This collection of notes are based on the following:
- The History of Sophiatown
- How and Why the Play was Written
- Playwright's Intentions
- Playwright's Influences
- Theatre Techniques in Sophiatown
- Characters
- Quotes
SOPHIATOWN - JUNCTION AVENUE THEATRE COMPANY
THE HISTORY OF SOPHIATOWN
The township of Sophiatown was named after the wife of Herman Tobiansky,
Sophia. He was a developer who bought a portion of the farm, Waterval, in an area
to the west of Johannesburg town centre, in 1897. The suburb was established in
1904 for white people. Before the Land Act of 1913, black people could buy
properties, and people of any race could own businesses in Sophiatown. Later, the
Johannesburg Town Council built sewerage disposal facilities in the area next to
Sophiatown. This made the properties in Sophiatown worth less money. Most white
people left, leaving a mixed community of black, coloured, Indian and Chinese
people. Sophiatown was a freehold, meaning it did not have a superintendent or a
fence around it like other black municipal areas, and so anyone could live there
when many black people lost their smallholdings and farms in the country, they
came to live in cities like Johannesburg. Sophiatown became a place known for
creativity in writing, journalism, music and politics. Jakes represents the
well-known journalists who wrote for the famous ‘Drum’ magazine, all of whom
lived in Sophiatown at some point. ‘Drum’ magazine published stories about life in
Sophiatown and the growing black urban culture of the time. In the first scene of
the play, Jakes also speaks about important places in Sophiatown like the Odin and
Balansky Cinemas, the Windmill Theatre, the Back o’ the Moon, Thirty-Nine Steps
Shebeens and Freedom Square, where political meetings were held. Sophiatown
was overcrowded. There was a lot of poverty, as people moved to the cities in
search of work. As a result, there was a lot of violence and gangs—people were
looking for any way to make money to support themselves and their families.
People spoke Tsotsitaal which gave people a sense of identity and belonging. Most
of the characters in the play spoke Tsotsitaal.
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