Mbongeni Ngema
| Mbongeni Ngema | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 1, 1956 Verulam, KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa |
| Occupation | Playwright, writer, composer, director, producer |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | South African |
| Notable works | Woza Albert! |
Mbongeni Ngema (born 1 June 1956) is a South African writer, lyricist, composer, director and theatre producer, born in Verulam, KwaZulu-Natal (near Durban). He started his career as a theatre backing guitarist.
He was previously married to actress Leleti Khumalo, who received a 1988 Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical for Sarafina!, as well as starring in the leading role in South Africa's first Oscar-nominated film Yesterday.
He co-wrote the multi-award winning Woza Albert!
Born in Verulem 1956 and raised in the heart of Zululand, Mbongeni Ngema has distinguished himself as a renowned playwright, screenwriter and librettist. He is best known as the Writer of the internationally acclaimed and award-winning musical Sarafina!, which was nominated for five Tony Awards, and later nominated for the prestigious Grammy Awards. The musical won 11 NAACP Image Awards enjoyed a two-year run on Broadway, toured the USA, Europe, Australia and Japan and was later adapted into a feature film starring Whoopi Goldberg, Leleti Khumalo and Miriam Makeba.
Ngema has had a string of blockbusters that include his award-winning and internationally revered Woza Albert, Township Fever (1990), which travelled from the Market Theatre to the USA the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Majestic Theatre; Mama (1995), Asinamali (1996), Maria Maria (1997), The Zulu – the musical (1999), 1906 Bhambada The Freedom Fighter, The House of Shaka (2005) and The Lion of the East (2006).
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