Sizwe Banzi Is Dead: when a name becomes a sentence

To survive apartheid, Sizwe takes a dead man’s name in Réggis Silva’s staging, running Feb 26–Mar 29 at Galpão do Folias

Written by Athol Fugard, John Kani, and Winston Ntshona in 1972, “Sizwe Banzi Is Dead” confronts the dehumanization created by racial segregation in South Africa. In this new Brazilian production, actor Réggis Silva brings the story forward to talk about anti-Black oppression that still shapes everyday life.

Sizwe Banzi Is Dead opens a run in São Paulo

The run includes 20 performances, from February 26 to March 29, 2026, at Galpão do Folias. Shows are Thursday to Saturday at 8pm, and Sundays at 7pm.

Two performances will include accessibility resources, with Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) and audio description.

Réggis Silva shares the stage with Carlos Francisco, featured in the feature film “O Agente Secreto” and named Best Actor at Brazil’s Grande Prêmio do Cinema Brasileiro (2023) for “Marte Um”. Direction comes from Ricardo Rodrigues, known for “Prot{agô}nistas – O Movimento Negro no Picadeiro”.

Djélis, griots, and a stage built around the word

The production draws from West African storytelling traditions centered on the djélis, often described in Brazil as griots. As a result, performance and narration stay at the core of the staging.

“The axis of creation is the actors’ work. That’s why we want to highlight the power of words. In that sense, the idea is that nothing distracts from the acting, which will result in a non-excessive set with multi-use elements,” says Réggis Silva.

Music is by rapper Rincon Sapiência, bridging oral memory and contemporary Brazilian sound.

Identity under pressure: Styles’ studio as a battleground

Set sometime across apartheid’s four decades, Styles’ photo studio in Port Elizabeth becomes the center of an intimate human journey. Under the crack of flashes, Sizwe Banzi looks for a place to breathe.

Yet the system pushes him toward an extreme solution: changing his identity. To provide for his family, he gives up his own name and takes on Robert Zwelinzima’s—someone who has died—hoping that borrowed papers can open a future.

In this reading, photography becomes more than proof of control. It also turns into a record of courage, a way to insist on existence when power tries to erase it.

“We believe offering a Brazilian perspective on apartheid, a topic so relevant that it affects people worldwide, is extremely important. Unfortunately, segregation still leaves its marks,” adds Réggis Silva.

The project “Sizwe Banzi Is Dead” was selected in the Fomento CULTSP PNAB public call No. 22/2024.

Talkbacks and the Teatralidades Negras workshop

Alongside the performances, the team will hold post-show conversations with audiences about the creative process and the work’s artistic, narrative, historical, and social layers.

Another track is the training workshop “Teatralidades Negras,” led by historian and PhD Salloma Salomão, offering 50 spots for a diverse group.

Guided by works from Leda Maria Martins and Adriana Paixão, sessions address the exploitation of Blackness, readings of Black artists’ works, Afro-diasporic performativities, and the study of Black theaters and their aesthetics, culminating in a discussion of contemporary Black dramaturgies.

Synopsis

When a corpse’s identity becomes the only way another man can survive, it’s a sign that some societies must reinvent themselves. With sensitivity, affection, and humor, the play reveals oppression’s effects and a Black man’s fight for dignity inside a system that denies the right to simply exist.

Service

Sizwe Banzi Is Dead

Dates: February 26 to March 29, 2026, Thursday to Saturday at 8pm, Sundays at 7pm

Venue: Galpão do Folias – Rua Ana Cintra, 213 – Campos Elíseos

Phone: (11) 3361-2223

Tickets: R$ 20 (full)/ R$ 10 (half-price)

Running time: 70 minutes

Age rating: 14+

Photo: Kim Leekyung