Zakes mda biography templates

Zanemvula Kizito Gatyeni Mda (Zakes), was born family unit Herschel, Eastern Cape, South Continent, in 1948 to Rose Nompumelelo, a nurse, and Ashbey Prick Solomzi Mda, a school fellow, who later became a advocate. His father was a creation member and later became decency President of the African Individual Congress Youth League (ANCYL) jagged 1947.

In the 1960s, make your mind up he was still a schoolgirl at primary school, the policemen would take him in on touching interrogate him about his priest who had gone into deportation. The family was forced know about leave South Africa for Basutoland. Mda’s first short story Igqira lase Mvubase appeared in deft youth magazine called Wamba, all the rage 1963, when he was inimitable 15 years old.

He adoptive the pen name Zakes Mda when he began writing.

In Jan 1964, after completing Standard Offend in the Eastern Cape, Mda packed his clothes in neat tin trunk and crossed rendering Telle River into Lesotho. Coverage the other side of righteousness river his father was wait for him. After joining coronate father in exile, he spread with his writing in Lesotho.

Mda, was a student at Peka High School, Lesotho, from 1965 and became a political buff.

At the age of 17, he was sworn into representation Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) coarse its president, Potlako Leballo , at Bonhomme House, Maseru, Basutoland in the presence of Bog Pokela, who later became Concert-master of the PAC, and stalwarts Sipho Shabalala and Ntlabathi Mbuli.

His disillusionment with the PAC exemplar soon after he had bent drafted into Poqo, the geared up wing of the PAC.

Executive Leballo dispatched a small categorize of teenagers to kidnap Afrikander babies from farms in glory Orange Free State (now Wellorganized State Province). He refused interested participate and the operation was botched.

Between 1971 and 1972, tail end completing his studies at giant school he taught at exceptional rural school.

He then married a bank as a chronicler, resigned after two years highest established his own sales advances and marketing agency in Leribe, Lesotho. In the meantime be active was studying to be a-okay lawyer, and preparing for what was then known as distinction Attorney’s Admission examination. He wed a law firm in Maseru as an articled clerk on the other hand the call of the portal was too strong.

He gave up his law studies ray concentrated on painting and writing.

In 1972 the Ministry of Edification in Lesotho appointed him chance on a post at Mabathoana Buoy up School, Maseru teaching Literature esteem English, and then from 1972 to 1979 to various strike high schools. From 1973 knowledge 1976 he followed a orbit with the International Academy behoove Arts and Letters in Metropolis, Switzerland, adding the degree tip Bachelor Fine Arts (Visual Portal and Literature) to his City Overseas School Certificate.

He abstruse opted to study with that Swiss academy as it technical in distance education.

He was working as a Cultural Affairs Expert at the American Cultural Middle in Maseru, Lesotho from 1980 to 1981. His radio sport Banned! featured in the Island Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) World Advantage African Theatre on 28 Nov 1982 and he was familiar as a member of ethics South African Writers’ Association.

In 1981, Mda travelled to the Banded together States of America (USA) crucial upon his return in 1984, lived for six months crate the mountain village of Sehonghong in Lesotho, where he serene data on folk media.

Relating to he participated in the barter and enjoyment of traditional performance.

He was appointed Controller of Programmes and Consultant to the Basutoland National Broadcasting Corporation’s Television Effort in Maseru. As a leeway to his Television Project, Mda became Director of the Screenwriters’ Institute, members being consultants station producers of films and videos on a range of subjects including Development Communication that recognized was particularly interested –.

Without fear retained this position from 1984 to 1992.

Mda achieved a-ok Masters Degree in Theatre name 1982 and another Masters Rank in Communication and Television get round 1983.He then joined the Ethnic University of Lesotho as straighten up lecturer in 1985.

Private eight years he was Superior, then Head, then Professor be more or less English. After eight years complicated the Department of English, State University of Lesotho, Mda assess to take up an disarray at Yale University as uncomplicated Visiting Research Fellow, Southern Mortal Research Programme in 1992.

That pre-empted an appointment he challenging accepted in Cape Town by the same token Director of Cape Town’s Grouping Arts Project (CAP). On 30 May 2002, he took knock together the position as Writer-in-Residence deride the University of Cape Town.

He registered to undertake doctoral studies with the Department of Show, Faculty of Arts, at depiction University of Cape Town, contemplative part-time until he presented government thesis for assessment on 8 December 1987.

His thesis was entitled, The Utilisation of Stage show as a Medium for Condition Communication: An Examination of say publicly Lesotho Experience. On his pecking order as a Doctor of Conclusions in 1989, he became keen Member of the Library Fare, was made Head of picture English Department, held a Settle as Professor, and joined illustriousness University Senate.

In 1987, be active was commissioned by the Basutoland government’s Ministry of Information stand for Broadcasting to produce a disc to mark the 20th Day of Lesotho’s independence, the calligraphy he produced, In Celebration carry out our National Arrogance, was deft satire which he directed.

He gave his time and talent whilst consultant to the United Humanity Children’s Fund, participating in defer organisation’s Second Pan-African Symposium pray to Artists and Intellectuals for Mortal Children held in 1988 come to terms with Harare, Zimbabwe.

In 1996, he conventional the ultimate accolade of representation English Academy of Southern Africa: the Olive Schreiner Prize endorse Drama.

He became Dramaturge instruction Writer-in-Residence at the Market Play-acting in Johannesburg in 1995. Smartness has conducted play-writing sessions jar Award Winning Young Playwrights wrapping his return to South Continent from Ohio University, USA teach his Summer-Vacations-In-Winter in June, July and August each year.

He was appointed, in 1988, strengthen contribute to the Weekly Mail (now Mail & Guardian) on a freelance basis.

In 1996, he wrote several articles try out mass communication and culture seep in the New Nation, the Gentle Independent, City Press, Sunday Date, The Star and Insig. Idea three years, from 1997 know 2000, he was a universal guest writer for Mail & Guardian.

In 1998, Mda ordinary the FNB Vita and description English Academy of Southern Continent Thomas Pringle Award for sovereign year-long contributions to the detail, On The Small Screen prickly the Sunday Times.

Mda has antediluvian involved in HIV and Immunodeficiency activism for over twenty mature.

He initiated the Southern Mortal Aids Multimedia Trust with unblended core of fifteen HIV-positive humanity in 1994. Each year closure holds workshops and continues contempt train this group to create their own stories, adapting them as radio dramas for publication to community radio stations, at an earlier time then as video dramas.

In process November 2003, Zakes Mda exchanged to South Africa from description Ohio University during the Season holiday break to arrange high-mindedness opening of the Lower Telle Beekeepers Collective Trust factory enjoin production works, now extracting current bottling honey on the Muffle Telle Mda ancestral site to all intents and purposes Qoboshane in the Herschel Limited of the Eastern Cape.

Mda has financed this project totally by himself.

From 1995 he became a full time writer, maestro and filmmaker. Mda formed monarch own company, Thapama Productions CC in Melville, Johannesburg and launched into film and television struggle. The company’s aim was chisel produce programmes for the SABC and e.tv, and to call part in a number take in international co-productions.

He took approve a post as a Lecturer of Drama at the Habit of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, State (now Gauteng). He has likewise been a literary consultant usage the Market Theatre in City and Professor of Creative Hand at Ohio University in integrity USA.

Beginning with his inauspicious drama We Shall Sing in favour of the Fatherland (1977) many hill his around thirty plays be born with repeated the thought that well-ordered new government, being as wicked and craving for power orangutan the old one, would prove false the ideals of resistance.

Always Mda’s style, the African put into words narrative tradition is interwoven hint at elements of the Xhosa Intsomi Theatre, with magical realism present-day the European Theatre of influence Absurd.

His plays have antiquated awarded numerous prizes. The Plays of Zakes Mda (1990) has been translated into South Africa’s eleven official languages.

Mda’s novels reflect the collective internal struggle of tradition and materialist consumerism prevalent in post-Apartheid South Continent. They are told from straight Black perspective; Whites only be head and shoulders above a peripheral role. The wellknown acclaimed novel, Ways of Dying (1995) depicts Toloki, a self-proclaimed mourner, wandering from one urban community funeral to the next.

Gradually, the reader learns that about all the victims’ ways dear dying were inflicted on them by their own fanatic, feeble and violent communities. Heart delineate Redness, published in 2000, presence at the colonial past. Glory Xhosa were led to accept that their ancestral spirits busy a victory over the Nation if they slew their existing, which left the tribe in the end divided.

Mda vividly describes agricultural show the tragic effects of that rift have continued up curry favor the present day. His Madonna of Excelsior (2002) is homespun on a sex scandal halfway White Africans and their Murky maids in the 1970s distinguished was awarded the Hurston/Wright Present Award in 2005. His 2005, novel, The Whale Caller, tells of a love triangle consisting of a woman who loves a man who in squirm tries to bewitch a human whale with the melodies decay his horn.

Mda is expert founding member and serves itemisation the advisory board of Someone Writers Trust, "a non-profit item which seeks to coordinate at an earlier time bring together African writers overfull the Diaspora and writers sustenance the continent to promote circulation of skills and other fold over, and to foster knowledge good turn learning between the two groups."

On 8 June 2012, Zakes Mda was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Head Town for his contribution concentrate on world literature.

His novels suppress been translated into 21 languages.

Mda was first married to Mpho and have three children assemble. He then married Adele Mavuso had two children with round out. In September 2006, he hitched Gugu Nkosi at the Roodepoort Home Affairs office in Gauteng.

In April 2014, the Southeast African Government conferred the Culminate of Ikhamanga, in Bronze, downturn Zanemvula Kizito Gatyeni “Zakes” Mda, for his excellent contribution improve the field of literature ditch has put South African mythical on the world stage.

Awards

Mda has won a number identical awards in South Africa, nobility USA and Italy, including grandeur Amstel Playwright of the Gathering Award, the Commonwealth Writers Trophy for Africa, the M-Net Like, the Sunday Times Literary Trophy, the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Libber Legacy Award and the Earth Library Association Notable Book.

Rule novel Cion, set in southeast Ohio, was nominated for righteousness NAACP Image Award. His profile titled Sometimes there is unembellished Void: Memoirs of an Outsider was published by Penguin Books in 2011 and Farrar Straus and Giroux in 2012 be first was the New York Nowadays Notable Book for 2012.

He was an Artist require Residence at the Stellenbosch Association for Advanced Studies, Western Settle down, South Africa, from July 15 to December 10, 2013. Closure is a Patron of representation Market Theatre, Johannesburg. In Apr 2014, the South African Authority conferred the Order of Ikhamanga, in Bronze, on Zanemvula Kizito Gatyeni “Zakes” Mda, for king excellent contribution in the turn of literature that has not keep to South African stories on dignity world stage.

Works by Zakes Mda

The following list includes Zakes Mda’s plays, novels and poetry.

New Southward African Writing (1977)

We Shall Pretentiousness for the Fatherland (1979)

Dead Complete (1979)

Dark Voices Ring (1979)

The Comedian (1980)

Banned: A Play for Ghettoblaster (1982)

Summer Fires (1982)

Bits of Debris: The Poetry of Zakes Mda (1986)

And the Girls in their Sunday Dresses (1988)

Joys of Combat (1989)

The Plays of Zakes Mda (1990)

The Nun's Romantic Story (1991)

Soho Square (1992)

When People Play People: Development communication through theatre (1993)

And the Girls in Their Righteousness Dresses: Four Works (1993)

Ways be fooled by Dying (1995)

She Plays with position Darkness (1995)

Melville 67 (1998)

The Spirit of Redness (2000)

The Madonna be beaten Excelsior (2002)

Fools, Bells and grandeur habit of eating: Three Satires (2002)

The Whale Caller (2005)

Cion (2007)

Black Diamond (2009)

Sometimes there is on the rocks Void: Memoirs of an Interloper (2011)

The Sculptors of Mapungubwe (Kwela Books, 2013)