Mbongeni Ngema, a visionary and pioneer in South African theatre arts, music, and film, died in a car accident on December 27. He was 68 years old.
Ngema gained fame as a playwright, composer, and director, known for creating works that vividly captured the struggles, hopes, and dreams of Black South Africans under apartheid.
His most successful and internationally acclaimed work was the stage musical SARAFINA!, which he created with fellow South African icon Hugh Masekela.
Ngema wrote and directed the theatre production which premiered on Broadway in 1988.
Set during the 1976 Soweto uprising and featuring a young Leleti Khumalo in the lead role, SARAFINA! was a major success, nominated for five Tony Awards and winning 11 NAACP Image Awards. It also received a Grammy Award nomination.
The musical enjoyed a long run on Broadway and toured in the US, Europe, Australia, and Japan. In 1992, it was adapted into a feature film starring Whoopi Goldberg, Miriam Makeba, and Khumalo, directed by Darrell Roodt. Premiering in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival, it was acquired by Miramax and released in the U.S. grossing $7.3M in North America.
In South Africa, it was the fourth-highest-grossing film for the year of its release.
Ngema’s other notable works included TOWNSHIP FEVER, MAMA, ASINAMALI, MARIA MARIA, THE ZULU, 1906 BHAMBADA THE FREEDOM FIGHTER, THE HOUSE OF SHAKA, and THE LION OF THE EAST.
Throughout his career, Ngema received numerous honors and awards, including the Presidential Order of Ikhamanga in Silver in 2008, and a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Naledi Theatre Awards in 2011. He was also appointed as a visiting lecturer at the University of Zululand in 1997.
His contributions to the arts and the narratives he created about life under apartheid have left an indelible mark on South African culture and history.
A memorial service was held on January 3, 2024, at the Durban Playhouse in Durban, South Africa. The archived stream is embedded below.