(Welcome Msomi)Celebrating Strides Awards winner supports his roots.
Winner of the Arts category in the 2010 Johnnie Walker Celebrating Strides Awards, playwright, producer, director and choreographer Welcome Msomi is supporting his roots by identifying Durban’s non-profit making arts centre, the Stable Theatre, as the recipient of the R125,000 prize money that accompanies the award.
The Johnnie Walker Celebrating Strides Awards recognise design, entrepreneurship, environment and the arts. The winners are chosen for the success they have achieved in their various fields and they receive cash to be used towards either a bursary fund in their name, or to benefit a registered institution or initiative associated with the category for which they were nominated.
“We are simply delighted and very honoured to have such a high profile arts personality as Welcome Msomi to recognise our efforts in bringing this once-vibrant theatre venue back to life,” says Bongumusa Mtshali, chairman of the Stable Theatre Board. “Welcome performed with Kessie Govender, who founded the Stable Theatre in 1974. In selecting us as the recipient of this much-appreciated windfall, he wants to contribute to the place that gave birth to his talents. We are looking forward to welcoming him back to Stable Theatre when he comes to meet the board and present us with the money.”
Stable Theatre is currently operating thanks to funding from the KZN Department of Arts & Culture, Stable Theatre, through the leadership of MEC Weziwe Thusi, which has now set in place proper administration and accounting procedures. The centre is in the process of being upgraded so that it may take its rightful place as a viable performing arts centre in the heart of Durban. The venue offers performance and rehearsal space which can be used for workshops and seminars as well as book launches or film premieres.
“It’s a slow process which is reliant on available funds,” adds Bongumusa Mtshali, “but Stable Theatre has a sturdy soul and has refused to die over the many years during which it alternated from good governance to neglect and poor administration. That tenacity to survive is now blazing like the Phoenix of its Indian origins!”
Long-term Durban audiences will remember Welcome Msomi for his Zulu Macbeth – the ground-breaking Umabatha which premiered at the Open Air Theatre at the then University of Natal, directed by Pieter Scholtz after whom this outdoor performing venue is now named. Welcome played the title role with Laurence Olivier award winner Thuli Dumakude as Lady Macbeth.
Umabatha went on to perform at the Aldwych Theatre in London in 1972 (and later in 1973) where the gracious old stage took a pounding with its first contact with the Zulu dance numbers and many of the nails holding the boards down simply popped out! The production then travelled the world to major acclaim, presenting Shakespeare’s time-honoured tragedy with a new force, language and energy.
Having written his first book at the age of 15, Welcome Msomi has gone on to make his name in Zulu literature as well as South African theatre. He is the founder of the IZulu Dance Theatre and Music and responsible for the Zulu version of The Lion King, which he launched for Ster Kinekor. He also conceptualised the 1994 inauguration of the first democratically elected government as the ‘many cultures one nation’ celebration as well as Nelson Mandela’s subsequent birthday celebrations.
In 1994, he formed a joint venture event marketing company, named Msomi Hunt Lascaris. Two years later, he co-founded and became first CEO of Sasani Limited, a global entertainment and production company with sound studios, film processing labs and camera rental companies in Johannesburg and Cape Town. He is the chairman of Ezinkulu Productions, which supplies TV programmes to the SABC and of Welcome Msomi Communications, Msomi Comprehensive Network, Msomi Call Centers, Blue Moon Corporate Communications, Best of Both Worlds Pictures, Africa Sports Network, and Network BBDO, one of South Africa’s leading advertising agencies. He is also the chairman of Welcome Msomi Communications, the director of Meropa Communications and JNPR, public relations firms.
He has written the text for A Mandela Portrait for which the music was created by Michael Hankinson for a tour of major American cities. He is also the founder and chairman of Ziphathe Empowerment Network, a platform to empower entrepreneurs in the townships and rural communities.
Tracey Kirsten, Johnnie Walker® Marketing Manager says the Celebrating Strides Awards initiative recognizes and honours individuals who have made strides to achieve their dreams, on a personal or business level and who, through their success, inspire others and empower their communities. “We had the most incredibly inspiring 12 people as finalists in each category and it’s never an easy task for judges to narrow this down to a final four. But the criteria was very clear. Aside from having done extremely well in their particular fields, the winners’ involvement in community development was a key deciding factor. The awards both recognize their achievements and the prizes will hopefully act as a catalyst for aspiring entrepreneurs, artists and South Africans dreaming of a rewarding future to embark on their own journeys. “
Posts
