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Own Correspondent
As if covid, inflation, and climate change have not wreaked enough havoc, death has revisited us to claim Mncedisi Baldwin Shabangu! Death you are a coward. Death you are cruel. You crept upon and took from us in the middle of the night when we were not looking and least on our guard. The painful fact is, Mncedidi Baldwin Shabangu is no more. End of an era does not even begin to describe the devastation.
Mncedisi was an icon, an enigma, a talent extraordinaire and a cultural ambassador for the Southern African creative industries. He was a creative export to theatres, festivals film and television screens far and beyond KaNyamazane, his birth place. The world will remember him from his spellbinding renditions of the world famous Athol Fugard liberation plays, The Island, Sizwe Bansi is Dead as well as others of his own creation. To us in Zimbabwe, Mncedisi had become a staple. As early as 2002, Mncedisi came to Theatre in the Park with his play “Vuka Machel” which went on to tour widely in all the provinces of Zimbabwe. He was to come back and appear in Vaclav Havel’s Protest which played to wide acclaim at Hifa Festival in 2010. In 2012, he came to direct some of Zimbabwe’s leading theatre talent in “Ten Bush”, again at Theatre in the Park. Mnce also brought Vice Monageng Motshabi to conduct theatre skills workshops for SavannaTrust. The workshops gave birth to the play Half Empty, Half Full which had a successful showing at Hifa in 2013 and went on to tour South Africa, Zambia, and Malawi. Through his performances as Khulekani on Rhythm City, Mncedisi had so many fans in Zimbabwe. Sadly, The lion roars no more. As much as his passing was sudden, unexpected and painful in South Africa, the tremors are felt here too.
For our continent, both Vision 2030 and Agenda 2063 are poorer for the loss of this creative colossus. The challenge is for the various strata of our African leaders to create an enabling environment that realizes the next generation of pan-African Mncedisis. The next generation of empowered and empowering creatives that knows no borders, proudly tells the African story and seeks to unite all Africans. Indeed that is “The Africa we Want ”. Only then can Africa be worthy of Mncedisi Baldwin Shabangu’s memory. Rest in peace mukoma Mnce, lala ngokuthula mfowethu.
Issued by:
Nhimbe Trust
Savannah Trust
Patsime Trust
Theatre in the Park
Complete Arts Project Trust.