“I leave no stone unturned; even on rainy days the stage gets dusty.” ~ Kedibone Mohapi
They used to say dynamite comes in small packages. But they’ve stopped now. Maybe they realised that dynamite doesn’t even need a package. It is explosive by destiny, no matter how it looks like.
Take Kedibone, for instance. Kedibone Mohapi: a young woman on a path to make a name for herself in the performing arts industry.
She is the bomb—and she knows it: “I am not just an actress. I am a poet, dancer and a vocalist. And when it comes to poetry, I play and throw words not to impress but express myself with my serenading voice. I leave no stone unturned; even on rainy days the stage gets dusty.”
If this is flowery, then you haven’t seen her character on Love, Crime and Johannesburg. She plays Bibi Khuzwayo, a side-chick with main-chick tendencies for Jimmy “Long Legs” Mangane (TK Da Poet).
This sassy gold digger shares her man with quite a few women, most notably Lulu (Saree), a liberal love-struck white woman.
We see Kedibone twice on stage, and with every scene she leaves us drooling for more of her street cheekiness typical of “basadi ba Gauteng”.
“What I love about this character is that she is a bubbly person (in a very loud way though). She is fun and a bundle of drama. She speaks her mind and gets what she wants any time.”
Kedibone knows that her stage presence is permanent. She tells Art State: “I am cooking something that will leave everyone asking about Kedibone Mohapi.”
Born and bred in the City of Roses, Kedibone is a proper “flower of the revolution”. She has successfully written her name boldly in the hearts of theatre-loving citizens through her roles in The Laptop Boy and Ntsu.
The Laptop Boy is a musical play directed by Godfrey Manenye and Karabelo Platjie, which aired at the Free State Arts Festival. In Ntsu, directed by Keneilwe Jaase, Kedibone played the lead role of Mantshebo. And now, in the Love, Crime and Johannesburg script, she owns a character of prominence too (#BlackGirlMagic e reng ngwaneng?)
The road ahead is promising for Kedibone. At just 21, she has built a solid foundation for herself, and from now onwards she can only go higher. Age and talent are on her side, and she understands the psychology of success: confidence, passion,
character and constant improvement. With this mindset, soon her theatre hero, John Kani, will watch her live on some of the country’s biggest platforms.
But for now, take advantage of the anointing and book your seat to watch this dynamite at PACOFS on 22 MARCH 2018 when Love, Crime and Johannesburg officially opens for public viewing.
