Left to right: Jannes Merksx (the Researcher from Netherlands) and Alex Mukulu (The Storyteller) in one of the scenes in Kulunkalu and Kulumbisi at the National Theatre in Kampala in April. PHOTO | PATRICK SSENTONGO
After a 17-year hiatus from the stage, Alex Mukulu, a legendary Ugandan playwright, has returned to the local theatre with his latest production Kulunkalu ne Kulumbisi (Kulunkalu and Kulumbisi)— an African adaptation of William Shakespeare’s timeless classic play, Romeo and Juliet.
Plot
Romeo and Juliet, as adapted by Mukulu, is presented in an African culture, language, music, lyrics, costumes, dances, props and stage setting. It is Africanised, or for this matter, Ugandanised in such a plot to resonate with Uganda’s current political, social and economic environment without changing Shakespeare’s theme of universal love between two feuding families/communities.
In Mukulu’s version, the feud is between the yellow city and red ghetto where Kulumbisi (Juliet) and Kulunkalu (Romeo) fall in love at a party.
They decide against all odds that they should be married. Immediately thereafter, a pastor secretly marries them, hoping to end the conflict between the rich and the poor.
In an encounter of social differences, a fight breaks out in which Kulunkalu kills the brother of Kulumbisi and he is banished from the country.
Kulunkalu and Kulumbisi spend the night together and then Kulunkalu leaves for exile.
Kulumbisi’s father forces her into a marriage with a government official. Kulunkalu wants to disrupt Kulumbisi’s marriage to the government official. She takes a potion given to her by the pastor to disguise her as dead.
The pastor was to send Kulunkalu a message to be at Kulumbisi’s tomb when she wakes up, but their plan fails because Kulunkalu does not get this message.
Kulunkalu instead learns that Kulumbisi is dead. Kulunkalu kills himself, and when Kulumbisi wakes up and she sees her lover’s dead body, she commits suicide.
Their deaths appear finally to end the disputes, especially in reducing the gap between the poor and the rich, who later live happily in harmony and understanding for evermore.
The cast
The cast has Charles Mukisa playing the role of Romeo, Ameria Nankya is Juliet, while Ann Kavuma is Juliet’s Senga (Auntie). Mukulu plays the role of the storyteller, Jannes Merksx is the researcher from Netherlands, Musa Ssempebwa (Kabaka), and Benjamin Nashimoro as the witchdoctor, among others. The choreographer is Musa Ssempebwa.
“I have chosen Kulumbisi for my project. Kulumbisi is a strong independent young lady. She demonstrates her intelligence when communicating with Kulunkalu and with her family. She is also seen as beautiful by both Kulunkalu and Paris. She married Kulunkalu for love, not for lust. She knew what she wanted and she went for it. Like any young teenager, she was at a crossroads throughout the entire play,” says Mukulu, who is also the director of the play.