TRIBUTE: 'I cannot go on stage armed with Stanislavski no, I am armed by aboDlangamandla', said Mncedisi Shabangu
TRIBUTE: 'I cannot go on stage
armed with Stanislavski no, I am armed by aboDlangamandla', said Mncedisi
Shabangu
It would not be an overstatement
to say that Mncedisi Shabangu is one of the most influential theatre makers,
television actors and arts educators in the contemporary theatre and entertainment
sector of South Africa, as evidenced by the tributaries generated
the world over, since his passing on Sunday the 24th July 2022 aged 49. His work has been lavished with theatre and television awards including
Standard Bank Young Artists Award, Fleur Du Cap for best actor and SAFTA. His
performances were watched and appreciated not only in the country but the world
over. His collaborations with some of leading figures in the arts such as John
Kani, Gregory Maqoma, Lara Foot and William Kentridge, to mention a few, attest
to my opening assertion of this eulogy.
In order to get to the crux of my tribute to Mncedisi 'The Maestro' 'Bra Mnce' Baldwin Shabangu, I will have to go a little bit back, the first time I met him. It was around 2009 or 2010 when I was studying for my Printmaking Qualification at the Artist Proof Studio, then based at the Bus Factory in Newtown. Our school was housed in the same building as The Market Laboratory - an educational division for The Market Theatre where Shabangu was plying his trade as a drama educator.
Few years later, I came fully into contact with his work on stage through theatre pieces such as Woza
Albert (2012) written by Percy Mthwa, Mbongeni Ngema and Barney Simon,
starring alongside Hamilton Dhlamini and Sizwe Banzi Is Dead (2015)
written by John Kani, Winston Ntshona and Athol Fugard starring alongside
Athandwa Kani. Over the years I have watched him perform in various stage
productions including Lara Foot's award winning Tshepang and The
Inconvenience of Wings and Es'kia Mphahlele's The Suitcase adapted for stage by James Ngcobo. We have looked forward to seeing him
perform in William Kentridge’s The Head
& The Load in 2021 but I missed it because it was postponed and I am
not sure if it was ever staged.
The remarkable and unforgettable
piece I have watched of his, is the revolutionary comedy production called Vuka
Machel written and directed by 'The Maestro' himself as he came to be known in the circles, Mncedisi Shabangu,
co-starring with his long time theatre colleague and friend Xolile Gama. Vuka
Machel play is about the reimagination of a future whereby
Samora Machel ,the former late President of Mozambique (who tragically
and controversially died in a mysterious plane crash on South African soil in
1986), wakes up from his death to find that his beloved wife Graca Machel is
married to the former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela.
Writing a review about this play
during its run at the Joburg Theatre in 2020, Joburg based art critic Edward Tsumele had this to say:
"But between these political dynamics and personal complexities that
are raised within the play, humour is cleverly weaved in to an extent that you
forget that this is actually a revolutionary play dealing with complex
unresolved issues located within the idea of the shape and form of post-colonial
Africa." I found this particular piece from the pen of Shabangu and startling
performance by him and Gama incredible for various reasons: the sound of Vuka Machel narrative
clearly involved the musical quality of the dialogue and the chosen languages
(IsiZulu, IsiSwati and English) chosen to contextualize it. The attraction to
me in his work, specifically theatre, is how unexpected liquidity of humor
enhanced the varied narratives he compellingly delivered onstage, always in ways
that ordinary speech might not.
The triumphal arch of theatre philosophy
is that, while the main motives of many people are ambition, love and desire to
get rich, Shabangu, it seems to me, was concerned solely in pleasing God and
his ancestors. He held too close to the heart his ancestors. I remember
watching him speak in one of Q and A’s after one of their performances of Vuka Machel, saying that: "In all
the plays I have done, I must go home. I must go home and ask for permission
and say ‘my people’ I am telling your story. Guide me because it’s not my story
but your story."
Shabangu is one person who
believed in the philosophies of Afrikan Humanism as articulated by Professor
Es'kia Mphahlele in a large catalogue of his writings. He reminded us that
there is no shame in summoning the spirit of our ancestors in sickness and health,
in good and bad times, in failures and successes because ancestors are part of who we are. Toni Morrison asserts that the timeless ancestors "are benevolent,
instructive, and protective, and they provide a certain kind of wisdom"
for the present-day subjects. Artists are generally slippery about their
creative processes and it takes a certain faith if not nerve, for an artist to
be vulnerable and publicly share where s/he draws spiritual strength to keep their
creative embers ablaze. Shabangu recognized the Western education but
fully embraced African way of doing things. He said that he cannot go on stage
armed with Konstantin Stanislavski, a Soviet and Russian theatre
practitioner reputed for developing theory of acting, but he will arm himself
with his ancestors’ aboDlangamandla
nabo:
Shabangu!
Gama!
Mbhele!
Dlangamandla kwaboSothole
Mbhele oluhlaza njengenxoshana
Mdluli ngokudilizizindlovu!!!
Shabangu was the most energetic
person I know, being happiest where there was work to do. He was generous with
his time and his brand Mncedisi Shabangu. I had the privilege of producing my
debut theatre piece Man Alone written and directed by
Roelf Matlala in 2019 where Shabangu was roped in by the Market Theatre as the
resident director to work with us. My team really enjoyed working with him and
actors remarked that they benefited a lot from his wisdom. We staged the piece and
was widely received with encouraging reviews by the leaders in the arts
including Ismail Mahomed, then CEO of the Market Theatre. It was around this
time where 'Bra Mnce' as we affectionately called him, expressed interest in
getting my Chepapeism
- Made In Africa apparel. He gotten himself a black hoodie which he adorned with great pride wherever he went. He always told me that he needed more of
Chepapeism merch. We at Chepapeism we pride ourselves that he was one of many
people who believed in our vision in using our talents and entrepreneurial
skills to advance the arts sector. Suffice to say that the Man Alone production
was produced from the proceeds of our Chepapeism merchandise.
Born in KwaMashu, Durban,
KwaZulu-Natal in 1969, Shabangu and his family were relocated to KaNyamazane
township, Mbombela, Mpumalanga. Looking at his career journey, I would like to
punctuate and emphasis the retrospective glance with words by Outlwile Tsipane,
freelance arts writer at New Frame and author when he wrote this about Shabangu: ‘His oeuvre of work is an inspiring and
diverse catalogue that spans television, film and theatre. His acting career
began in earnest in 1995, when he started formal training at The Market Theatre
Laboratory, graduating at the end of 1996.’ Tsipane wrote expansively on
Shabangu and it is worthy to share here what Shabangu said in their
conversations: “I am more at home in the theatre, I suppose, possibly because
that is where I started. That is even before my training at The Market Theatre,
because as far back as 1990 I have been doing plays and other acts through
community theatre in Kanyamazane in Mpumalanga, where I grew up,” he reflects.
“It is something I still do, where I go back to my community to do performances
and offer mentorship each year. There is a programme I have run there from 1997
to date,” Shabangu emphasized.
His diverse catalogue of work
spanning almost 3 decades, as articulated by Tsipane, offers a kind of talent
that is rare. Displaying it, analysing it and underscoring is far more
compelling than merely enjoying it. The legacy he crafted enjoins us all to
think deeply about what Mncedisi Shabangu has given us and what African art is
imploring us to discover beyond his lifetime. May his soul rest in peace and
his spirit inspire generations of theatre makers to come.
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