Mbongeni Ngema is here, ready for the stage

William Charlton Perkins (R) and Africa Ngema listening to Mbongeni Ngema’s speech.

EZULWINI – South African master of theatre, Mbongeni Ngema arrived in the country on Thursday to present his new stage play titled ‘The Zulu’.

Soon after his arrival, Ngema and his team hosted a media briefing where he addressed local journalists at the Royal Swazi Sun Gigi’s Restaurant. He will be presenting the stage play starting tonight at the Convention Centre until August 25, 2013.
The play is directed by Christopher John, designed by Sarah Roberts and produced by Africa Ngema.

It is presented by the Committed Artists Foundation in partnership with SABC 1, with funding from the South African National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF).
The production sees Ngema, one of the giants of South African theatre, returning to the stage as an actor for the first time in 27 years. It’s a major event on the South African cultural calendar, providing an unforgettable opportunity for audiences of all ages to come face-to-face with the stirring background of the historic Zulu nation.

During the media briefing, Ngema gave journalists some lessons about the Zulu nation and why it is regarded as the most powerful all over the world.

overseas

“Whenever I go overseas and I tell people that I am a South African, the first thing that they want to know is if I am a Zulu. They ask that question because the Zulus have an incredible history, mainly because of their historic triumph over the British Empire. Many of you were not born but once you watch my new play, you will get to know more,” he said.

Ngema explained that he decided to share the experience with the Swazi nation because he believed that Swaziland was home for him.
He said those who would watch the play will not be disappointed as it is top class.

“The Zulu follows the story of my musical of the same title, only in more depth. It has been in the creative pipeline for several years. It is inspired by the experiences I had as a small child, listening to the wonderful stories of heroic deeds that my great-grandmother shared with me. It is because of her that I have followed a career in theatre,” said Ngema.

...explains why KwaMagogo production was stalled

EZULWINI – The political situation in South Africa is the main reason why the Number 43 Kwa-Magogo production was stalled.

According to Mbongeni Ngema, the production had to be stopped because of political forces which were beyond his control.

“We were about to finish the whole project but this happened at a time when the whole of South Africa was focusing on the Mangaung Conference yet most of our sponsors were high-profile politicians so we had no choice but to stop,” he said.

Ngema was responding to a question posed by SBIS popular spinner DJ Bobo.
“We still want to continue and finish the project but it needs a lot of money and energy. It was painful to cancel it especially because we were about six months into final production but we were left with no choice,” Ngema said.

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