The room is pitch black and silent … then, out of the darkness, comes an eerie voice. Mojisola Adebayo walks down the stairs, singing loudly in her beautiful voice. As she reaches the stage, the spotlights come on, and there she stands, dressed in a white traditional dress, with a doek covering her head. She stares into the crowd and starts talking, showing off her beautiful white teeth, and with that the play begins…

This was the scene at Wits Theatre this weekend as the British Council, in collaboration with Oval House, hosted a play called “MOJ of Antarctic”.

Adebayo, a Nigerian-born freelance actress, director and scriptwriter, performs “MOJ of Antarctic,” a play based on the true story of Ellen Craft, an African-American slave who lived in the 1920s. MOJ evades a life of slavery by disguising herself as a white man and escaping to freedom in the South Pole. She finds work on a sailing ship and makes history by being the first black woman to step onto the icy shores of Antarctic. Ellen’s amazing story of race-swopping and cross-dressing is one of the forgotten gems of African history – and the history of drag!

Speaking about performing in South Africa, Adebayo says she is extremely privileged to be able bring her play to local audiences. “It’s an incredible honour to perform in South Africa. It’s been a tough road and we struggled with the props, but we pulled together and I’m pleased that I was able to perform for you.”

She also expressed her gratitude to the British Council for their support and added that it was a special honour to be performing in South Africa during Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday celebrations.

“Thank you to the British Council, without your positivity and support we wouldn’t have made it. It’s a wonderful honour to come here, to a country I first knew of through the song “free Nelson Mandela.” That song gave me the passion to perform, but I never thought that Mandela would one day be free, yet here I am today performing during the week of his 90th birthday – something I never even dreamed of – so thank you.”

The wildly responsive crowd clearly enjoyed the play. Theatregoer Rendani Tshililo said the play was well worthwhile. “An authentic performance! Adebayo is a woman of many talents and she was able to engage with the audience throughout the play. This was a story that we didn’t know, yet the message behind it was so clear and powerful – it was definitely worth every cent.”

“This play was a work of extreme dedication, and it was humorous. She’s a great performer and I found her very inspiring. It was wonderful to see what could be done in a simple and honest way,” says Phillipa de Villiers, another enthusiast.

Theatre director Robert Coleman says he wishes the play had been shown to a wider audience as many people would have enjoyed it. “She has a fantastic, inspiring way of working – it was a one-woman show and done in a totally different style to what we are accustomed to in South Africa. It was incredibly inspiring and well structured. She engaged with the audience in a different way, by leaving the stage and connecting with the audience in their midst, something we are unused to in South Africa. It would have been great if this play had been shown at the Market Theatre. I think a lot of people would have loved it. Thank you to the British Council for bringing it to us”.

To find out more about Mosijola Adebayo, please visit this page. To find out more about what’s happening in Africa, please read our News in Africa section. If you want to know what events are scheduled, please visit our events page. If you are moving abroad and you would like to write an English test, please visit our IELTS page here.