UNgema nomlando womzabalazo waboHlanga eshashalazini

Yebo njengoba isiZulu sisho ukuthi ‘akukho soka lingenasici’  kanjalo nomlando kaDkt uMbongeni Ngema ungephelele ngaphandle kwezici ezithile. Mina lapha ngikhetha ukwedlulisa amehlo kuzo ngoba kukhulu okuhle okungaxoxwa ngaye. Asiqali ukubhala ngaleli qhawe laboHlanga kuleli phephandaba. Omunye bababhali bethu uDez Khumalo ebhala kwelaboHlanga ngaphansi kwesihloko esithi: Ingelezane kaSigcwelegcwele ingumthombo ongashi, cishe wakwenza konke emizamweni yokufundisa ngeqhaza likaMadlokovu.

Kule minyaka esensimini baningi abantu abathole izifundo ezimqoka ekulingiseni ngenxa kaMadlokovu. Akugcinanga lapho ngoba abanye bathole isipiliyoni sokwenza okungale kokulingisa, baba ngabaqondisi emikhakheni eyahlukene  Baningi futhi naye ancele kubo nokuyinto angayifihli uma uxoxa naye. Kepha khona lapho baningi abafunde ngepolitiki yakuleli emuva kokuhambela imidlalo yakhe enhlobonhlobo yeshashalazi kuleli nasemazweni omhlaba. Ubuchule bemisebenzi yakhe kwenza kwaba lula ukufundisa imiphakathi eminingi ngokwabe kwenzeka kuleli. Abantu beminyaka eyahlukene bathola ulwazi, behleka kokunye bekhala ngenxa yobuciko bokubhala kwale nsizwa. 

Maye! Nasekubhaleni umculo onesigqi sase-Afrika esehlukile ungeke umthinte umfo kaMadlokovu. Ubani ongakhohlwa amanoni afana noWoza My Fohloza, i-One Blood ayenza naMambazo, iSafa Saphela Isizwe Esimnyama, iSinyikanyika, iNtombizodwa, i-African Solution neSiwiliwili nezinye. Nakhona lapho akaculi nje kuwo amagama lawa aseculweni kufihlwe umlando okungaba owesigameko noma umholi thizeni.

Isibonelo ngisho abantu kubandakanya nababenaye sebekhohlwa ngomlando kaMsizi Dube laphaya eLamontville, umldlalo kaNgema i-Asinamali awugcini ngokugcina lo mlando kepha ufaka ngisho ehlazweni nalabo abafuna ukuwufaka emgqonyeni womlando. Wenza njalo nangomlando kaGert Sibande ngeGo on Gert Sibande – Lion of the East . UKhumalo uwulanda kahle umlando kaNgema lapho ethi; ‘Ehlangene nomlingisi uPercy Mtwa babhala ngokuhlanganyela umdlalo weshashalazi iWoza Albert (1981) owawungathekisa ngokubuya kwesibili kukaJesu kodwa kuqondwe ukubuya kwamaqhawe afana noChief Albert Luthuli’. UNgema uyalwazi usizi lokuhlukunyezwa uHulumeni wamaBhunu umphosa kwalasha ngenxa yemidlalo yakhe eyayilumela kubagqilazi baboHlanga. Umdlalo wakhe i-Asinamali (1983) wawubhekene ngqo nesihluku samaphoyisa kwaboHlanga, imithetho yobandlululo yamapasi, eyokukhokhiswa ngenkani intela kanye neyokubandlulula ngokwezinhlanga. Yonke le misebenzi kaNgema yayigcwele umculo kanye necomedy njengoba kwakubonakala kwekaGibson Kente.

Impumelelo kaNgema imthathe yambeka e-USA lapho afika washisa izikhotha nakhona kwaze kwavuleka nokuthi aqhamuke nemusical yakhe yokuqala iSarafina (1987) eyayingomfundi waseSoweto owagqugquzelwa nguthishela wakhe ukuba aphikisane nemfundo eyayaziwa ngeBantu Education. KuSarafina uNgema wabambisana noMnu uHugh Masekela ekubhalweni komculo kangangoba neculo iSarafina okwaqanjwa ngalo lo mdlalo lisuselwa eculweni lakhe uMasekela kodwa ayengakaliqophi.

Ngowe-1990 emuva kwesiteleka esashiya abasebenzi abaningi bakwaloliwe befile uNgema wabhala enye imusical play yomunyu iTownship Fever. Ngemuva kokuqokwa kukaDkt uNelson Mandela njengoMengameli wokuqala wentando yeningi ngowe-1994 uNgema wabhala umdlalo iMama! The Musical of Freedom (1995) lapho ayephakamisa khona iqhaza elabanjwa uMama uWinnie Mandela elekelela futhi esiza intsha eyayihlukunyezwa amaBhunu obandlululo.

ISarafina! eyaba namashows acishe abe inkulungwane, amaningi awo edlalelwa eBroadway eNew York yaqokelwa amaTony Award kahlanu emikhakheni eyahlukene yaphinda yaqoqa imiklomelo eli-11 kuNational Association for the Advancement of Coloured People Image Awards (NAACP) yabuye futhi yaqokelwa neGrammy Awards. ULeleti Khumalo waklonyeliswa ngeTony Award njengomdlali ovelele kuSarafina.

Emva kwempumelelo yeSarafina njengomdlalo weshashalazi kwathi ngowe-1992 yaguqulwa yenziwa ingqayi eyaqondiswa uDarrel Roodt ikhiqizwe ngaphansi kwenkampani ka-Anant Singh iVideovision okwadlala kuyo yena uNgema, uMama uMiriam Makeba, uLeleti Khumalo noWhoopi Goldberg. Le ngqayi iSarafina yangena emabhukwini omlando njengengqayi yokuqala ukwenziwa esekhululiwe uMandela emuva kweminyaka engama-27 esejele kanye nokuvulwa kwezinhlangano ezabe kade zivaliwe.

Kuthe ngowe-1994 uNgema waqokwa njengomqondisi wekwaya ngesikhathi kwenziwa ingqayi yokusazilwane iThe Lion King, nayo egcine seyenziwa iMusical Play ngabakwaDisney International, nosekungumlando ukuthi iqashe inqwaba yabalingisi abanekhono bakuleli. 

Lapha wahlanganisa umculo eculweni iCircle of Life (African Voices) neyawina iGrammy Award, iThe Lion King, iDisney Animated Film for vocal arrangements (1995).  UNgema waba ngomunye kwabambalwa kuleli ukuzuza iGrammy. Kweminye imisebenzi ephezulu kaMadlokovu kukhona iThe Zulu – the Musical (1999), i-1906 Bhambatha The Freedom Fighter, iThe House of Shaka (2005), iNikeziwe (2005) neThe Lion of the East.

Ngowe-1998, uNgema wahlonishwa ngokufakwa kuWalk of Fame ngaphambi kweLucille Lortel Theatre in Manhattan, New York City, njengomunye wababhali abahlonishwayo emhlabeni. Kuthe ngowezi-2001 ngesikhathi somcimbi we-African Renaissance Festival, igama likaNgema laqoshwa ngasekungeneni eCity Hall yaseThekwini likanye nelikaDkt uMandela, uMnu u-Oliver Tambo, uMiriam Makeba namanye amaqhawe namaqhawekazi omzabalazo wenkululeko.

Ngowe-1997, uNgema waqokelwa ukufundisa kwezobuciko e-University of Zululand lapho ayefundisa khona ngolwazi lwakhe lwezobuciko. Ngowezi-2003 waqokelwa ukuba umqondisi wezobuciko ngesikhathi kwenziwa i-2003 Cricket World Cup  okwalandelwa ukuphinde aqokwe ngowezi-2004 ekuhleleni ukubungazwa kweminyaka eyishumi yentando yeningi kuleli.   Eminyakeni emihlanu edlule waqokwa uMnyango Wezobuciko ngokubambisana noWezentuthuko Yomnotho Nezokuvakasha ukuba aphathe isikhungo sokuqopha umculo esaziwa ngeThe KZN Music House asengamela ngaphansi kwenkampani yakhe iCommitted Artists International.

Kunezincwadi ezimbalwa namaphepha ezemfundo ephakeme osekubhaliwe ngemisebenzi kaMnu uMbongeni Ngema, okufaka iNothing Except Ourselves, nguLaura Jones e-USA; iThe Best of Mbongeni Ngema The Man and His Music, ngu-Isabel Cooke eRSA; bese kuba ucwaningo oluthi: An investigation into the creation and interpretation in Mbongeni Ngema’s intra-cultural Theatre olucwaningwe nguN. O. Sabelo e-UKZN  kanye neSarafina the Musical.

UNgema usanda kubonakala esiteji ngomdlalo iThe Zulu lapho ebehulula khona ulwazi lwakhe olunothile lomlando waboHlanga nangokwakheka kwesizwe samaZulu neqhaza laso ekuvikeleni izwe ligojelwa izinkonjane.  Kukulo mdlalo lapho uNgema ezigqaje khona ngokuba umZulu omlando wakhe udonsa emaqhaweni okhokho bakhe kusukela kuMbandama noSigcwelegcwele kaMhlekehleke kaNgema owahola ibutho Ingobamakhosi uZulu ecoboshisa amabutho kaKhwini empini yase-Isandlwana zingama-22 kuMasingana 1879.

Uchonywe uphaphe legwalagwala iGood Shepherd College of Religion ngokumthwesa iziqu zobudokotela ngaphansi komkhakha wezobuciko, nokuyiziqu zokumncoma ngeqhaza elikhulu lokuphakamisa imboni yezobuciko kuleli. Ngawo futhi unyaka wezi-2014 uMnu uMbongeni Ngema unikezwe indondo yeLife Time Achievement Award ngaphansi kweNaledi Awards.

Ngowezi-2002 uke wabasematheni ngengoma yakhe, AmaNdiya, eyayibeka ingahlonizi ngokwenziwa ngabanye osomabhizinisi balesi sizwe kwaboHlanga, neyagcina ivaliwe ukuba idlalwe sekubuywa nasezinkantolo kwaze kwangenelela noDkt uMandela emphoqa ukuba axolise kodwa wala waphetha uMadlokovu eziphendulela ngokuthi kungakhohlwa phela ukuthi amaciko ayisibuko sokwenzeka emphakathini. Ngangikhona kulo mhlangano noMandela, ngikhona nasecaleni elabe liseThekwini. Ngakubona ukuhlukunyezwa kwakhe ngabaholi namuhla okuthi uma bekhuluma ufunge ukuthi bamele iqiniso. Ngalezi zinsuku kwaba nomkhankaso wokuba kuvalwe yonke imikhiqizo yale ngoma naye waze wakhishwa nase zinhlelweni ezabe zikhona.

Ngowezi-2004 wavotelwa waba unombolo 92 kuTop 100 Great South Africans, ngowezi-2008 waklonyeliswa nge-Ethekwini Living Legend Award, ngowezi-2013 kwaba iLifetime Achievement Award yeSimon Mabhunu Sabela Film Awards kanye ne-Inaugural Recognition Award  kuSAMRO’s Wawela Awards (2013).

Konke lokhu asekuzuzile uNgema kuhle, futhi kwenza siziqhenye. Nokho ukukhathazeka kusekutheni asikamboni okopela lomlando omuhle. Ingozi yalokho isekutheni njengoba sibona kuthelevishini, ishashalazi lethu lingahle ligcwale imidlalo engasifundisi lutho ngathi. 

Kungakuhle uDkt uNgema nabanye bake balubuke lolu daba ngoba uma singacina singenabo abanjengaye siyobe sifile.