Duma Ndlovu: ‘It would be fitting tribute’ to rename Playhouse after John Kani

Veteran filmmaker, playwright, and producer Duma Ndlovu is pushing for a big shift in the cultural scene- he is suggesting that the rest of Market Theatre located in Newton, Johannesburg is renamed to honor the iconic playwright and actor John Kani.

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This plea for recognition follows a recent call by musician Sello ‘Chicco’ Twala to rename Durban’s Playhouse Theatre after the late Mbongeni Ngema. This has rolled out a chain of conversations about acknowledging artistic luminaries while they are still alive.

Also Read: Chicco Twala wants Playhouse renamed in Mbongeni Ngema’s honour

DUMA NDLOVU ASKS “THE MILLION DOLLAR” QUESTION

“I would like to support the call for the Playhouse Theatre to be renamed the Mbongeni Ngema Theatre. While at it, I would like to ask the million-dollar question.” He states. 

“Why do we always wait until someone has died to name places after them? Why can’t we do it while they are still alive? The Athol Fugard Theatre in Cape Town is an excellent example of honouring someone while they are still alive,” he explains in a Facebook post. 

Ndlovu went on to highlight Kani’s contributions to South African theatre, including the prestigious Tony Awards for his performances in Sizwe Banzi Is Dead and The Island.

He proposed that renaming the Market Theatre would be a fitting tribute to a man who has profoundly shaped the nation’s cultural narrative.

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According to him, “It would be a fitting tribute to a man who has contributed immensely to the culture and the body of South African theatre. Kani and Winston Ntshona are the only actors who were awarded the prestigious Tony Awards on Broadway for their repertory presentation of Sizwe Banzi Is Dead and The Island. (Handspring Puppet Company was awarded a special Tony as a company).”

“Ngema and Sarafina were nominated in 1987 but did not win the coveted award. How do I know? Because I was sitting at that theatre waiting for the names to be called, as one of the associate producers I would have been one of those running to the stage to collect the award but we were massively disappointed,” he writes.

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HONOURING PEOPLE SHOULD BE A RESPONSIBILITY

In parallel, Ndlovu suggested in his Facebook post that the renaming of Durban’s Playhouse Theatre after Mbongeni Ngema should go beyond symbolic recognition.

He also said that the institution should actively embrace Ngema’s legacy of nurturing young talent and advocating for establishing a permanent training centre for aspiring artists.

Ndlovu added that it’s common for people to promise to name things after people at their funerals.

“Of course, this is usually an afterthought,” he says, “and a call by government officials who mostly want to impress the mourners and most of the time the promises and calls come to nought. We owe it to people like Ngema to make sure that the government goes through with this promise or a call.”

“Empty promises at one’s funeral do not serve the legacy of those South Africans who work so hard for this country.”

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