As its name suggests, Hashtag performs and plays with culture, ritual, and spirituality in the age of social media, providing a sharp and satirical reading of what we might consider to be a form of contemporary mythology.

The opening of Hashtag is a familiar scene for those who frequent social media. Faniswa Yisa plays the role of a youthful sangoma-turned-influencer, who we meet just as she’s gone live to her loyal online audience. Smartphone in hand, and ringlight nearby, she is pitchy and overzealous, delivering a series of youthful platitudes peppered with slang. She holds up her ‘Black Cocaine’ (snuff) to the camera, talks to us about her communion with the ‘Underground Gang’ (ancestors), and fills the room with ‘Underground Incense’ (imphepho).

In between her monologues, the occasional pan to her sneakers, fresh Nikes from a sponsorship deal. A captive audience in the palm of her hand, she does not once look away from her screen. She boils the pot, steams and brings us along with her, smartphone and ringlight disappearing beneath the blanket. The play’s climax is a literal one – a ‘Yoni Steam’ which sees her straddling the steaming pot, talking to her followers all the while.

Ritual completed, she undoes herself – wig discarded, make-up removed, Nikes placed back in their box to be returned later that day – and allows her true character to emerge. It is the version of herself that she will not allow the world to see. To be a celebrity, though, is to forgo privacy and accept hypervisibility, even when you’re at your most vulnerable.

– David Mann

CREDITS:

CONCEPTUALISERS & WRITERS | Khanyisile Ngwabe & Faniswa Yisa
DIRECTOR | Khanyisile Ngwabe
PERFORMER | Faniswa Yisa