A New Life One night this summer, at Young Centre in downtown Toronto, I watched a Soulpepper Theatre production of the 1972 play, Sizwe Bansi is Dead. The play, set in apartheid South Africa, tells the story of the eponymous protagonist, a Black man from a small town who lacks the appropriate legal documentation to stay in Port Elizabeth, a city of opportunities. With the threat of deportation looming, Sizwe must not only cease to exist, he must also resurrect Robert Zwelinzima, a dead stranger whose record card grants lawful stay in the city. As I watched Sizwe negotiate compromises to make his (legal) death more palatable, I was struck by the many parallels between his dilemma and my experience of immigrant life in America.
*Insert Immigrant’s Name Here* is Dead
You took us on a very captivating journey with this read. A very thoughtful piece and a fitting tribute to J.
What a tell!