★★★★★
“In this country, you think it’s your right to have three meals a day. Me, where I came from? I think it’s a miracle.”
– Mandela Mathia, Performer / Writer
A curved backdrop overlooks several forlorn-looking suitcases of various sizes. Dotted alongside these are crates filled with items. A lone hand percussionist makes his way to this sparse stage setting – an apt introduction to the highly anticipated first staging of Lose to Win here on Jagera and Turrbal land.
Enter Mandela Mathia. Without having to utter a word, his energy is visceral.
With honesty and wit, Mathia self-assuredly takes the audience on a deep dive into his background, beginning in South Sudan via Sudan via Egypt and finally to what he refers to as ‘the promised land,’ aka Australia.
A slightly raised platform takes centre stage as a prop from which this gifted solo performer relates with candour the most significant milestones in his life.
Starting with Mathia’s auspicious birth year when Nelson Mandela (his namesake) became the first black president of South Africa after the dismantling of the divisive apartheid regime.
Mathia visibly reverts to an innocent little boy as he relates his boisterous early years in his village. A dashiki and straw hat, which is deftly removed from one of the crates, is lovingly displayed on the curved backdrop as an ode to the memory of his absent father.
His mood shifts when he remembers the incessant, gnawing hunger he experienced during his childhood.
With unabashed glee, Mathia introduces us to his family members and his adopted mother, Joska Acii Lela, whom he joins in Sudan. He reminisces with fondness about how he became an entrepreneur, aka a shoe polisher, who was able to proudly provide for his family through his hard work while still pursuing his education.
When the war begins to have unbearable repercussions on his family, Egypt beckons, where Mathia unwittingly becomes involved in gang violence.
This is the turning point for this multi-talented performer. With the help of a relative, they apply to migrate to the promised land of their choice, Australia.
Blacktown in Sydney is his first home. As this new chapter of his life unfolds, Mathia is not prepared for the unwanted racism inflicted on the Sudanese community despite embracing the Australian lifestyle.
Mathia is a generous storyteller who, despite the weighty demands of a solo performance, commands the audience’s attention with his extraordinary stage presence.
His is a life story that brims with warmth, humour and pain. Mathia is generous in sharing these via a tightly formatted dialogue, arresting spoken word, engaging song and dance. Hip-hop, as well as traditional dance, are his preferred genres, which he executes smoothly.
Mathia is accompanied by Malin Sylla, an excellent musician whose rhythmic hand percussion completes the dynamic duo’s performance.
Under the direction of Jessica Arthur, Mathia’s unflinching life story is told with incredible detail and empathy. Kate Baldwin’s clever lighting design catapults the audience into a peaceful village, a ravaging war, and a bustling city, accompanied by composer Brendan Boney’s atmospheric soundscape.
Keerthi Subramanyam’s costume designs effectively reflect modern attire (Mathia) juxtaposed against its traditional counterpart (Sylla). While Subramanyam’s set design is sparse, each item plays an integral role in telling Mathia’s story. For example, the suitcases double up as apartment buildings, storage for stage props and even a map of the region!
Australia is a melting pot of diverse ethnicities who have enriched our society with their extraordinary life experiences and rich culture. To choose to leave your country in search of the ‘promised land,’ wherever that might be, in the hope of attaining your dreams is indeed a very brave decision.
So, here’s to all those brave souls who have made that decision willingly, myself included.
Based on the standing ovation, several curtain calls and resounding applause for Lose to Win, for the most part, you have Australia’s respect and admiration.
Did I hear someone say monoculture?
Lose to Win is presented by Belvoir St Theatre and runs to 27 June at the Cremorne Theatre, QPAC. Grey Street South Brisbane Qld 4101.
Tickets are available here.
Website: https://www.qpac.com.au/whats-on/2026/lep-lose-to-win
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/atqpac/
Photo credits: Brett Boardman
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