Devised by Talya Chalef in collaboration with Cast: Ben Hjorth Georgina Durham & Jing-Xuan Chan Sound Design/Composition: Juline Fiddique, Rob Louw & Guy Harris Production support: Daniel Holden/David Samuel Presented by: 2004 VCA Drama
[The Tokoloshe is a mythical character derived from the South African Xhosa culture - An elf like animal that is invisible to adults and lives within the home. Of the many characteristic traits the Tokoloshe possesses, it is said to have a very healthy libido and with that, an extremely large penis. Unfortunately in South Africa, there is a particularly high incidence of rape and amongst these cases, there have been men who, when committing the act, believe they are under the possession of the Tokoloshe.]
Tokoloshe was a project that looked at how mythical worlds could (and do) co-exist alongside contemporary ones. It was not a performance that dealt with rape in South Africa, but rather it was an investigation into how and when mythical and contemporary worlds intersect and some of the very real repercussions that have been its consequence.
We explored various perspectives on this situation by using the metaphor of textured projections surrounding the audience. Tokoloshe compared invisible worlds such as those inhabited by the Tokoloshe to a blind person's perception of the world. I.e. A world that can be felt but not necessarily seen.
