ABSTRACT
A peripatetic musician links the two temporal worlds as the title sequence draws us into an unnamed East African state. The singer's theme is Africa, the raw timbre of his voice summoning a sense of the continent's suffering through the ages. The structure of Besieged can be likened to that of chamber music in the interweaving of all the elements that carry its themes. The painful personal sacrifice necessary to make way for the psychological changes that Kinsky and Shandurai are undergoing does more than open up the inner world of each independently. In many great narratives, sacrifice does indeed clear the way for rebirth of not only the individual but also the community. However, the personal and the political are already deeply implicated. Winston was arrested simply because he acted out of concern for his pupils, wanting them to recognise the difference between tyranny and leadership.
