After Freedom: New Rhythms of Soweto

More than 20 years after the end of apartheid, South Africa is an altered place. Morgan Njobo’s new musical charts some of this changed territory, taking a sweeping glance at both the nation’s challenges and its opportunities.  

After Freedom: New Rhythms of Soweto gives music and dance a leading role in negotiating the country’s shifts. Its young protagonist, Sphiwe, is a would-be dancer, escaping violence in Natal-Quthu following the murder of his mother and moving to live with his older brother in Johannesburg. There, dance connects people, spilling out onto the streets.

The dance itself is a highlight of the show: spirited and energetic, exploding across the bare stage. The soundtrack, too, is skilfully put together, the voices of the talented cast layered on top of one another to form a rich aural tapestry that alludes to the sounds of both past and present. 

The plot, though, often feels like a bolted on contrivance to link together the many musical set pieces. Dialogue is clunky and scenes are too short to really develop any of the characters, who function more as roles than individuals: brother, best friend, girlfriend.

In its depiction of different generations at loggerheads, After Freedom gestures towards some of the difficulties and adjustments of the last two decades. For young Sphiwe, dreams are for the taking, while his older brother remains scarred by the past. Ultimately, though, such debates give way to straightforward song and dance, wasting the opportunity to dig a little deeper.