10 May 1955
On this day Mbongeni Ngema was born in Kwazulu Natal. He has distinguished himself as a renowned playwright, screenwriter and librettist. He is best known for writing the internationally acclaimed and award-winning musical, Sarafina! which was nominated for five Tony Awards and later also for the Grammy Awards. Some of his most successful plays include Woza Albert, Township Fever and Mama. He was inducted in the New York “Walk of Fame” in 1998, as one of the most revered writers of the 21st Century. During the African Renaissance Festival in 2001, his name was engraved on the entrance of the City Hall in Durban, alongside those of Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Miriam Makeba and other heroes of the liberation struggle.[1] End Notes [1]MbongeniNgema, Available Online: http://bimba.co.za/mbongeni-ngema (30 May 2017). ↵