1. CONT MHLANGA - THE GODFATHER OF THEATRE & ARTS

A thread....

Continueloving Mhlanga is a celebrated actor, script writer, arts teacher & theatre director. He is married to a fellow artist Thembi Ngwabi. The two are fondly known as 'ukhulu' & 'ugogo' respectively.

2. He founded Amakhosi Theatre Productions company in 1980 soon after independence. Amakhosi is Zimbabwe's first privately owned cultural centre & is popularly known as the Township Square Cultural Centre.

3. Mhlanga has written more than 20 plays among them The Good President , The End, Sinjalo, Children on Fire, Games & Bombs, The Members & Vikela. His political play Workshop Negative was banned by the government. The Amakhosi signature is 'Umkhulu lo Msebenzi'.

4. "The intention was to make the group known in Makhokhoba , make it a local institution…We wanted what we did to be of significance to a local audience, and they should be able to recognise themselves in what we were doing."

5. Ngizozula Lawe (1984) was the first play in isiNdebele & it was a tremendous success for Amakhosi. Mhlanga involved elderly dancers from the Bulawayo Traditional Dancers' Association.

6. Nansi Lendoda, a play produced in 1985, won 5 National Theatre Organisation awards. His other plays include Pregnant with Emotion & Dabulap.

7 In 1990 the company branched out to radio with Ngokwako Sgadula (a popular serial about family planning), and TV with Tshada Laye, a screen play about marriage and divorce. Mhlanga also produced Amakorokoza, Sinjalo, Dreams to Fame, Friday Live @ Amakhosi & Stitsha for ZbcTv.

8. Mhlanga starred as Mtutureli Niekwu in an anti-apartheid movie 'A World Apart' which was released in 1988.

9. Mhlanga’s politically- charged play 'The Good President' won him an Art Venture Freedom to Create award in 2008. Mhlanga & Amakhosi were also awarded the Prince Claus award in December 2015, an accolade given in honour of Prince Claus of the Netherlands.

10. Mhlanga is a shareholder of Fairtalk Communications, a company that owns Bulawayo & Victoria Falls' first commercial radio stations Skyz Metro FM & Breeze FM, respectively. This year the company applied for a national TV license.

11. In 2016 he retired from the arts to concentrate on farming at Lupane. However, about 2 years ago the then Information Minister, his deputy & permanent secretary paid a courtesy call on Cont & asked him to help create content for the government’s digitalisation programme.

12. Mhlanga recently produced a TV drama Esigabeni featuring youngsters Casper Mahlangu & Mduduzi Nkomo. The whole cast in the drama was amateur actors from the Lupane areas.

13. Amakhosi has produced some great names in the arts sector in the fields of acting, dancing, music & poetry. I can name Ernest Ndlovu, @RaisedonB & the late Beater Mangethe. Please add to the list...

'UMKHULU LO MSEBENZI'