THE Talents Theatre Company have started a series of rehearsal performances to stage a play entitled, "The Black Star" as a prelude to the climax of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the independence of Ghana. The title of the play is taken from a book written by a Nigerian writer and diplomat in the early 1970’s, Uwa Hunwick and the setting is a hypothetical newly independent African country-Songhai. The play is originally scheduled to be staged at the end of this month but organisers are still not certain as the Ghana @50 Secretariat which is expected to sponsor the show has not yet given any concrete response to a sponsorship proposal by the organisers. The "Black Star", which chronicles the culture, tradition and politics of Songhai and by extension Africa, details the zeal of a newly elected African leader whose contemporary political connoisseurs have interpreted to mean the first President of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, who is set to champion the liberation and total independence of all black Africa from colonialism. The play is a three-hour long non-stop total theatre comprising drama, music and dance with full live band support. It is a 50-member cast and crew including actors, dancers and musicians and features the cream of Ghanaian star performers. They include David Dontoh, Abi Adatsi, Edinam Atatsi, Ernest Youngmann and Kofi Asamoah. Others are Theo Oklu, Kwame Gaddago, Comfort Addo (Mootso) and Myna Otoo as well as many new sensational stars. The play is a satire of early African politicians but also gives a clear situation of contemporary African politicians. The hero is unyielding in his quest to ensure that not only Songhai but the entire Africa is liberated in all forms. He acts with such swiftness in the planning and implementation of his policies that his subjects could hardly move with him. There is an irony in his character in the sense that while sitting in the driving seat and moving his people at an incredibly fast pace towards total liberation, he continues to borrow huge sums of money from developed countries to facilitate his development agenda. At one of the rehearsal ceremonies at the Military Band Line near the 37 Military Hospital in Accra on Tuesday, Mr. David Dontoh, the Artistic Director of the play noted that celebrating Ghana @50 without a perfect and properly chronicled history of the country would be a failure. He said the play will not only give fun to people but will also enable a lot of the younger generation to see the politics of the newly independent Africa and thereby add to their body of knowledge. He said it will also be a fine opportunity when so many people from various parts of the world are expected to come down to have a feel of the rich Ghanaian and African culture, tradition and innovative theatre industry. Mr. Dontoh therefore appealed to the Ghana @ 50 Secretariat to sponsor the show to make it the grand occasion that they want it to be. Times