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An immersive stage production brought the story of Nabi Musa to life, inviting audiences into a journey of courage, faith and trust in Allah through humour, visual storytelling and careful dramatic representation for all.
By YASEEN BARDIEN
Actors moved between the seats as the audience watched and reacted. When Firaun’s men began searching for newborn boys, they searched among the crowd too.
The scene was part of Fusion Inyameko Foundation SA’s production The Life of Musa (AS), staged at the Joseph Stone Auditorium in Athlone.
“Nabi Musa is one of the most powerful and relatable stories in the Quran,” said Sadeka Abdol.
Abdol, a co-founder of the Fusion Inyameko Foundation SA, said the story’s themes of courage, standing up against injustice and trusting Allah (SWT) when the way forward seems impossible were relevant to young people today.
“We didn’t want the audience to simply sit in the dark and watch a story happen on a stage. We wanted them to feel as though they were part of the journey,” she said.
The production had school shows on Monday and Tuesday before its final sold-out show on Saturday, September 26.
Junaid Benjamin, who played Firaun, wanted audiences to dislike his character. He was booed during the school shows and again at the Saturday performance.
“It was exactly the reaction I wanted,” he said.
After the Saturday performance, a grandmother told Benjamin her grandchildren had been so frightened by his first scene that they wanted to go home.
“I felt a little bad but at the same time, this is exactly the message that I want to get across,” he said.
Nathier Harris, who attended the production, said it was the first time he had seen a story he learned as a child performed on stage.
“I’ve never actually been to a production where the story actually came to life. This is the first time that I’m actually seeing it come to life,” he said.
Harris said the story reflected how people can go off track, realise they were wrong and find their way back.
For Khadeejah Kaffoor, it was the small details that stood out.
“It’s the small details they give … to make it more realistic and visual for the kids,” she said.
She noticed a child in the audience who was “completely mesmerised” by the performance.
Ustaadh Munsif Gallie, who played Nabi Musa (AS), had hoped to play the role if Fusion Inyameko Foundation SA ever staged the story.
Gallie prepared for the role by studying the story of Musa (AS) in the Quran.
“I can relate to Nabi Musa a lot. For one thing it’s the fact that we both share the same speech impediment,” he said.
Gallie said visual storytelling gave the audience a fuller picture.
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“By telling someone something, you get half a picture, but by expressing it and showing it, they get the full picture,” he said.
Abdol said the use of humour and modern references was deliberate.
“Because that is how we communicate with young people today,” she said.
She said the aim was to make the story feel less distant and help audiences connect with the characters before the serious moments.
“Our intention wasn’t to change the story. It was to change the way we invite people into the story,” she said.
But staging the story also came with a responsibility to represent it carefully.
“There is a responsibility that comes with putting a Prophet’s story on a stage, and we took that responsibility seriously,” she said.
Benjamin said the story showed that there is a way forward even when people feel trapped.
“Whatever situation we’re in, just supplicate to Allah and He will make a way for you like He opened the sea for Musa,” he said.
Abdol hoped the production would make children want to learn more about Musa (AS).
“If one child goes home and opens the Quran to read the story of Nabi Musa because they want to know what happened next, then we believe the production has achieved something meaningful,” Abdol said.
