Understanding evil
JOBURG - The story of Eugene de Kock, head of the apartheid regime's death squads, will be played out on stage at the Market Theatre.
A Human Being Died That Night will explore how a fundamentally moral person can become a mass murderer.
The play, based on psychologist Prof. Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela’s interviews with the man dubbed “Prime Evil”, was first produced by Eric Abraham at London’s The Hampstead Downstairs Theatre, where it ran for a sold-out five-week season, in May last year.
Audiences will be transported back to 1997, to the Pretoria Central Prison, where they will find Gobodo-Madikizela preparing to sit opposite the notorious assassin.
A member of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Gobodo-Madikizela will question De Kock, who is serving a 212-year sentence for crimes against humanity, murder, conspiracy to murder, attempted murder, assault, kidnapping, illegal possession of firearms, and fraud.
“She is determined to try understand what motivated De Kock’s actions,” said the theatre’s Robert Motseko.
“One is reminded of European writer and philosopher Hannah Arendt’s endeavour to understand the nature of evil when she wrote about Nazi holocaust archictect Adolf Eichmann’s trial in Israel in 1962.”
How did De Kock become one of the most reviled figures in apartheid and world history?
Will Gobodo-Madikizela be able to overcome her disgust and hatred for the monster and find the human being within?
Will De Kock be prepared to tell an educated black woman the truth, or does he see her as someone who can help his campaign for a presidential pardon?
These are among the discomforting questions that will be answered as the story unfolds on stage.
Directed by Jonathan Munby and South African associate director Greg Karvellas, the play stars Noma Dumezweni as Gobodo-Madikizwela and Matthew Marsh as De Kock.
The production was made possible by a grant from the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund.
A Human Being Died That Night will run from 19 March until 6 April at the Market Theatre, corner of Bree and Miriam Makeba streets, Newtown.
Details: 011 832 1641; www.markettheatre.co.za
