Analytical Essay on the Theme of Home in John Kani’s Play ‘Nothing but the Truth’ – Free Essay Example

In John Kani’s play ‘Nothing but the Truth’, the word ‘home’ means the same to Thando, Mandisa, Sipho, and Themba. To all of them ‘home’, was an enjoyable place where they live, laugh, and learn. It is where they are loved, respected, and cared for. It also places where they originated, where their ancestors and all their family are.

Though Themba did not come home after being released from exile because of problems he caused for himself by “sleeping with Sipho’s wife” (page 49), things that he said to Mandisa show that he had a love for his home (South Africa). In the play, we found Mandisa says that her late father regarded England’s home as a house, a place where she lives not home. Her real home is in Africa, South Africa, where she belongs. He used to call her an African princess. Themba, when he was alive, described his home to Mandisa; she says her father said that “this house is everything…the bookshelves, pictures on the wall even the smell” (page 17). All this shows that Themba had a love for his home, to him it means a lot, even though he did not come back, he never forgot where he came from. He even wanted to be buried there. When Themba takes a decision, or a career for someone or himself, he always put his home first, which is South Africa. Mandisa says: “Father wanted me to study medicine there is a shortage of doctors at home, he always reminded about the needs of home, South Africa” (page 18). This shows that Themba had much love for his home in South Africa because he always talks about it to his daughter Mandisa. As I described, home is a place where you are loved, respected, and care for. Themba was loved and worshiped in the township since “he was a comrade, a man of struggle” (page 4). They even blame him for the death of Luvuyo who is Sipho’s son, “Luvuyo worshiped uncle Themba, he wanted to be just like him so when uncle Themba left the country he stepped to his shoes” (page 20). So, to Themba, a home means a place where he is loved, and where they are people who exactly want to be like him. Though Themba was in London, he did keep on fighting against apartheid and “worked with the anti-apartheid and the ANC”. This means that home (South Africa) for Themba meant a lot, it was the only thing that comes first to him.

Mandisa loves South Africa a lot, she spent a lot of time trying to know about her country. As she studies fashion design, she has a hope that “her designs could use some African influence” (page 18). She even wanted to spend a week in Johannesburg to learn about African designers to Nandipha Madikiza who was the best fashion designer during that time. She wants to take South African designs to London. Home, which is South Africa means everything to Mandisa, when her father talks about it, she uses to “feel so African” (page 16).

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Thando also loves her country, her home township, New Brighton. It even became hard for her to leave the country for London with Mandisa for two weeks. She also did not agree even to go with her to Johannesburg, but as time goes on, we found her agreed to go with her to Johannesburg.

To Sipho home it means a lot, he loved home, to him home is a place where he does not even want to leave, he grew up there, became old, and surely, he will die in South Africa, New Brighton Street at Port Elizabeth. At the library where he works, he was in charge of African books: “Mrs. Mayers put me in charge of the African section, which had three shelves next to the comic books stand”. He wanted to be in control of everything that touches Africa. He had a wish of owning a library in his hometown, New Beighton, “on Monday I am going to ask my president to give me money to build the first public African library in New Brighton township for my people” (page 59). Sipho always has positive wishes for his home township, all this shows that New Brighton means everything to him.

For all the characters of John Kani’s play ‘Nothing but the Truth’, home was everything to them, even though they showed it in a different way since the two characters which are Sipho and Mandisa were not in their country for more than 20 years, but home, family and New Brighton township were always on their mind, Sipho was always talking about it now and then.