PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) – South Africans sing and dance when they mourn, which is why a musical is a fitting way to commemorate the police shootings of striking miners three years ago, says the lead actor of “Marikana – The Musical.”
On Aug. 16 2012, a weekslong labor dispute reached a bloody climax as police opened fire and killed 34 miners in Marikana, a mining town in the North West province. Video footage of miners dropping in a hail of gunfire shocked South Africans and the world. In the days before, 10 miners, police and private security guards were killed, some hacked or burned to death.
Like “Sarafina,” the world-touring musical about a student uprising against apartheid, “Marikana – The Musical” dramatizes a moment in South Africa’s history, showing the country struggling to uphold ideals of equality, dignity and non-violence.
Mavuso Magabane plays the leader of the strike who was killed in the shootings that were the largest loss of life in a police operation since South Africa achieved majority rule in 1994.
“When we celebrate we sing and dance, when we mourn we sing and dance and when we’re angry we sing and dance,” Magabane told The Associated Press. He said he prepares for each performance by watching footage of the shooting, and is often in tears by the end of the show.