IT WAS ironic that I had an opportunity to see Eclipsed, a play about the Liberian civil war during the reign of Charles Taylor, during a week of drama at the war crimes court at the Hague where Taylor is on trial.

The spotlight is on this trial because of the evidence of top model Naomi Campbell, who is embroiled in a blood diamond scandal involving her and Taylor. The former Liberian leader and the beautiful model met in South Africa in 1997 when they came to attend a fundraising dinner for former president Nelson Mandela's children's fund.

The trial heard how, under cover of darkness, the supermodel received a pouch containing "dirty pebbles" ostensibly from the Liberian leader, surreptitiously sent via his henchmen.

Taylor is facing a number of charges, including crimes against humanity, when he was in charge in Liberia.

Eclipsed tells of the brutality against Liberia' s women and children during the civil war. In the play, rebel commanders are portrayed as having no feelings as they hold women, including 15-year-old children, as sex slaves.

This deplorable state of affairs is played out on the stages of the Windybrow Theatre in Hillbrow, Johannesburg. Director Warona Seane interprets the script, written by Zimbabwean-born, US-based actress and writer Danai Gurira's play.

The cruelty of the soldiers is painful to watch becauseEclipsed, in a brutal sort of way, demonstrates how peace among human beings is very fragile and can be taken away so easily and so brutally.

The play shows how the rebels, in trying to overthrow Taylor as Liberia's president, committed some of the worst brutalities one can imagine against the women of Liberia.

Eclipsed is a play that is well worth seeing. Its depiction of violence, brutality, mercilessness and cruelty is poignant and so graphic that it jolts one into understanding why it is so important never ever take peace for granted. The play made me ponder about the inhumanity of man.

Eclipsed will run for the last time this Sunday. I give it four out of five.