Duma Ndlovu

Duma Ndlovu (born 12 October 1954) is a South African poet, filmmaker, producer, journalist and playwright.[1] He is well known in the South African television industry,[2] having created award-winning shows such as Muvhango, Imbewu: The Seed and Uzalo.[3] Between 1996 and 2004 he was the chairman of the South African Music Awards.[4]

Duma Ndlovu
Born
Duma Ndlovu

(1954-10-12) 12 October 1954
Soweto, Gauteng, South Africa
NationalitySouth African
EducationSekano Ntoane High School
Alma materHunter College
Occupation
  • Producer
  • director
  • screenwriter
  • poet
  • playwright
  • journalist
Years active1992–present
Notable work

Early life

Duma Ndlovu is of Zulu ancestry, and he was born in Soweto, Gauteng; his ancestral home, however, is in Bergville, KwaZulu-Natal.[5][6] He went to Sekano Ntoane High School in Senaoane.[7]

After finishing high school he started writing for The World newspaper.[8] He then founded the Medupe Writers Association, a group that encouraged young black people to take interest in being writers. He served as the organization's president until 1977 when the apartheid government banned the group due to its participation in black consciousness and anti-apartheid movements.[9][10]

After Ndlovu and many members of the Medupe Writers Association were banned by the apartheid government, he left South Africa for the United States to avoid being persecuted by the apartheid government.[11] In the United States he was able to study and complete his master's degree at Hunter College in New York.[12]

In 1985, Ndlovu founded the Woza Afrika Foundation in order to give young black aspiring actors and actresses the opportunity to pursue their dreams and also raise funds to support the overall Arts in South Africa.[13] He also taught African-American literature and music at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.[14]

Career

In 1992 Duma Ndlovu returned to South Africa, and he founded the Word Of Mouth Productions to mount music, theatre and television productions.[15] The company was successful and a few years later it was chosen as the official casting company in South Africa for the Musical Broadway Disney's The Lion King.[16][17]

Bergville Stories

In 1994, he wrote Bergville Stories, which was positively received and had successful runs in Durban at the Playhouse, the Market Theatre and the Grahamstown National Arts Festival.[18][19][20][21][22]

His other theatrical writing and directing credits include:

  • Bergville Stories
  • The Game[23]
  • The Ritual
  • The Journey
  • MEMEZA (upcoming)
  • Sheila's Day[24][25]

Muvhango

Ndlovu created Murendeni', the first Tshivenda TV drama based in Thathe, Limpopo.[26] At first the show was primarily in TshiVenda but later on other languages were incorporated into the show in order to bridge the cultural divide between the various tribes in South Africa.[27] The show's premier episode aired on 7 April 1997 on Sabc 2 and it was well received by the viewers.[28] The show was a success and it won multiple awards.[29] Ndlovu was awarded an honorary PhD from the University of Venda for his work in Muvhango.[30] Muvhango is the most watched show on Sabc 2,[31] and on 16 May 2019 it was reported that the show had reached 6 million viewers.[32]

When Duma Ndlovu was asked, "With your first language being Zulu - why isn't it a Zulu drama?" he replied:

The organisation that is today known as ICASA, it was called IBA then; they called on the SABC to start featuring marginalised languages. I saw a gap, Zulu is not a marginalised language; in fact, Zulu is the majority language in South Africa so I then decided to write in the smallest South African language, Tshivenda, because I was familiar with it. I'd learnt it as a child and I was familiar with the cultures. I thought it would make an impact, and it did so the reading of the situation was quite correct.

— Duma Ndlovu[33]

Imbewu: The Seed
Imbewu: The Seed logo

Duma Ndlovu created Imbewu: The Seed with Leleti Khumalo and Anant Singh as executive producers.[34] The show is broadcast on etv and has received positive reviews from the viewers.[35] It attracted 2.7 million viewers on its premier and as of December 2018 it had over 4 million viewers.[36][37]

Uzalo

Duma Ndlovu created the show Uzalo, a telenovela shot and based in KwaMashu's F section in KwaZulu-Natal.[38] On 9 February 2015 the show's premiere episode aired on Sabc 1 and was an instant hit with the viewers, gaining 5.5 million viewers in less than a month despite only broadcasting four nights a week.[39] Uzalo temporarily switched to SABC 2 due to schedule changes on SABC 1; it surpassed Muvhango as the most watched show on the channel, but the latter regained its top spot after Uzalo was moved back to Sabc 1.[40]

The show's popularity continued to grow immensely as it was extended from four nights a week to five nights a week and was now competing with Generations: The Legacy for the most watched TV show in South Africa.[41][42] On June 2015 Uzalo officially dethroned Generations: The Legacy as the most watched television show in South Africa.[43][44]

At the end of September 2018, Uzalo had broken all records in the history of television viewing in South Africa.[45] On the first of October 2018 the show had reached 10.2 million viewers, cementing its top spot as the most watched television programme by far.[46][47]

Accolades

References
  1. "Duma Ndlovu Directs at the State Theatre". artlink. 16 July 2007. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  2. "Uzalo might stop showing on TVs". mzansi2day.blogspot. 3 May 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  3. "Duma – Ndlovu". m.imdb.com. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  4. "South African Music Awards 2004". brandsouthafrica. 1 June 2004. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  5. "The Playhouse Company Duma Ndlovus The Game for Playhouse Company Festive season". kzntopbusiness. 10 November 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  6. "Arts news from KwaZulu-Natal". artsmart. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  7. "Duma — Ndlovu". bigsta.net. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  8. "Duma ndlovu theatre credits—Early work". broadwayworld. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  9. "Author Tlali's a life well lived". pressreader. 23 November 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  10. "Medupe Writers Association". bushradio.wordpress. 18 October 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  11. "South African Youth Revolutionary Council". sahistory.org.za. 23 May 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  12. "The 2015 John Langalibalele Dube Memorial Lecture". cihablog.com. 24 September 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  13. "Stage from South Africa "Boha"". nytimes.com. 19 September 1986. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  14. "A Contended Space: The Theatre Gibson Mtukuzeli". academia.edu. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  15. "Durban Film Office". durbanfilmoffice. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  16. "Auditions: Lion King is Looking for Singers & Dancers". studentspaza. 14 July 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  17. "Durban Singers and Dancers — The Lion King wants You". tvsa. 15 March 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  18. "Bergville — Stories". wompictures. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  19. "Encountering Death with Defiance And A Dance". nytimes. 18 July 1997. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  20. "Famous actors star in the Game". highwaymail. 20 November 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  21. "Durban dates for landmark — Musical". sosuterbill. 6 May 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  22. "SA playwright brings the game to playhouse". northglennews. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  23. "Duma Ndlovu's The Game". showme.co.za. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  24. "Sheila's Day — The Hemispheric Institute". hemisphericinstitute. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  25. "Seeking Freedom in Sheila's Day". washingtonpost. 13 November 1995. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  26. "SABC's Hlaudi orders Muvhango Move to VhaVhenda". m.channel24. 15 July 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  27. "Muvhango Kisses its old ways goodbye". sowetanlive. 27 March 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  28. "Muvhango Season 1 Back on Air for 20th Anniversary". m.channel24. 5 July 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  29. "Lerate Kganyago Joins Award Winning Soapier Muvhango". sabc2. 9 April 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  30. "Arts can heal South Africa — Duma Ka Ndlovu". zoutnet. 27 May 2011. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  31. "These are the Tv Shows South Africans Watch The Most". iol.co.za. 10 July 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  32. "Uzalo remains Sa's most watched Soapie — Muvhango hits 6 million viewers". zalebs. 18 March 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  33. "Duma Ndlovu Interview With Tashi". tvsa. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  34. "Leleti Khumalo Switches from Uzalo to etv's Imbewu". sport24. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  35. "Imbewu The Seed Receives Positive Reviews From Audiences". politicalanalysis. 19 April 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  36. "Imbewu The Seed Hits 4 million Viewers". dailysun. 11 December 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  37. "Imbewu the seed hits 4 million viewers". quenchsa. 11 December 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  38. "SABC1s new telenovela Uzalo Is Shot Entirely In KwaZulu-Natal". mediaupdate. 15 January 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  39. "Latest on Uzalo". zzwm. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  40. "Uzalo moving to Sabc 2". yomzansi. 24 May 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  41. "SABC extends Uzalo to Five nights a week". dispatchlive. 12 July 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  42. "Mfundi Vundla — Generations is still tops". city-press.news24. 22 November 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  43. "Uzalo Takes Generations The Legacys no1 Spot". news24. 23 June 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  44. "Leleti Soars As Show Overtakes Generations". iol.co.za. 6 June 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  45. "Uzalo breaks television records". zalebs. 21 October 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  46. "Uzalo makes history with 10.2 million viewers". sabc.co.za. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  47. "Uzalo Officially South africas most watched show with over 10.2 million viewers". ewn.co.za. 9 October 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  48. "Duma Ka Ndlovu get honorary doctorate". sowetanlive. 23 May 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  49. "Dum ndlovu and mbongeni ngema day declared in harlem". 702.co.za. 13 May 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  50. "duma ndlovu and mbongeni ngema day declared in harlem". 13 May 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  51. "duma ndlovu and mbongeni ngema day declared in harlem". capetalk.co.za. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
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