ha wa lebona, Lerato gives her former best friend, Palesa, a dressing down after malicious gossiping did the rounds. Tankiso Mamabolo performs the monologue, directed by Mahlatsi Mokgonyana. Watch the performance in Sesotho with English subtitles here:
In this video, Tankiso Mamabolo and director Mahlatsi Mokgonyana talk about Jane Mpholo’s monologue text.
The original monologue in SeSotho:
Ha wa lebona
Ache kannete o letheka le bonolo mmae. Helang se ka imakatsa, o tseba hantle ke bua ka eng. Feela he, ha re di tlohelle.
Butle … one o lebelletse ke lle? Ke hweletse ho fihlela lentswe le tjha? Ke balehele ntlwaneng ke ipolaye?
Kea kgolwa ho monate hoba wena. Wa tseba Sesotho se re “motho o leleme le monate le boreledi” feela la hao le bodile, le bodila.
Ekaka a ke bone hantle. Lekgale bo, mahlo aka a nthetsa. Wa thunya mofufutso tje ke eng? Dikeledi tse kanakana yaka noka ya phalla, molato?
A ko ipone o fedile ha ka kang. Wa tseba nna ntse ke nahana hore taba tsa batho di a nontsha. Se ke wa tlerola hakana le wena. Ako lle hantle o seke wa fetoha tshobotsi jwalo ka ha eka o ntho e fofang bosiu. Ipope mosadi.
“He he Lerato ona le bana ba babedi ka bo ntate ba fapaneng. He he Lerato o shapuwe ke bophelo nywenywenywe.”
Ebe dikatana tse tse dulang di o kgothalletsa bokgopo le bohata di a tseba hore wena o na le bana ba bakae? Kapa ha re ba bale ka ha o ba isitse boya batho esale dipeo?
Ee ska ntshwara! Ke tla o hlatswa molala o motala oo ekareng wa senqanqane ka mpama nna.
O motsho ke eng wena? Wa hopola o kile waba mosehlana? Ona le mathata nnake? Bophelo bo o bontsha malakabe na?
Ana o a bo tseba bohloko ba ho utlwa lefatshe le o fetohela ere ha o hlaha ka nqe o utlwe ditsheho le ditshele? Hodima moo o fetohelwe ke motho eo o neng o mo nkile jwalo ka ngwaneno? One o ikentse motswalle waka athe o batla feela ho nnyanya leleme o tsebe ho diya moya waka?
Ako njwetse mona … ha o qoqela lefatshe le’e kaofela ka mefokolo yaka, ana o ile wa ba hlalosetsa hore ngwana waka wa ofela ke wa ntatao wa mabeta?
Helang mannyeo ke eng eka o tla tloha o akgeha tje? One o lebelletse ke thole ho fihlella neng? Tjhe, tjhe butle. Ke kopa o mpolelle hore ke phoso ssska ho nahana se ka kellelong yaka. Bana ba hao … ke bolela dimpa tseo o dintshitseng? Ke tsa mang?
Feela o ile wa ntahla ka mora hore ke o jwetse maima aka. O ntshiile pelo e dutla madi ho sena mang kapa mang eo nka mo tshepang. O mpitsitse mabitso hona le hore o nkgolwe. O satane! O sirelletsa jwang monna ya pelo e kgopo? O itseng ho wena? Ana le wena o o tshepisitse lefu?
Eng? Ore o o tshepisitse lerato? Bathong, Palesa o ntse o reng? Ana o’a ikutlwa tje? Kannete ke yona tsela ya hore ngwana a thole lerato hotswa ho ntatae eo?
Ke hlotswe kannete. Ha ke tsebe hore ke o bitse semaumau kapa otseotse kapa lathalatha kapa …
Ke maswabi. Ke maswabi hore ebe o maemong a jwalo. Ke maswabi ka ho ntsha makunutu a hao. Ke maswabi hore o pelo e kgopo ka lebaka la monna ya kgohlahetseng hoo Satane a ikotlang sefuba ka yena.
Nnete ke hore ke kgathetse. Owelee ho lekane ha re sale bana jwale. Tswa bophelong baka o lo ipatlela ba hao. Tlohella ho nkahlola bosiu le motsheare. Ka tswetswe …
Ke kopa ha o tloha mona o tsamaye o lo itjheba seiponeng. Tshobotsi ya hao e fetohile ebile e nferola dibete. Ha o qeta moo o hlape, o nkga jwalo ka setopo.
An English translation of the monologue:
Ha wa lebona
You really have a flexible waist, hey. Don’t act so surprised. You know very well, what I’m talking about. But let’s leave it.
Wait, did you expect me to cry? To scream my lungs out until my voice was gone? Or to go hang myself in the toilet?
It must be nice, being you. There’s a Sotho saying that alludes to a person being a smooth talker, but you are vile and bitter.
Are my eyes deceiving me? No ways. I must be seeing things. So much perspiration? And those tears, flowing like a river? What’s wrong?
Just look how frail you are. I thought one could gain weight from meddling in other people’s business. Stop wailing. You have to cry gently; and don’t be so ugly, while at it. Looking like a creature that flies around in the dark. Compose yourself.
“Just look! Lerato has two children by different fathers. Just look! Life has taught her hard lessons. Blah, blah, blah!”
Do those useless friends who influence your malice and hypocrisy, know how many kids you have? Or do yours not count because they are all terminated pregnancies?
Hey, don’t touch me! I’ll slap you to the other side of the room.
Why do you seem to be losing your glow? Do you remember how light-skinned you used to be? What went wrong? Is life showing you flames, now?
Do you know the pain of having the world turn against you? Becoming a laughing stock and the subject of gossip? To top it off, being shunned by the one you considered your own sister? You pretended to be my friend, only to drain my spirit and put me down.
Tell me something, when you went around hanging my dirty laundry for the world to see, did you perhaps tell them that my last-born child was fathered by your rapist dad?
Hey, why do you look like you are about to faint? How long did you think I was going to remain quiet? No, wait! I hope what I’m thinking is wrong. All those babies that you aborted – who was the father?
You turned against me after I told you all my troubles. You left me heartbroken, with no one to rely on. You called me names instead of believing me. You are satanic. How could you defend such a heartless man? What did he say to you? Did he also threaten to kill you?
What? He promised you love? Palesa, are you even listening to yourself? Is that really how a father shows love to his child?
I give up. I don’t even know what kind of fool or idiot to call you.
I’m sorry. I’m sorry that you are in this situation. I’m sorry for dishing out your secrets. I’m sorry that you turned out so malicious because of a man whose level of cruelty could make the devil proud.
To be honest, I’m tired. I’ve had enough. We are no longer children. Go live your life and leave me to mine. Please, stop passing judgement on me every chance you get.
You should go take a good look in the mirror. Your appearance has become very dislikeable. Then take a bath afterwards. You have a stench of death.
Stemme | Voices | Amazwi is supported by the National Arts Council.
Stemme | Voices | Amazwi is a New Writing project of LitNet and is supported by the LW Hiemstra Trust.
All the monologues are available here:
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