Current:Home > InvestMbongeni Ngema, South African playwright and creator of 'Sarafina!,' has died at 68-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Mbongeni Ngema, South African playwright and creator of 'Sarafina!,' has died at 68
View Date:2024-12-23 19:31:57
JOHANNESBURG — Renowned South African playwright, producer and composer Mbongeni Ngema has died in a car crash at the age of 68, his family said.
"Ngema was killed in a head-on car accident while returning from a funeral he was attending in Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape this evening," his family said in a statement Wednesday. The celebrated playwright was a passenger in the vehicle involved in the crash.
He was best known for creating the hit Sarafina! which first premiered on Broadway in 1988. It was adapted into a musical drama starring Whoopi Goldberg in 1992, becoming an international success and was nominated for the Tony and Grammy Awards.
Sarafina! told the story of a young student and how she inspired her peers to fight against racial segregation in apartheid South Africa after her teacher was thrown in jail.
Apartheid was an institutionalized system that discriminated against non-whites and ensured South Africa was ruled by the minority white population from 1948 till the early 1990s.
Ngema's body of work included the lauded theatre production Woza Albert, which first showed in 1981 and went on to win more than 20 awards across the world. The political satire explored the second coming of Jesus Christ as a black man, returning to South Africa as a black man.
Tributes to the noted playwright have been pouring in.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa praised the late Ngema in a statement.
"The many productions he created or to which he contributed inspired resilience and pride among us as fellow South Africans and took South Africa and our continent into the theatres, homes and consciousness of millions of people around the world," Ramaphosa said Thursday.
South Africa's ruling African National Congress party and one of its biggest rivals, the leftist Economic Freedom Fighters both conveyed their condolences.
The ANC said in a statement: "He was a globally acclaimed playwright, composer and producer. We have lost a true legend, a doyen, and a genuine ambassador of theatre."
The Leftist party described him as "more than just an artist; he was a cultural icon, and a beacon of hope during some of our darkest times".
Zizi Kodwa, South African minister of sports, arts and culture Zizi Kodwa said in a tweet Negma's loss was significant to the South African art scene adding that his work "touched and moved audiences around the world and made an important contribution in telling the South African story."
veryGood! (25469)
Related
- 'He's driving the bus': Jim Harbaugh effect paying dividends for Justin Herbert, Chargers
- Adult Survivors Act: Why so many sexual assault lawsuits have been filed under New York law
- Feel Free to Bow Down to These 20 Secrets About Enchanted
- Thanksgiving NFL games winners and losers: 49ers and Cowboys impress, Lions not so much
- Nicole Kidman Reveals the Surprising Reason for Starring in NSFW Movie Babygirl
- Bradley Cooper's 'Maestro' fully captures Bernstein's charisma and complexity
- Lawsuit accuses actor Jamie Foxx of New York City sexual assault in 2015
- Nice soccer player Atal will face trial Dec. 18 after sharing an antisemitic message on social media
- Bodyless head washes ashore on a South Florida beach
- Pakistani shopping mall blaze kills at least 10 people and injures more than 20
Ranking
- 'Treacherous conditions' in NYC: Firefighters battling record number of brush fires
- Caitlin Clark is a scoring machine. We’re tracking all of her buckets this season
- The vital question may linger forever: Did Oscar Pistorius know he was shooting at his girlfriend?
- An early boy band was world famous — until the Nazis took over
- BITFII Introduce
- Person dead after officer-involved shooting outside Salem
- NBA investigating Thunder guard Josh Giddey for allegations involving a minor
- Cleanup, air monitoring underway at Kentucky train derailment site
Recommendation
-
American Idol’s Triston Harper, 16, Expecting a Baby With Wife Paris Reed
-
Nice soccer player Atal will face trial Dec. 18 after sharing an antisemitic message on social media
-
Spoilers! The best Disney references in 'Wish' (including that tender end-credits scene)
-
Biden tells Americans we have to bring the nation together in Thanksgiving comments
-
Engines on 1.4 million Honda vehicles might fail, so US regulators open an investigation
-
Internet casinos thrive in 6 states. So why hasn’t it caught on more widely in the US?
-
56 Black Friday 2023 Deals You Can Still Shop Today: Coach, Walmart, Nordstrom Rack & More
-
Happy Thanksgiving with Adam Savage, Jane Curtin, and more!