Telling the true life story of two Hanover Park women aims to raise awareness and funds for a local project.
Having endured their fair share of trials and triumphs, Delcarmi Domingos and Martina Martin will brave the stage in a First Community Resource Centre arts and culture production held at the Artscape Opera House next month.
A partnership with the Artscape for the past few years means the organisation has been offered the spot for this fundraising initiative.
“We did an awareness drive on sexual violence with the Artscape on CTV. They then realised that we were doing arts and culture, and they invited us to do a production at the Artscape,” says Pastor Craven Engel of First Community Resource Centre.
They performed Not just a cinderella story, an awarness production for youth in March 2019, followed by Don’t miss your turning point in 2020 ahead of the national lockdown and have now been invited back this year.
This year, they will tell Martin and Domingos’ story in She’s a Fighter. The production will also feature around 70 Hanover Park locals ranging from ages six to 60.
Drug addiction, gender-based violence (GBV), xenephobia, children, family life, violence on the Cape Flats, child trafficking, fatherless homes, HIV, teenage pregnancy and the general struggles women face will take centre stage, ultimately delivering a message of hope, healing and restoration.
Having both had their struggles with drug addiction, their recovery has created a story of resilience and recovery.
“These are all issues we encountered growing up. These are some of the things that derailed us, like not having our fathers in our lives growing up. We got involved in drugs and gangsterism. As a drug addict on the Cape flats, there is no hope for you, but through it all, we overcame,” says Martin.
Both are mothers. Domingos also lost her children to Angola, where their father took them from her while she was still addicted to drugs. Her desire to be with them and fly to Angola where she did not know the language or where her children were added to the journey and will be depicted in the play.
Now both recovered, they hope their story will inspire others.
“Do not let your circumstances define you. Don’t let your circumstances hold you back from living out what is inside of you. Sometimes we have a dream, but we are too scared to live it out, because of our circumstances. It’s not impossible,” Martin encourages.
Domingos adds: “There is hope. In every dark tunnel there is hope, you just need to press through, hope and believe in yourself and God. Never give up. Even when life throws bad at you, keep on trusting and pushing through. Sometimes the situations and circumstances and challenges you are faced with doesn’t make sense when we try to figure it out on our own. That is where we tend to hurt ourselves. Trust in the unseen. Without God, you won’t be able to fight this fight.”
The show will be on at the Artscape on Friday 4 and Saturday 5 March at 18:00.
Tickets are available via computicket at R100 per person. The funds raised will aid projects run by First Community Resource Centre, including a home for vulnerable children.
