Gibson Kente
Encyclopedia
Gibson Kente was a South African playwright
based in Soweto
. He was known as the Father of Black Theatre in South Africa, and was one of the first writers to deal with life in the South African black townships. He produced 23 plays and television
dramas between 1963 and 1992. He is also responsible for producing some of South Africa's leading musicians. And many past and present prominent artists, including Brenda Fassie
, owe their first opportunities on stage to him.
Three of his plays drew criticism for being anti-apartheid and were banned: How Long, I Believe and Too Late. He was jailed for one year in 1976 on conclusion of the filming of his play How Long. The film was never released and the master negative of the film was given to the National Film Board in Pretoria. The National Film, Video and Sound Archives is the current custodian of this film. Another famous piece is Mama and the load, which some consider to be his best.
In 2003 he announced that he was HIV Positive
. This public admission received praise from South African politicians, including Nelson Mandela
.
He died in his sleep and was survived by two sons and three grandchildren.
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
based in Soweto
Soweto
Soweto is a lower-class-populated urban area of the city of Johannesburg in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for South Western Townships...
. He was known as the Father of Black Theatre in South Africa, and was one of the first writers to deal with life in the South African black townships. He produced 23 plays and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
dramas between 1963 and 1992. He is also responsible for producing some of South Africa's leading musicians. And many past and present prominent artists, including Brenda Fassie
Brenda Fassie
Brenda Fassie , was a South African pop singer. She was known for her "outrageousness" and widely considered a voice for disenfranchised blacks during apartheid. She was affectionately known as the Queen of African Pop and her nickname amongst fans was Mabrr.-Biography:Brenda was born in Langa,...
, owe their first opportunities on stage to him.
Three of his plays drew criticism for being anti-apartheid and were banned: How Long, I Believe and Too Late. He was jailed for one year in 1976 on conclusion of the filming of his play How Long. The film was never released and the master negative of the film was given to the National Film Board in Pretoria. The National Film, Video and Sound Archives is the current custodian of this film. Another famous piece is Mama and the load, which some consider to be his best.
In 2003 he announced that he was HIV Positive
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
. This public admission received praise from South African politicians, including Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
.
He died in his sleep and was survived by two sons and three grandchildren.