Language comes second place to movement and sound in this production of
Every Year, Every Day, I Am Walking by South African company
Magnet Theatre. Two sisters, Aggie and Ernestine, live together in their small
African village with their mother until they are brutally attacked and their home burnt. With only one sister remaining, Adie and her mother become refugees, walking and walking before they come to
Cape Town where they try their best to live and integrate themselves with the city's busy and alien lifestyle. The ensemble performances by actresses
Jennie Reznek and
Faniswa Yisa makes this production beautifully compelling. Working closely together with a minimal set and a few specific props (shoes, swathes of cloth) they create a heartrending treatment of what it means to be lost, without any place to call home but each other. The colour and energy of the characters make them identifiable by everyone. The limited use of language ensures anyone, in any place can recognise this story. Aggie and her mother could be any
refugees, two
among millions currently driven from their hometown and walking towards a place of safety.
NB: runs till 13/03.