Woza Albert!: characters

Main Characters

Morena: The character of Morena is the representation of Jesus Christ returning to the modern world. His portrayal explores themes of hope, deliverance and salvation.
Percy and Mbongeni: These are the only two human characters in the play, South African men who perform all the roles, leading the audience through a series of skits.

Bafana: A young boy who dreams about Morena’s return and the liberation it would bring. His character mirrors the hope and optimism of South African society under the oppressive regime.
Mrs. Pienaar: A White South African character who is used to satirise the misconceptions and fears of the white majority.
Barney: A parody of the white elite, drawn as brutal and indifferent towards the sufferings of the black population.

Percy and Mbongeni are multi-faceted characters, dynamically shifting roles, thus representing a wide range of South African society, including both blacks and whites.
These transitions require a great deal of physicality and expression, making ‘Woza Albert!’ a demanding performance.
The dynamic range of characters played by Percy and Mbongeni are used as tools to critique the Apartheid system.
Meanwhile, Morena is depicted as a God like figure, a beacon of hope in the midst of societal bleakness. He is a constant, contrasting the other characters’ shifting roles and identities.
The minor characters are caricatures, embodying aspects of society under the oppressive regime and allowing the playwright to critique the apartheid system.

A key element of ‘Woza Albert!’ is the representation of characters, which is achieved mainly through the physicality of the actors.
Many different characters are represented using a minimal set and props, requiring the audience to actively engage and interpret the story.
This minimalist style helps focus attention on the core themes and the struggle faced by the characters under the apartheid regime.