‘Twak!’ returns with less oomph

The first time I saw ‘Twak! of the Nation’, the theatrical satire that pokes fun at Namibian personalities and our national broadcaster, I thought it was such a brilliant piece that I wasn’t surprised when the show ‘Big Fish Small Fish’ was brought back ‘by popular demand.’

But I was disappointed with the ‘rebroadcast’ last week because not only had I expected the producers of this popular show to iron out some shortcomings that were obvious in their first presentation, such as an awkward ending and some roles that needed to be ditched. To add insult to injury, the hilarious role of Marvelina !Goagoses (played by Anna Louw) was shortened while her sexy short skirt from the previous episode was replaced by a longer dress. Did the instruction come from a higher authority? Even Louw’s excellent double role as the weather lady Jennifer Moetnie, couldn’t compensate for the redaction. It was !Goagoses with her deep southern accent and that short dress that had distracted the Twak! Master (played by Ndemufayo Kaxuxuena) and sent some audience gasping for air while others laughed their guts out at the awkwardly convincing situation in which The Twak! Master found himself. And why was the Twak! Master not stuttering anymore as he was trying to say the word co…co…corruption? Is it now more acceptable?If I had read the invitation correctly, actor David !Nanub was supposed to be the new Twak! Master. Not that Kaxuxuera didn’t do his job well, but I was looking forward to fresh laughs – if you have seen !Nanub on stage before, you know that he could breathe new life into that character. Also, Norman Job’s role as the unruly cameraman was also a waste because, given his talent, he could have done justice to the role of Mr Phil Ya Ntropic, Mr Nogal Paulus of the Anti-Corruption Commission or even the Ombudsman. But what is peculiar is that while the show is losing its yeast, the opposite is happening at our national broadcaster which was the root of all the ridicule. Suddenly, NBC is more organised; it has a ‘new and improved’ look with a more professional news studio decor, better branding and we even see more advertising, unlike Twak!’s only ‘white toothpaste commercial’. However, the stories still need some work.Perhaps this could be the theme of Twak!’s new episode: Explaining the sudden changes at the NBC after the former DG was sent off unceremoniously. ‘Twak! of the Nation’ is bigger than many of us may realise; it could be the birth of satires and sitcoms in Namibia. But that can only happen if its writers, producers and directors keep up with the changing times.