WHO WOULD TURN away from the idea of an historical fiction commemorating the Soweto uprising of 1976 written and directed by Tiisetso Mashifane wa Noni entitled Rise 76: The Story of June 16? It’s like part of our sacred history. And seeing it feels like an imperative. It is currently onstage at the Market Theatre until 28 June 2026.

You might well feel a sense of turmoil at a contemporary theatrical representation of a moment of violent history that has underpinned and defined South African narratives for 50 years. Frustration, however, is a significant part to that turmoil you may experience. Indeed, you may feel gladdened initially at the punt of “historical fiction”: it is one genre of literature that gives writers license to go creatively wild in their concepts. And given this, you would be correct to expect something fresh, a different approach to what we already know.

The play is a retelling of the facts: conflict is hanging by a thread, everything is coloured by pure emotional baiting. It feels very like 90 minutes of a Sarafina adaptation just without Mary Masombuka.

I expected the story to be women-centred not just focused on the forever wailing and praying black women. For me, the retelling of the story begged for complicated, unapologetic, empathetic rounded girls who sometimes prayed, characters like Zanyiwe. A collective self-pity and cloying sense of self-indulgence wasn’t part of that menu but in this play, it was dished out in buckets of emotional, shocking, spoonfed rations.

Wanting people to remember what whiteness and apartheid did is one thing, forcing them to feel guilty and angry is a whole other buffet.

A remembrance should highlight the current disposition of the thing it is remembering, Rise 76 makes no attempt to rise above anything historically political. You would think that the contemporary movements of #RhodesMustFall and #FeesMustFall of just over a decade ago and the subsequent betrayal of those movements by the majority black government would make a cameo or even a line in this play to say “this, Bafana, is what you fought and fell for, we remember you”. (Bafana Buthelezi is the story’s main character, played beautifully by Alex Sono). But you’d be wrong.

Let us not forget that contemporary students are still drowning in student fee debts but Rise 76 makes no effort to say anything about anything other than that we suffered as the black majority in 1976. In all this nothingness, I found myself in disbelief at the carelessness to which we treat, reflect on and re-traumatise ourselves in the name of art.

In the greater schemes of things, what really, is the play saying politically 50 years after the massacre of those children? And most critically, who is it for? The target market for this heavily touted show boasting historical relevance, 50 years down the line, is never clear.

The first act should have been scrapped from the play and the part after interval retained and polished more: it gives more dynamic characters and fresh perspectives into the uprising. This second part, in its brevity, holds the nub of the story.

But then, there is the chorus. Easily the strongest part of the play, it lends gravitas to the collective nature of the story itself. The dialogue is witty, strong and pretty scathing at times – if anything, this alone is worth the price of your tickets.

Ultimately, Rise 76 attempts to tell too many stories and ends up investing in none. This would have been so fascinating if we fermented the second part of the show, sat in it, frustrated it, dilemma-rised it, dismembered it, put it back together again and allowed ourselves to be left conflicted as to what in the fruits we had just watched.

Biases are part of human nature. Do go see and prove me wrong, please!

• Rise 76: The Story of June 16 is written and directed by Tiisetso Mashifane wa Noni, with directorial assistance by Palesa Raba. Featuring creative input by Leopold Senekal (set), assisted by Ronel Watkins; Jannous Nkululeko Aukema (composer and sound design); Noluthando Lobese (costumes); Franky Steyn (lighting); and Xolelwa Nhlabatsi (AV), it is stage-managed by Kenan Fortuin assisted by Asiphe Lili and performed by Ben Albertyn, Sbuja Dywili, Deon Lotz, Botlale Mahlangu, Zinlungile Mbombo, Mfuneli Ntumbuka and Alex Sono and is onstage at the Mannie Manim Theatre, Market Theatre complex in Newtown, Johannesburg, until 28 June 2026.
• Zinobulali Goduka was a participant in an arts writing masterclass presented by TheatreArts in Cape Town under the initiative of Caroline Calburn and the mentorship of Megan Choritz, Yazeed Kamaldien and Robyn Sassen, January-March 2026.
• This review is premised on a viewing of the production at the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town, where it debuted during May of 2026.