Chronicle Editor
Nkululeko Innocent Dube
IT is going to take a while to come to terms with the tragic demise of legendary, veteran and iconic actor, musician and producer Mbongeni “Madlokovu” Ngema. Referring to him in past tense is so difficult but then as George Elliot once said, “Our dead are never dead to us until we have forgotten them.”
Madlokovu is not dead for he shall not be forgotten. In one of his latest interviews Mbongeni himself said, “My work will outlive me, 100 years from now people will still be performing Sarafina. It’s fantastic to know that you’ve written work that will never die. That people can give it life beyond yourself.” How prophetic.
The legacy Mbongeni Ngema leaves behind speaks for itself. To hundreds of creatives and myself included he was a mentor and a huge inspiration to what we have become. We cannot tell our stories in a sentence let alone a paragraph without a mention of his work and name. Ngema was like a womb that gave birth to many careers not only in South Africa but across the globe. For some he did not even need to meet them to inspire them. His work was that addictive like a drug.
He gave many young ambitions a chance. He incubated dreams and turned them to reality. Madlokovu as he was affectionately called in his totems discovered and mentored a lot of talent that now rules the creative, film and stage industry to date. Among those are the likes of Lelethi Khumalo, Uzalo’s Baby Cele, The River’s Sindi Dlathu, Somizi Mhlongo, Dumisani Dlamini (eHostela) and many more.
He also worked with a lot of industry greats like Quincy Jones, Miriam Makeba, John Kani, Lebo M, Hugh Masekela, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Anant Singh, Moses Ngwenya, Third World and Whoopi Goldberg among many more.
Dr Ngema’s network was like a web. From the streets of Broadway in New York to his homeland in Zululand, he was adored, respected and idolised for his work.
One can easily run out of superlatives in trying to describe Mbongeni Ngema. He was a hardworking, workaholic who believed the only way to achieve what you wanted was to stand up and go and get it.
He was not shy to speak about how he literally camped at Gibson Kente’s place for a chance to realise his dreams. Ngema excelled without formal education in art and theatre. Dr Shongwe once described him as a graduate from the university of Hard Knocks. He blossomed into a multi-dimensional creative, a playwright, choreographer, lyricist, actor himself, musician, composer, director, producer, you name it he did it to pure excellence. He simply distinguished himself as a griot who cannot be compared to any other.
Knowing Ngema in person came with a price. It felt like putting on oversized shoes and trying to walk in them. He could be intimidating without saying a word. Dr Ngema was impatient with time and practical in ethics. He was an old school teacher who was so demanding of results and full of energy, of course he was empathetic but usually forthright with the truth.
He would never involve himself with anything he felt had no value to the empowerment of society, history, culture, tradition and many other things that were close to his heart. He was enigmatic like that. I was to meet him again when he, Albert Nyathi, the late Cont Mhlanga mooted the idea of creating a musical on King Mzilikazi.
He did not hesitate to take a flight to Bulawayo because to him the culture and history of our people was so dear to him and the connectivity with Zululand to this region meant a lot to him too. The project remains in the pipeline and sadly him and “Umalume” Cont Mhlanga have departed before the curtain goes up. Surely, they will be credited when the time comes.
Ngema wrote and produced many productions that have become reference even to top academics in universities all over the world. Without his permission knowing he would probably refuse, he is going to be the Shakespeare of our times and our continent.
His productions included Asinamali (1987), Sarafina! (1988), Magic at 4 AM (1993), Circle of Life (African voices) (1995), Mama (1996), Sarafina! 2 (1997), Nikeziwe (2005), The House of Shaka (2006), Lion of the East (2009), The Zulu (2013).
Mbongeni Ngema was a hands-on workaholic and perfectionist who was so thorough and strict with his craft. It is no surprise that he named his institution “The Committed Artists”. His footprints are all over the beautiful stories of African Music and theatre globally.
As I also travelled across the world watching productions especially from South Africa, theatre houses, actors, producers and directors all had something to say about his influence in their careers. A mention of his name gives substance to one’s profile and CV. He even contributed to productions like Lion King. Despite his growth Ngema always insisted that one should never ignore the basics and he remained grounded by humility.
To him the death of theatre is going to be the death of real acting. He criticised new school actors who dismissed theatre for fame that comes with film and television and always warned creatives that there are no quick gains to stardom.
For many in Zimbabwe Mbongeni Ngema is known for his song Stimela SaseZola and of course the movie Sarafina which recently returned to big screens and digital platforms like Netflix. His co-production Woza Albert has also been adapted and performed all over the world. Before it was even adapted to film Sarafina The Musical became the clarion voice of the disenfranchised in South Africa.
It was the first play performed and directed by black South Africans to appear in Broadway theatre, or Broadway in New York City in the US. Dr Ngema used art as a weapon to conscientise his compatriots to agitate for the downfall of the apartheid regime, as well as to mobilise the international community to exert pressure on the apartheid government to end its tyranny.
Ngema’s creativity has been the kind of giant talent with a tremendous ripple effect that will no doubt reverberate for a very long time. Sarafina, Woza Albert and many more of his productions will be the Macbeths, the Romeo and Juliet’s and Julius Caesars’ of years to come out of Africa.
Madlokovu was a prolific composer. I have an insatiable appetite for his music.
He had a clear signature in his music and mostly his music explored love, history, culture and politics. Once upon a time his song AmaNdiya stirred serious controversy as he raised uncomfortable questions about Indians in South Africa.
That’s a story for another day. He always said that music should be rooted in your culture. He loved melodious choruses, the keyboard and guitar in his music and put so much effort and detail to its perfection. He recorded a lot of traditional music from different cultures and tribes and war cries. I don’t remember any of his stage productions in which music and dance did not play a major role. He never cut corners in his recordings. He paid so much attention to detail.
Mbongeni Ngema was not without his controversies as a human being and there are times in his career that were seized by difficult circumstances. For a man of his stature and fame this was bound to happen. Madlokovu in lighter moments was an avid storyteller and he would give you a new name each time you met him over a glass of whiskey of course. This was no surprise for me considering how many people he met every day who were in awe of his work and presence.
Mbongeni Ngema died in a car accident on 27 December 2023, while returning from a funeral in Lusikiki, Eastern Cape, South Africa. He was 68 at the time of his death.
May his soul rest in eternal peace and may his legacy be remembered for generations to come. His story belongs to none but all.
ν Nkululeko Innocent Dube is the founder and director of Iyasa Dance Group.
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