L-R: Ijeoma Emesowum, Sodienye Waboso, Allison Edwards-Crew,
Thomas Olajide (Photo: Greg Edwards)
The Untainted Heart
by Gregory W. Bunker
Binti’s Journey is a journey worth taking, young or old. The story is set in present-day Malawi and is centred on the changes 13-year-old Binti endures after losing her father, her only surviving parent, to AIDS. Based on the young adult book The Heaven Shop by internationally acclaimed Canadian author Deborah Ellis, and produced by Theatre Direct at the Young People’s Theatre, you might be forgiven if you’d think such a play was only for youth. And in the beginning, the slight overdramatization suggests this. Certainly, young people have the most to gain from seeing the play—it is, after all, about the multi-faceted and far-reaching consequences of HIV/AIDS on the individual, family, community, and our generation at large. But this play is so well-crafted, and its message of HIV/AIDS awareness so well-delivered, that anyone who sees it will find it to be an entertaining, thought-provoking piece that educates in the best kind of way.
Binti learns to shed the taboo of talking about HIV/AIDS from her grandmother
The disease first tears Binti’s family apart through its virulence, and then through its social stigma. Maltreated by her ignorant relatives after her father’s death, Binti moves in with her grandmother, whom Binti learns has fostered her own extended family among the orphans AIDS has created. Binti learns to shed the taboo of talking about HIV/AIDS from her grandmother as she begins to forge a new life, eventually joined by her brother and sister. HIV/AIDS, they are taught, is the new-age “lion in the village”: they have to arouse the attention of the community and inspire collective action to effectively deal with this new killer. When their grandmother dies, Binti and her siblings carry on in their newfound hope and understanding of the disease in a way that didn’t seem possible at the beginning of the story. They have learned that “HIV affects the blood. It doesn’t affect the heart.”
A play about a HIV/AIDS-ravaged continent is presumably dark and despairing, yet Binti’s Journey makes its discussion engaging and optimistic. The key to realizing this honest and still uplifting play is its superb ensemble approach (Ahdri Zhina Mandiela and Lynda Hill). The fine acting of Starr Domingue (Binti), Kanika Ambrose (Junie), Dienye Waboso (Memory), and Thomas Olajide (Kwasi) was complemented by their compelling choral work, singing, and wonderful dance choreography (Dr. Anthony Guerra). Through these and other physical devices the talented cast of four were able to play over fifteen parts in a mostly clear and upbeat way, all the more impressive considering the theme and its 55-minute duration.
Ultimately, the play has great depth in its writing (Marcia Johnson), production, and cast, and serves as a remarkably candid, sensitive introduction to the topic of HIV/AIDS awareness. Youth theatre doesn’t get much better than this.
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