Pretoria - December 3 is International Day of Disabled Persons, and to mark the occasion, a group of artists living with disabilities are preparing for the production Lifted – Let the Blind Sing.
They will perform from December 14 to 18 at the State Theatre in Pretoria. Two-time Naledi award-winning musical director Zakhele Mabena stands at the helm of this production, which will form part of the 15th annual Mzansi Fela Festival.
The production is inspired by daily happenings in society.
Mabena, known as Mr Pro, grew up in Soshanguve and is the founder of Arts in Motion music academy theatre.
He is a producer, director and a music composer and won awards for best musical director in Shaka Zulu, as well as best scoring and arranging for Marikana the Musical. He wrote and produced productions like Isambulo and Meriring (The Salon). Like many artists, he grew up loving music to a point where he would make his own musical instruments with rubbish cans.
His wife and children are his greatest support system and they also help him generate creative ideas for his music career, great works from other artists drives him to be a better singer.
“I’m a family man; I really value family, and I am self-driven and motivated. I love excellence and professionalism. I’ve always believed that I am called to change lives through my art and that thought kept me going and encouraged me to look for artists and mould them. I went out to the streets to look for disabled artists that are basking at the street corners, and these are people that we’ve been passing every day around Pretoria CBD.
“Some of the cast members are artists that have been in the industry for years but they disappeared after they had physical impediment,” he said.
Lifted empowers and celebrates disabled persons and is aimed at creating a professional platform for persons living with disability. Mabena feels that the theatre space has been missing productions that speak to the community of people living with disabilities.
The musical features a vibrant cast of 12 artists with different disabilities and a five-piece band consisting of musicians such as The Ga-Rankuwa Requesters, a sextet of blind people.
They are accompanied by mainstream artists such as SnowWhite, Tshepo Nkadimeng, Khwezi Sondiyazi, Maira and Sebenzile “Sebeh” Kuzwayo, and the award-winning singer, Nhlanhla Dube, as a narrator. Mabena said working with the group was an uplifting and humbling experience.
A recent challenge he encountered was Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown.
“It was a rough two years of my life, not being able to perform and there was no source of income, which was a real setback. The main thing that encouraged me not to give up during this difficult time was that I just drew strength from God to survive; with my own strength it was just impossible. I also believe my love and passion for music has just kept me hoping that it will be okay sooner or later,” said Mabena.
Pretoria News