Unshackling Ntuli—the short dramatic art of DBZ Ntuli

Ntuli's plays are studied according to a number of principles in order to ascertain the nature of his dramatic ability and ultimately to answer the question whether his dramatic ability could secure for him a place among the ranks of great writers. After studying his one-act plays according to principles such as type of play, theme, values, characters, dramatic techniques and setting, the writer comes to the conclusion that Ntuli is the most able one-act dramatist Zulu has produced. But because of the way in which the literary system works he will not be recognised as a great global writer.

DBZ Ntuli, born in 1940, has been writing dramatic works since 1971. Although there is a general belief that he is one of the great Zulu writers at present, not a single study on his plays exists to verify the claim of his dramatic skills. The dearth of analytical work on Ntuli's dramatic work is not the only reason for attempting to study the dramatic work of this writer. When selecting suitable texts to prescribe for students, I have found that I have intuitively regarded Ntuli's one-act plays as the best dramatic texts in Zulu. It is time to dispense with intuition and to base selection strategies on more solid principles. Another objective of this study, or, shall I say, a temptation, is to judge Ntuli according to his own pronouncements on the nature and value of writing in the African languages. For this purpose Ntuli's paper 'Writers in shackles?' (in Malan, 1987) will be used as unshackling device.

One-act plays have the longest history in Zulu literature. Gerard (1971:193) notes with a measure of surprise that the short dramatic works of pupils of the Catholic Mission at Mariannhill were the earliest works to reach print. One of these texts, Ungabi Nolunya 'Don't be cruel' (written by three teachers but published by Fr Bernard Huss in 1921), shows how a mother turns a stranger away only to find out later that the stranger offered kind assistance to her son. One of Ntuli's plays Ngicela Uxolo 'Please forgive', has a similar message: do not turn a stranger away. (In this case the stranger is the main character's father.) In 1941 two plays appeared that are referred to as one-act plays in the texts themselves, but these two plays are actually quite long; I am referring to Ndebele's UGubudele Namazimuzimu 'Gubudele and the cannibals' and Steyn's UMvulane 'Mvulane'. The next publication of one-act plays was the volume Imidlalo Enkundlanye (1968, A.T Mayekiso). A proliferation of one-act plays took place shortly after 1985 when Ntuli's first plays appeared in Amavenge.

The two longer published radio serials, namely Indandatho Yesethembiso (1971) and Ithemba (1974) will not be included in this study; attention will be directed only to Ntuli's other dramatic works, namely his one-act plays. Ntuli's one-act plays were written between 1985 and 1992. Historically, Ntuli could be placed within the post-pioneer or Apartheid period, that is, between 1948 and 1994. More precisely, to appropriate Gordimer's use of Gramsci's term (in Malan op. cit.:209), Ntuli was writing in the interregnum. Ntuli was indeed writing between the late 80s and early 90s when the old was dying but when the new had not yet emerged. In this time writers and literary critics, especially those writing in English or Afrikaans, were clambering for the correct political stance and, in the process, were criticising those who were reluctant to position themselves, preferably it had to be an activist position. African language writers were of course the receivers of the criticism, and perhaps rightly so. Ntuli quotes critics who saw literature in the African languages as childish stuff, writing that did not deserve to be called literature, and writing that was too submissive (see Ntuli in Malan op. cit.: 127 and 136). Ntuli dismisses these claims by mentioning certain texts that reacted to oppressive and hegemonic politics in exactly the same allegorical way as some of the great literary texts of the world, such as George Orwell's Animal Farm. However, it is true that much of the writing in the African languages was preoccupied with topics that, at the surface at least, were far removed from political realities. How does Ntuli compare with writing that seemed to be characterised by internal moral and cultural issues? An attempt will be made to answer the question by comparing Ntuli's one-act plays with one-act plays written in the same literary period; these 43 other plays will be referred to as the control group.

It is interesting to note at the outset that most of Ntuli's 18 plays are, in fact, what one could call moral plays, namely seven out of the total. In fact, proportionally, he wrote more moral plays (38,8%) up to 1992 than the writers of the control group (37.2%). For purposes of this study the moral play is seen as one in which a transgression or weakness is exposed or punished. Issues that are exposed or punished in Ntuli's plays are: buying leaked exam papers (Umtitilizo -- 'Bargain'); tricking people out of their money (Umshumayeli -- 'The preacher'); disrespect of a son toward his father (Ngicela Uxolo -- 'Please forgive'); the inability of a minister of religion to do a good deed (UmSamariya Olungileyo -- 'Good Samaritan'); stealing a coffin from a grave (Lala Ngokuthula -- 'Rest in peace'); murder (Isipho SikaKhisimuzi --'Christmas gift'); and lastly, bribery (Indlala -- 'Famine'). The best of these are, in my view, Umtitilizo and Isipho SikaKhisimuzi. In the former Ntuli presents the insight that giving in to the temptation of buying leaked exam papers leads to disaster, even when this wrong course of action presents itself as the best option. In Isipho SikaKhisimuzi the listener/reader gradually realises that neither Xulu's chronic illness nor the hope that his son will marry soon is the real Christmas gift, but the snakes he receives in two different parcels. These 'gifts' plague the old man so much that he reveals the reason for receiving them. He stopped sending his regular bribe to the person who was an eye-witness to the murder. Through this moral play Ntuli is warning offenders, but also consoling his listeners, that no matter how long a bad deed such as this may be concealed, it will eventually be revealed.

Some of Ntuli's most interesting and sensitive plays fall into what can be called culture plays, namely plays in which a specific aspect of African culture is evaluated. Compared to the 43 other one-act plays, Ntuli wrote proportionally less culture plays, namely 22.2% as opposed to 25,5%. Ntuli's first and last culture plays are undoubtedly the best, and are also some of the very best of his plays. Kuhle Kwethu, a radio play, was adapted for television by Sokesimbone Kubheka and the adapted version is a hilarious comedy. The television version, which goes under the title Kwakuhle Kwethu 'What a happy occasion' (an expression used at weddings), will be commented on briefly. This expanded version far exceeds the value of the radio version. Now, imagine you are seeing on your television screen the interior of a lowly rural kitchen in which a mother and daughter are doing the dishes, and in bursts a women announcing that she is the expected bride. As she greets her future mother-in-law she grabs her and kisses her! This is only the beginning of the city woman's shock treatment for her future rural relatives. MaSibiya, the mother-in-law, is shocked and appalled at the bride her son Dabula has chosen. She is devoid of any deferent behaviour expected of her; she shows no bashfulness; she peers into MaSibiya's cooking pots; she transforms Thembi, her future sister-in-law's appearance with her expensive clothes and make-up; refuses the food prepared for them; and she declines to help with the household chores. In desperation MaSibiya wants to know whether this Nomnkantshubomvu 'old bag', who is much older than Dabula, is the only woman Dabula can find (p. 125). Ironically, it is Makhoba, Dabula's father, who, strangely enough, finds no fault with Lizzy, and who warns his son with these words:

UMakhoba: Kodwa ubokhumbula ukuthi babhekile abaphansi. Uma bengagculiswa oyihlomkhulu, oNdendazebululu, kuyoshabalala nje usale uyinsizwa yakwaMakhoba, nezinkomo lezi zilinde.

'Makhoba: But you must remember that the ancestors are watching. If the fathers, the Ndendazebululu, are not satisfied, it will vanish and you will remain the unmarried man of Makhoba's place, and these cattle will wait.'

The play confirms this serious cultural message in the end when Dabula's letter reveals that Lizzy has eloped with a rich businessman. Ntuli is saying that the ancestors are the custodians of central institutions, such as marriage.

Irony is also enacted in Isithembu 'Polygamous marriage' when a priest eventually allows his beloved daughter to enter into a polygamous relationship. Is Ntuli saying: rather a polygamous marriage than no marriage at all? Or perhaps: love will overcome many difficulties? In Umthakathi 'Sorcerer' Ntuli illustrates two cultural realities, namely that innocent people are sometimes unfairly accused of witchcraft, and that some inyangas are powerless, even false, while effective inyangas do exist. Whereas Ntuli endorses traditional values in these three plays, he challenges traditional values in one play only, namely in Indoni Yamanzi 'Beautiful girl'. This is Ntuli's last play to date and probably it is also his most daring. (This play is one of the few that was not broadcast before it was published.) In order to fulfil his theme in the play Ntuli even disregards the requirements of ubuntu. In the play we see Sipho's aged and frail mother eagerly expecting her son to come and show her his bride-to-be. When he arrives he presents her with a white girl (with an English name and Afrikaans surname nogal!). In her shocked state MaZwane reveals all her conservative beliefs, which, we must accept, are typical of many older people. Her racial prejudice bursts out in these words:

UMaZwane: Ibala leli? Ikhala leli? Izinwele lezi Sipho?

'MaZwane: This colour? This nose? This hair, Sipho?'

And after Sipho has tried to explain that no, it is not against the law anymore to marry a person of another race, she continues her racial outburst (p. 91):

UMaZwane : AmaKhalathi ... amaKhalathi ... Hawu Sipho!

'Mazwane: Coloureds ... Coloureds ... My goodness, Sipho!'

Lilian is so taken aback by the old lady's reaction that she requests Sipho to take her away. But Sipho doesn't give in to his mother's conservatism, not even when she faints, and Ntuli prefers to end the play disregarding the mother's sentiments and shocked condition. He suggests that, if necessary, life must go on without the mother's consent or well-being (p. 93):

USipho: Umama akafile Lilian. Wethukile.

Usaphumula nje. Okwamanje impilo kumele iqhubekele phambili.

'Sipho: Mother isn't dead, Lilian. She took fright. She is just resting. For now life must go on.'

Thus Ntuli shows us that new values such as freedom of choice for marriage partners must supplant conservative values.

Three of Ntuli's plays, or 16.6%, endorse the trend in one-act plays in enacting some or other interesting personal or family incident. 23,2% of the other 43 plays has this tendency. In Isiphosiso 'Mistake' a man reminisces on how long he and his wife waited for their first child only to be told by a nurse that the baby was stillborn. But fortunately the nurse had made a mistake, a 'simple' mistake that almost robbed a father of his joy of appreciating the birth of his firstborn. Uprofesa 'Professor' is an interesting case of a father acting out a graduation ceremony, in which his son must participate, since he desires so much that his son will one-day become a professor like himself. The play has a happy, surprise ending but still reminds us of the danger of using children to achieve for the parents. Technically, NginguMenziwa 'I am Menziwa' is one of Ntuli's very best plays, not only in this category but overall. It shows how a couple is gradually brought to a point of fear by the constant, seemingly threatening telephone calls of a stranger. In the end it turns out that the stranger, Menziwa, only wants to compensate Sithole for a good deed done to Menziwa some years back. The play reminds us that competitive business practices lead one to fear calls from a stranger.

Compared to the control group, Ntuli has wrote proportionally more political plays: 16,6% (3 plays) as opposed to 4,6%. In contrast to most of Ntuli's plays, two of these political plays, namely Elamanqamu (Final days, or D-Day) and lnguquko 'Change' were not broadcast before publication. Isomiso 'Drought' shows a well-nigh destitute and widowed mother, MaZulu, who has sent her daughter to university and who expects her to complete her studies shortly. But all her suffering seems to be in vain when her daughter returns home having been expelled as a result of political activities. When all seems lost, Zinhle receives a telegram allowing her to resume her studies. The play illustrates the view that political actions are indeed justified and that new values of the youth, which are political values, achieve better results in the long run than submissive values (that MaZulu subscribes to). Although all of Ntuli's political plays are of a high standard, I regard Elamanqamu as the best in this category. In this play we see how Thoko is prevented from writing her final exam paper by armed, masked youths who 'politely' threaten to burn the house down should she go and write the exam, an exam on which her future career depends. Whereas political action triumphs over conservative values in Isomiso, Elamanqamu portrays the insight that insensitive political actions are overcome by conservative values, namely prayer, wisdom and goodwill. Over and above the divisive nature of political action illustrated in these plays, Inguquko also shows the price of political deeds, and its dilemmas. In this play Nduduzo tries to lead a double life: he tries to please his parents by feigning that he is unwilling to take part in political actions. However, he convinces them that it is necessary for him to go out at night when called, otherwise their house will be attacked, which, in fact, does happen. When he leaves he is not only part of the mob, he is their leader when they set fire to Nxumalo's house in order to punish him for his corruption.

The rest of the control group of plays, namely four plays, consists of a love play, history play, ghost play, and a detective play, respectively. Ntuli doesn't conform to any of these 'trends'. Isando 'Hammer', a psychological play, shows the devastating actions of a person plagued by feelings of jealousy and inferiority. In this play Zikhwepha almost kills his friend with a hammer because his friend apparently has all the success, and boasts about it too. When Zikhwepha tries to get help for the injured Vusi, he is run over by a truck and suffers major injuries.

In describing the context of Zulu literature, Gerard (1971: 201) has said the following:

... Zulu literature ... had its inception after South Africa had become politically autonomous as a dominion and economically industrialized. From the very first, Zulu writers were immersed in a world where racial segregation, social oppression, and ethical demoralization were omnipresent features, and this was reflected during the twenties, not only in Caluza's songs but also in works of prose fiction ...

It is for this reason that 'Zulu literature is the only one that began ... with a markedly historical and nationalistic outlook' (Gerard 1971:203). One has to wonder why this trend is almost non-existent in one-act plays since there is only one historical one-act play, and Ntuli is not its author. Perhaps the brevity of the genre does not allow for the dramatising of historical incidents. But if historical topics do not feature in written one-act plays, it is more than compensated for in radio dramatisations. Ntuli (1998) has revealed that the late Herbert Sishi has produced more than 200 short plays under the main title Imilando yakwaZulu 'historical incidents of Zululand'.

Despite the serious topics and themes of most of Ntuli's plays, none of them can be called tragedies in the sense that they end in the Worst possible resolution as a result of a wrong choice or a mistake made by the main character. One example will be given to illustrate how Ntuli could have ended a play in a tragic way. The devastating effects of political action could have had tragic proportions in Elamanqamu had the youths returned to Thoko's house for the third time and found her writing the exam at home. The youths had warned Thoko previously that if she went to school they would burn the house. This act would have been her 'punishment' for preferring to write the exam rather than to mourn the youths who had died the previous year. Nevertheless, exactly half of Ntuli's plays have a harsh (as opposed to a tragic) ending.

If most of Ntuli's plays are moral or culture plays, it stands to reason that much of the values expressed in these plays will be conservative or traditional. One sees the traditional aspect immediately in the use of izithakazelo 'clan praise names' as forms of address. All but two of his plays (Umtitilizo and Isando) contain izithakazelo, even the political plays. Other traditional/conservative values are the following: the wisdom of the old people is profitable; God as well as the ancestors assist people; the father is the head of the home; old women are wise; a beautiful woman is one that has a plump body; a son must marry to he complete, etc. But it is ironic that traditional values are often used to facilitate progressive, or relatively progressive values, for instance, in Isomiso MaZulu borrows money from an isangoma to further Zinhle's studies. MaZulu relates how the isangoma criticised her for spending so much on a girl (p. 86):

UMaZulu: Bheka-ke ngoba wayikhipha kade esengisola ngokuqulela imali engaka entombazaneni, into engasoze yethembakala.

(Mazulu: Look, she produced the money while criticising me for pouring so much money into a girl, something that is never trustworthy.)

Whereas the youth are seen as the disrupters of society in Elamanqamu, they are the custodians of people's rights in Isomiso. In Isiphosiso racial stereotyping is scoffed at and dismissed in the conversation between Ledwaba and Mkhize (p. 92):

ULedwaba: ... Angithi usuhambe waze wafika kudokothela womSuthu manje, isilwane sempela Uzosibona-ke isilwane sakho ukuthi sinamangwevu anjani, he-he!

UMkhize: Awu, dokothela, amaZulu anamuhla awasababizi abantu bezinye izinhlanga ngokuthi yizilwane manje.

'Ledwaba: ... Isn't it so that you have searched and eventually come to a Sotho doctor, a real animal. Right, you will see how much clout your animal has, ha-ha-ha!

Mkhize: Well, doctor, the Zulus of today do not call the people of other groups animals anymore.'

In Umshumayeli 'The preacher' traditional feminine beauty, namely of being plump and sturdy, is praised by one set of characters but is said not to be valid anymore by another. In two plays Ntuli speaks relatively openly about sexual matters, albeit in metaphorical terms. In fact, in Uprofesa the matter is broached in the presence of a juvenile (p. 41, 42):

UMaXulu: Yekela mina wena, yimi engimaziyo uyihlo. Ngiyazi ukuthi ngizokwenzenjani. Uma ebe nethuba lokuhlala phansi nje, athole okuncane kokudla, ngithi ukumxoxisa kancane ... (ngokuhleka). Angiphathi khona urea ngike ngathola ithuba lokumphulula impandla ...

UJabulani: Uyomphulula impandla ngikhona mama?

(MaXulu:Leave it to me, I am the one who knows your father. I know what I will do. When he has taken the opportunity to sit down and has something to eat, then I will chat to him a little ... (laughing). Not to mention if I get the opportunity to stroke him on his head ... (impandla means bald head).

Jabulani: Will you stroke his head while l am present, mother?)

In more than one play the value of girls (as opposed to the traditional bias towards boys) is emphasised, see for instance Isithembu, p. 78.

Understandably, one-act plays are, more often than not, 'idea plays' rather than character plays. In fact, relatively closed plays -- plays that are designed to get a clear message across -- need types to get that message across. But although most of Ntuli's characters are types, the listener/viewer is never left with the feeling that any of the characters are inadequately portrayed. Also, there is never the feeling that any of the types are blatantly over-typified. Many of his characters have more than one interesting trait.

Most of Ntuli's plays are populated with the minimum of characters. Only five of his plays are relatively populated in that we find a family consisting of a father, mother, and child; in only two plays are there two children present. So, the nagging question arises: where are the large families with their inherent problems? Or did Ntuli dismiss the matter when he let the character Mthembu speak as follows in Isithembu (p. 78)?:

UMthembu: ... Nomusa wasivala nya nesikhala sokuba nezingane eziningi namadodana, izinto ezikhalelwa ngabantu.

'Mthembu: ... Nomusa, you have nullified the necessity of having many children and sons, the things that people are after.'

In the rest of his plays two characters are the main characters; in most of the cases they are family members. In five plays one parent and a child are the main characters, or the only characters, and in four of these five plays that child is a daughter.

Kwakuhle Kwethu 'What a happy occasion' affords an interesting view of characters and characterisation since it is the play with the most kinds of characters. MaSibiya is the most interesting of the types in this play. She is portrayed as the hard-working, concerned mother who does not let an opportunity go by to criticise her future daughter-in-law. We cannot blame her for this attitude since this is what mother's-in-law are there for, according to African culture. She is harsh and cross throughout the play until Dabula and his bride-to-be leave for the city. Often her words are spiced with sarcasm: when Dabula and Lizzy leave their plates where they had their breakfast, she says, speaking to Thembi (p. 124):

UMaSibiya: Susa le zitsha ezishiywe yizicwicwi ngizolungisela uyihlo. Nx!

'MaSibiya: Remove these plates that were !eft by these well-to-do people, I want to prepare for your father. Nx!'

She also satirises her husband's authority in a very subtle innuendo by means of a wordplay based on his name (see the words in bold in the following quotation); she also refers to him as an ancestor (p. 126):

UMaSibiya: Cha, Makhonya ... ngiqonde Makhoba, ngicela ungangikhulumeli njengedlozi. Uzokuthi engena nje uDabula, ngimtshele ingcaca, izinhlamvu zikabhoqo.

'MaSibiya: No, Boss ... I mean Makhoba, please don't speak on my behalf like an ancestor. As soon as Dabula comes in I will tell him the naked truth, (I will reveal the very) pips of the bhoqo plant.'

On occasion her criticism of Lizzy comes out in a humorous way; this is how she refers to the incident when Lizzy killed a cockroach (p. 136):

UMaSibiya: ... Indaba iqedelwe yiphela. Uma eseza lapha, bekufanele azi ukuthi kusendaweni yasemakhaya enamaphela. Angithi iphela lami belizicanasela lehla ngodonga njengasemihleni!

'MaSibiya: ... The last straw was the cockroach. When coming here, she ought to have known that this is a rural area with cockroaches. Isn't it so that my cockroach was relaxing when coming down the wall as it usually does!'

Dabula and his sister are simple types in that their speech and actions reveal less variety. Dabula and Thembi are both fascinated by Lizzy. Dabula is the gullible young man who sees no fault in Lizzy. Thembi is the hard-working helper in the house. Makhoba is, quite unpredictably, the father-in-law who doesn't have a real qualm about Dabula's choice. We expect him to be the guardian of traditional values but he has no serious questions about Lizzy's behaviour. He is presented as the liberal head of the house. This is clearly shown when he is not perturbed by the fact that Lizzy has dressed Thembi up in modem clothes and has even painted her face with makeup. But he does have a traditional side. We see this when he impresses on MaSibiya that the men are the bosses in the home (pp. 125, 137). In this way he exhibits two completely different traits, and thus he attains a measure of complexity. This is the case with many of Ntuli's characters, many are complex characters rather than types, and although development is hardly a priority of the one-act dramatist, some of Ntuli's characters are presented as developing figures. Admittedly, the development is minimal, but deep and elaborate development is not possible in the relatively short one-act plays in Zulu. MaSibiya is a developing figure. At the end of the play she is not the cross mother anymore. For once she is seated, doing needlework. And when Thembi has read Dabula's letter informing his parents that Lizzy has left him, she becomes jubilant (p. 138):

UMaSibiya: Hayi mina! Mina ngiyahalalisa. Ngithi kuhle kwethu! Ngithi ki-ki-ki-! Kwakuhle kwethu, ki-ki-ki-. Ngiyahalalisa mfana wami. Ngiyahalalisa.

'MaSibiya: Oh yes! I rejoice. I say what a happy occasion. I say ki-ki-ki-! What a happy occasion, ki-ki-ki-. I rejoice, my boy. I rejoice.'

Lizzy is clearly a caricature. Her untraditional actions are extremely exaggerated. The fact that such a character would be almost impossible to find in real life does not speak negatively of Ntuli's characterisation because larger-than-life, funny caricatures are usually enjoyed by viewers. Lizzy's whirlwind entry into MaSibiya's kitchen has been briefly described earlier. After she has kissed MaSibiya, this ostensibly middle-aged, modern, city woman imposes herself onto her future mother-in-law by asking (p. 119): Uyangibona ukuthi ngiwumakoti omuhle kanjani? UDabula uyakwazi ukuzikhethela. 'Do you see what a beautiful bride I am? Dabula knows how to choose.' While she says this she turns around like a model. Throughout the play she does the wrong thing since she is totally at variance with traditional etiquette and good manners. Even her future father-in-law would have got a greeting kiss if she had not been stopped by Dabula. No wonder the ancestors see to it that she gets swept away by a more fitting match, namely a rich businessman of the city!

To add more interest to his play Umtitilizo 'Bargain', Ntuli makes use of a character just called Izwi (Voice). This voice not only leads Dolly and her mother into the temptation of buying exam papers but also ridicules them after they have done so. Nameless characters perform a vital function in Ntuli's plays. In UmSamariya Olungileyo 'Good Samaritan' a character simply indicated as Indoda (man) serves to illustrate a vital difference: after the minister of religion has failed dismally to do a good deed, this ordinary man does not hesitate to help the minister and his companion when they are in need.

Obviously, most of the characters in Ntuli's plays have been presented indirectly through their dialogue and other actions, but direct characterisation is used with great effect when, for instance, one character speaks about another character. This happens, for instance, in Isomiso 'Drought' when MaZulu speaks of her daughter studying at university and being so respectful, thus interest and anticipation are created before the character in question presents herself. Direct characterisation is, in fact, the only procedure in the radio version of Kwakuhle Kwethu. Everybody has something to say about Lizzy without her appearing at all, leaving the listener with the question: what is this person really like?

The dramatic techniques treated in this section will be restricted to techniques that are manifested in the dialogue and in the arrangement of the events. One example of dramatic didascalies will be mentioned. Dialogue techniques can be captured under four headings: polarity, where characters oppose each other in different ways; information, whereby, in the absence of polarity, information is presented in different ways; coherence, where the analyst ascertains whether dialogue actions, but also larger action units, are relevant and serve to illustrate the theme; progression, where one ascertains in what ways polarity or information serve to increase interest in the play. Only a few of the most important techniques will be referred to in some of these categories. It is meaningful to treat some of these main categories together. For instance, conflict (as a form of polarity) is meant to intensify the action in a play (the intensifying conflict can be seen as a form of progression).

In most of Ntuli's plays polarity comes in the form of conflict, and it is in his better plays that, conflict abounds. In Isomiso the conflict between MaZulu and her daughter starts with MaZulu's penetrating questions to Zinhle to establish why she is back from university. Having established these facts, MaZulu first quietly confronts Zinhle with their precarious position before heatedly exacting a response (p. 81):

UMaZulu: (Ngomoya ophansi) Ufika nje ngiyacabanga. Ngibuka indlela isomiso esihlasele ngaso. Ngicabanga ngamasimu kaBiyela akade ekepezela eluhlaza cwe, nezinkomo lezi engisizwe yizo ngakuqhuba singakabhoki kanje isomiso. (Ngokufudumala) Manje uthini? Manje uthini Zinhle?

(MaZulu: (Calmly) As you were coming I was thinking. I look at how the drought has hit us. I think about the sowing fields of Biyela that were flushing green, and the cattle that I have been assisted by before the drought became so intense. (Heatedly) What do you say now? What do you say now, Zinhle?)

Then follows the section where MaZulu confronts Zinhle with simple common sense in response to Zinhle's explanation of the complexities of the political situation in which she has become involved. The conflict situation is of course interspersed with interesting information, for example, the flashback depicting how MaZulu has made it possible for Zinhle to return to university for another year and in which the two share a good joke. In this flashback Zinhle also promises her mother that she will not be disappointed. The intense interaction between MaZulu and Zinhle leads eventually to the deterioration in her health. The development of the conflict in NginguMenziwa 'I am Menziwa' makes it one of Ntuli's best. The opening conversation in which MaSokhulu jokes with Sithole belies the mistrust and open conflict to follow as they react to the stranger's telephone call. On top of that, their emotions move from uncertainty to fear as the caller's tone develops from friendliness to threat.

Interesting information is often presented in the form of a problematic situation in the beginning of a play. In Umtitilizo 'Bargain' it is the fact that Dolly spends so much time studying and yet she cannot assimilate the necessary knowledge. In Isomiso MaZulu sketches the devastating effect of the drought. And so on. In by far most of his plays interesting information is presented as a surprise revelation at the end of the play. Although one expects some sort of punishment, or at least exposure in the moral plays, in most cases their endings also contain an element of surprise. In Ngicela Uxolo 'Please Forgive' the listener/reader expects Malusi to be punished for turning his repentant father out into the cold where he dies. But we do not expect him to receive his father's inheritance. This seers his conscience more than any rebuke from his wife would do. It was mentioned earlier that half of Ntuli's plays have a harsh ending; the other half end in a more pleasant revelation.

In a few plays, about five, conflict or the presentation of information, is developed into a dilemma. A dilemma, where the character or characters find it almost impossible to find a way out, is a technique which is extremely dramatic. In Elamanqamu 'D-Day' the difficult questions for Thoko are whether to go and write the exam or not, and whether or not to contact the police. A large part of Isithembu 'Polygamous marriage' revolves around the dilemma that faces the priest when his beloved daughter wants to enter into a polygamous marriage.

It is immediately apparent that Ntuli is one of the few dramatists who makes use of anachronies (flashbacks and flashforwards). Of the eight plays in the period under discussion that arrange events a-chronologically, seven are Ntuli's. In Isiphosiso 'Mistake' where the narrator, Mkhize, relates how it came about that he was accidentally told that his firstborn son was stillborn, we find ten flashbacks. These flashbacks transport the listener/reader from the realm of a single character to a simulation of a 'real life' situation where characters are conversing with one another. In all his plays this technique provides an interesting way of enacting past events.

One play deserves to be mentioned for the use of a didascalie (in the form of a sound effect) that greatly enhances the dramaticality of the play. In Isando 'Hammer', which also makes use of flashbacks in a very dramatic way, Zikhwepha was hit by a truck while trying to get help for Vusi whom he had assaulted with a hammer. The play opens with the sound of a hammer beating with a slow rhythm, and throughout the play the sound of the hammer punctuates Zikhwepha's psychological state. Early in the play when he wakes up in hospital, Zikhwepha reveals that he cannot see. This fact greatly enhances the menacing effect of the sound of the beating hammer.

Since all but three of Ntuli's plays are radio plays, the didascalies indicating settings are very lean. At the utmost we see indications such as imisindo yasebusuku (nocturnal sounds) or imisindo yasesibhedlela (hospital sounds), etc. It is further apparent that the indications of settings in most of his plays are nondescript in that the reader is not always sure whether the play is set in a rural or urban setting. This makes these plays less localised and thus more versatile. In a few plays the contrast between events in the rural setting and the urban is necessary to facilitate the theme of the plays, here Isomiso and especially Kwakuhle Kwethu, come to mind.

Of special interest is the fact that most of the plays are enacted in an ostensibly small interior. The inward, confining focus of the small space, enhances the gravity of the problems treated in the respective plays.

None of Ntuli's plays, not even the stage plays and the television play, are burdened with unnecessary narrative didascalies, as we find in so many other Zulu plays, plays that were obviously written by writers who were less performance-oriented.

The second problem that Ntuli deals with in 'Writers in shackles?' (in Malan op. cit.: 128) is the want of an adult readership, and that the only viable market for the writer in the-African languages of southern Africa is the school. And when writing for the school the writer must of necessity face the system of screeners and other gatekeepers. Looking at Ntuli's topics and the themes they express, it is clear that his plays are such that they can be read at school, but this does not mean that Ntuli had the school in mind when writing. On the contrary, Ntuli had the broader public in mind. Most of his one-act plays, as well as the radio serials, were broadcast over the radio before they were printed. In making use of the medium that most people in South Africa have access to, Ntuli proves himself to be the popular artist. Some of his most interesting plays, for instance, the political plays and the one dealing with love over the colour bar, (Indoni Yamanzi), have not been broadcast, simply because the author has not submitted them for broadcast (personal communication from author, 30/6/98).

Ntuli maintains that some of the texts in the African languages 'compare favourably' (Malan op. cit.:132) to works in other languages where there are less restrictions. But can Ntuli be compared to great writers of the world? Can he be seen as a southern African Shakespeare? Probably not. Not because the standard of his work fails him, but because of how the literary system works. Great writers are invariably the ones who write novels in English (or in english, that is, Africanised English), thereafter possibly poetry and long plays. What is quite sure though, having read his one-act plays from various angles, is that Ntuli is the most creative dramatist of one-act plays Zulu literature has produced. One, or maybe two, writers have produced more one-act plays than Ntuli, but most of these plays are a far-cry from the thematically provocative, technically superb plays of D.B.Z. Ntuli. It does not seem possible to unshackle Ntuli from his bonds as a marginalised writer -- virtually all African language writers are marginalised writers if they haven't produced in English/english. At best it is only possible to try and place him firmly on the local map.

• 1985. 'Umtitilizo', 'Kuhle Kwethu': In Damane, E.M.; Shange, A.B.; Ntuli, D.B.Z. Amavenge. Pretoria: De Jager-HAUM.
• 1988. ' Isomiso', ' Isiphosiso', 'NginguMenziwa', 'Kwakuhle Kwethu': In Mbhele, N.F.; Ntuli, D.B.Z. Ishashalazi. Pietermaritzburg: KwaZulu Booksellers.
• 1988. 'Isomiso', 'Umshumayeli', 'Isiphosiso', 'Ngicela Uxolo', 'UmSamariya Olungileyo', 'Lala Ngokuthula', 'Isipho SikaKhisimusi', 'NginguMenziwa': In Ntuli, D.B.Z. Woza Nendlebe. Pietermaritzburg: Shuter & Shooter.
• 1990. 'Elamanqamu', 'Indlala': In Makhambeni, N. (ed.) Amaseko. Pietermaritzburg: Centaur Publications.
• 1991. 'Isithembu': In Ntuli, D.B.Z.(ed.) Lalela-ke. Pretoria: Out of Africa Publishers.
• 1992. 'Umthakathi', 'Inguquko', 'Uprofesa', 'Isando', 'Indoni Yamanzi': In Ntuli, D.B.Z.; Sibiya, N.G. Indoni Yamanzi. Cape Town: Vivlia.

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Huss, B. 1921. 'A Short and easy Drama in Zulu' Native Teachers 'Journal. April.

Mayekiso, A.C.T. 1968. Imidlalo Enkundlanye. Mariannhill: Mariannhill Mission Press.

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Ntuli, D.B. 1987. 'Writers in shackles?' In: Malan, Charles. (ed.) Race and Literature/Ras en Literatuur. Pinetown: Owen Burgess Publishers, pp. 127-138.

Ntuli, D.B. 1998. The function of the narrator in Herbert Sishi's one-act historical plays 'Imilando YakwaZulu'. Paper read at the ALASA conference, Potchefstroom.

Steyn, N.P.J. 1941. UMvulane. Bloemfontein: Nasionale Pers.