Born African is, undeniably, Over the Edge's most successful production to date. Written by Kevin Hanssen, Wiina (Lucian) Msamati and Craig Peter, with additional material by Adam Neill. It was directed by Zane E. Lucas.
The show has many characters, each actor playing multiple parts, but it centres around the lives of three people living in Zimbabwe: a white lawyer, a coloured youth and a black servant. The production used minimal set and costume, with the donning of a single item of clothing being enough to change character. The three cast members all wore black face paint, in order to bring the characters to the same level.
The show's main strength was its portrayal of ordinary people in Zimbabwe, a view that is rarely seen in other countries. The show also portrayed lesser well known issues, such as black on black violence, mixed-race relationships and colonial hangovers. The show's central focus, on the other hand, was what it actually meant to "Be African". The show ends with the characters thinking of leaving Zimbabwe, but realising that they were "born African" and deciding to stay.
The play was first shown at the Harare Internation Festival of the Arts (HIFA), before it was reworked and shown at the 2001 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It was critically acclaimed and the cast were nominated for "Best Ensemble" in The Stage Awards.
Read more about this topic: Over The Edge (Zimbabwe)