Ubengubani uMbongeni Ngema?
UMBONGENI Ngema wazalelwa eVerulam, eThekwini, ngoMeyi 10, 1955 kodwa wakhulelwa eNhlwathi, KwaHlabisa. Ukhule eziqhenya kakhulu ngokuba sesizukulwaneni sezinsizwa ezazihola ibutho leNgomamakhosi empini yaseSandlwane yangoJanuwari 1879, uMbadama noSgcwelegcwele kaMhlekehleke bakwaNgema.
Amagalelo kaMadlokovu
Ungene emidlalweni yeshashalazi njengomdlali wesigingci. Ikhono lakhe lavumbululwa ngumufi, uGibson Kente. Ugqame kakhulu emhlabeni ngomdlalo weshashalazi owagcina sewuyifilimu, osihloko sithi Sarafina.
Yiwo owavumbulula ikhono likaSomizi Mhlongo, Leleti Khumalo, Wendy Mseleku, Baby Cele, Sindi Dlathu nabanye abaningi.
ISarafina yaqokwa eminxeni emihlanu kumaTony Awards nakumaGrammy Awards. Yaphinde yahlabana kwaze kwaba amahlandla awu-11 kumaNAACP Image Awards futhi yakhonjiswa kwaze kwaba yiminyaka emibili eBroadway Theatre, e-USA. Yazungeza i-US, Europe, Australia neJapan ngaphambi kokuguqulwa ibe yifilimu eyayisilingiswa oWhoopi Goldberg, Leleti Khumalo, John Kani noMiriam Makeba.
Kule filimu uNgema wadidiyela ibika noQuincy Jones.
Eminye imidlalo eyenza uMbongeni wahlonishwa endimeni yokubhala nokudidiyela amafilimu ngethi Woza Albert, Township Fever, Mama (1995), Asinamali (1996), Maria Maria (1997), The Zulu-The Musical (1999), 1906 Bhambatha-The Freedom Fighter, The House of Shaka (2005), The Lion of the East (2006) neMbube (2023).
Ngo-1995 uNgema wadidiyela iSarafina 2 okuwumdlalo owawuqwashisa ngegciwane lengculazi. Ngo-1997 wafundisa e-University of Zululand njengesivakashi futhi wagcina esekhiqiza i-albhamu yomculo.
Ngo-1998 wahlonishwa ngokuthi igama lakhe lilotshwe kwiNew York "Walk of Fame" ngaphambi kweLucille Lortel Theatre, eManhattan ngokuba ngomunye wababhali abavelele kwi-21st Century.
Ngo-2001 igama lakhe laphinde labhalwa ngaphambi kwaseCity Hall, eThekwini, eduze kwawoDkt Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Miriam Makeba namanye amaqhawe omzabalazo.
Wabhalela futhi wahlela izingoma zikaMichael Bolton futhi wabamba iqhaza ekuhleleni amazwi kwiLion King, nokwamenza wahlabana ngeMulti-platinum award ngokudayisa amakhophi angaphezu kuka-6 million futhi wawina indondo kumaGrammy Awards ngesikhathi lo mdlalo weshashalazi sewuphendulwe ifilimu.
Ngo-2003 waqokwa ukuba wumqondisi wezobuciko kwiCricket World Cup futhi waba yingxenye yabagqugquzeli bomcimbi wokugujwa kokuphela kweminyaka eyishumi kwaba nentando yeningi kuleli.
Wabuye waqokwa wuMnyango wezobuCiko namaSiko ukuba asungule futhi aphathe isikhungo iKZN Music House, okwabuye kwaqopha kuso iLadysmith Black Mambazo noSalif Keita.
Ziningi izincwadi ezibhalwe ngoNgema okubalwa kuzo ekaLaura Jones (USA) esihloko sithi Nothing Except Ourselves, The Best of Mbongeni Ngema-The Man and His Music ka-Isabel Cooke (USA), An Investigation Into Creation And Interpretation in Mbongeni Ngema's Intra-Cultural Theatre kaN.O. Sabelo (UKZN Thesis).
UNgema wabamba iqhaza engomeni yebhendi ye-reggae edume umhlaba wonke, iThird World, ethi Take This Song futhi wabuye waqopha kabusha inoni lakhe elithi Freedom Is Coming Tomorrow (Remix) ngokubambisana nomrepha abanjengo-eMtee, Saudi, Gigi Lamayne, Tamarsha, Reason, Blaklez, DJ Machaba neThird World.
UNgema wabalwa nezinye izingwazi zakuleli kumaTop 100 Great South Africans ngo-2004, wahlonishwa ngendondo yeLiving Legend wuMasipala weTheku ngo-2008 nangeyeLifetime Achievement kumaSimon Mabhunu Sabela Film and Television Awards ngo-2013, wahlonishwa nge-Inaugural Recognition Award kumaSamro's Wawela Awards ngo-2013, wahlonishwa yiZululand University ngeziqu zobudokotela ngo-2013, wahlonishwa ngeLifetime Achievement Award kumaNaledi Theatre Awards ngo-2014 nakumaSama ngo-2018.
Alikho isoka elingenasici
Njengoba kwaziwa ukuthi alikho isoka elingenasici, ubekhona umsindo ngoNgema. Umdlalo wakhe, iSarafina 2, wahoxiswa emuva kwenkohlakalo yokudliwa kuka-R14 million, eyayibandakanya noDkt Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma owayengungqongqoshe wezempilo.
Kwaze kwadliwa umuzi kaNgema owawuseKloof. UNgema wabuye wasusa umsindo ngengoma ethi Amandiya ngoba yayizwakala icwasa abomdabu baseNdiya abakuleli.
Kwaze kwaphoqeleka ukuba uMandela azomkhuza. Leyo ngoma yavalwa nasemisakazweni. Ngo-2019 uNgema wasuswa ekubeni ngomunye wabaqondisi beSarafina ngenxa yezinsolo zokuhlukumeza omunye wabalingisi ngokocansi. Wabuye wavalwa ukuba angangeni eJoburg Theatre ngenxa yezinsolo ezifanayo. Ngo-2020 owayengumkakhe, uXoliswa Ndumeni-Ngema, wabhala incwadi eyadalula ukuthi uNgema wayemhlukumeza futhi wake wamdlwengula.
Umndeni kaNgema
Wake washada noLeleti Khumalo noXoliswa Ndumeni ngo-1992 kodwa wahlukanisa nabo. Wake waganwa wumsakazi woKhozi FM, uMroza Buthelezi, uSaleha Nxumalo, Cat Mpanza noCebisile Mpungose. Unkosikazi abewa evuka naye ngtuNompumelelo Gumede.
Imbangela yokushona kukaNgema
UNgema udlule emhlabeni eneminyaka ewu-68 emuva kwengozi yemoto emehlele ephuma emngcwabeni obuseLusikisiki, e-Eastern Cape, ngoLwesithathu.
