Rebecca Malope Confesses She Wanted To Kill Herself After She Was Raped
When queen of gospel music Rebecca Malope stages her musical in two weeks she will reveal her painful past to the public for the first time.
Among the painful experiences that will be part of the musical, Angingedwa: This Is My Story is how she could not walk until she was eight years old.
Malope was born infected by a rare bacteria that attacked her lower body. She was confined to a wheelchair, and doctors believed she would never be able to walk.
“I am grateful to God that I can walk with both my legs, and even wear high heel shoes. I believe that my healing was miraculous.”
The musical is set to be staged at the Carnival City in Brakpan on December 3.
Malope said it would be a three-hour show.
She said the musical was written, directed, choreographed and produced by herself. The music star said she decided to pen the story herself because it was her story and she understood it better than anyone else.
The pint-sized singer was forced to dig deep into her own pocket to fund the show and the rehearsals due to lack of funding. With a cast of 30 actors, the musical is a fusion of drama, dance and singing.
Malope said the writing process was difficult because it forced her to revisit her painful past and sometimes she cried. She said even at the rehearsals, the cast broke down a number of times because the story is too close to reality.
The award-winning singer revealed that among the painful experiences she had to remember was that she was raped at a young age.
Though she did not want to reveal the details, she said it happened before she worked for a tobacco farm in Mpumalanga.
“I have tried to include most of the highlights of my life because they are too many. At some point, I wanted to kill myself because I was hurting inside.”
“The show seeks to show people that whatever pain you are experiencing, killing yourself is not a solution.”
The queen of gospel music regards the musical as a healing process that is also set to heal a lot of people when it is staged.
Malope hosted auditions early this year looking for fresh talent to feature in the show. The character of Rebecca will be played by three people.
“We feature a seven-year-old who portrays me when I was young. There is also a 19-year-old who will continue with my story, and the last part will be played by me.”
In a career that spans 30 years, Malope has won numerous national and international awards, released 35 successful albums, and been presented with an honorary doctorate.
