Uthando lokuxoxa izindaba, ubhuti wendawo, uthando lokufunda, ukuthatha amathuba nokwazisa umsebenzi kulibeke esicongweni namuhla iciko eselingesinye sezikhulu zeMarket Theatre. Lixoxe noLANGA KHANYILE ngohambo lwalo

“ISHASHALAZI alimnyama noma mhlophe. Ishashalazi limnandi noma limbi. Akunandaba ukuthi lenziwe wubani. Okumqoka wukuthi lenziwe kanjani.”

Yisiqubulo esibusa ugalagala lomlingisi, umqondisi wemidlalo yeshashalazi nomqondisi wezobuciko uJames Ngcobo, ona-52.

Loku kucaca bha uma uzwa ukuthi ukitazwa wuShakespeare ngendlela efanayo nachazwa ngayo wu-Es’kia Mphahlele, uWole Soyinka noJames Baldwin.

UNgcobo, odabuka KwaMashu, eThekwini, uselingise, waqondisa imidlalo  eLondon, e-The Netherlands, eSweden, eWashington DC, phakathi kwamanye amazwe. Udlale emidlalweni yeshashalazi, eyethelevishini namafilimu aphesheya. Nezindondo nokuqokelwa izindondo kubuzwa kuyena. Kwithelevishini udlale kwiYizo Yizo, i-Soul City, iStokvel ne-Hard Copy.

Ngezindondo aziwinile uthi: “Akukho ukuziqhayisa, ngibheka umsebenzi.”

“Into engihlale ngiyitshela intsha wukuthi kufanele sibhale. Sibe nemisebenzi, singahlale sibhalelwa ngezinye izizwe. Leyo nto akuyona into yepolitiki, yinto yomcabango (kuwukucabanga),” kugcizelela yena. 

“Ngihlale ngitshele abalingisi ukuthi awukwazi ukudlala (ukulingisa) abantu baseNingizimu Afrika kuphela. Uma uwumlingisi kufanele udlale (ulingise) abantu basemhlabeni wonke,  udlale umuntu waseJamaica, wase-Ireland, waseSuriname, waseGhana, udlale ngaloku (ulimi),” esho eluveza.

“Uma ususwa endaweni oyijwayele uwumlingisi kukhona izinto ozitholayo ngawe, obungazazi.

“Engakuthola ngisemncane yikhona okungithathe kwangibeka la ngikhona namhlanje. Ngafunda nasendleleni ukuthi izinto ezizongiphazamisa ngizibeke eceleni. Angikaze ngibe wumuntu ozihlupha ngokuduma,” kusho yena.

Ebantwini abamcijile ubala umqondisi waseThekwini uSara Essa, uThemi Venturas no-Nicholas Ellenbogen. UNkk u-Essa wamnika ithuba lokulingisa engakaqedi nesikole, wagcina eyolingisa eLondon emdlalweni othi You Can’t Stop the Revolution. 

Phakathi kwabanye abantu abamcijile ubala uHugh Masekela, uNomhle Nkonyeni, u-Alfred Nokwe, u-Owen Sejake, uPatrick Shai noVusi Dibakwana. Kuthiwa insimbi ilola enye. Kontanga yakhe acijane nabo ubala uFaca Khulu, uLindelani Buthelezi, uBheki Mkhwane, uSiyabonga Thwala nabanye.

Omunye umuntu obe neqhaza elikhulu kuNgcobo wumngani nomakhelwane owamvulela iminyango ehlukene. Wagxilisa uthando lweshashalazi, olukaShakespeare kanti wuyena owamhlanganisa noVenturas, owayefundisa enyuvesi ngaleso sikhathi.  

“UMthunzi Namba wayenomfowabo okwakuthiwa wuMthandeni. UMthandeni waba wumfundi wokuqala omnyama ukwenza izifundo ze-drama e-University of Natal (i-UKZN). Ngaleso sikhathi ngenza u-Form 3 (uGrade 10). Ngaleso sikhathi kune-set work esiyenzayo okuthiwa yi-Merchant of Venice. Ngiwumlingisi namhlanje ngenxa yokuhlangana noShakespeare,” kulanda uNgcobo.

Ngenxa yokufisa ukukhula emsebenzini, wathuthela eGoli ngo-1993. “EThekwini ngahlala iminyaka emine ePlayhouse (e-The Loft Company). Kwahamba, kwahamba ngafikelwa yisikhathi engithi uma ngifuna ukuba kule ndima ngempela, la ikhona yiseGoli,  (lapho) ikwelinye izinga khona. Ngabona ukuthi ngingahlala eThekwini ngidume, ngibe wuchwepheshe kodwa uma ungakafiki eGoli awukenzi lutho. IGoli yila uThukela luhlangana neminye imifula khona. Uhlangana nabantu bakwezinye izindawo abanephupho njengawe, abanephupho elinjengelakho.  

“Ngafika angalizwa kahle iGoli, ngahamba, ngayohlala eCape Town,” kusho yena. Nokho ngemva kokuphinde asebenze no-Ellenbogen eKapa ubuyele eGoli ngo-1996.

Ukuzithoba yigama elingasuki emlonyeni kaNgcobo. “Ngasekuqaleni komsebenzi wami, uThemi wangipha ukuzithoba, wangipha into yokuthi ubheke kwabagijime ngaphambi kwakho, ufunde kubona.

“Ngingene eshashalazini ngiqale ngilingisa. Kodwa kwakunento kimina ethi ngifuna ukubhala , ngifuna ukuqondisa… ukufunda ukuzibambela. Ngifuna ukubhala. Kwathi ngelinye ilanga uNkulunkulu nedlozi ngaphiwa isipho, leso sipho kwaba wumsebenzi kaSolwazi u-Es’kia Mphahlele, i-The Suitcase. Wumdlalo wokuqala engawuqondisa, ngiwenza noTwala. Wawina izindondo eziyisikhombisa. Kwase kuqala olunye uhambo,” kusho uNgcobo.

Ngelinye ilanga esanda kuqala ukuba wumqondisi wemidlalo yeshashalazi, wezwa kuthiwa unesivakashi esikhethekile esimlindile. Umlingani wakhe wala waphetha ukumazisa ukuthi wayefunwa wubani.

“Wusuku engahlangana ngalo noBra Hugh. Wathi ‘Mfanakithi’ kade ngibuka imisebenzi yakho oyenzayo. Ngifuna sihlangane. Kwathi emva kwezinsuku ezimbili, sahlangana sadla isidlo sakusihlwa. Waphakamisa ukuthi siqale inkampani. Wayiqamba wathi yiSibojama (uSibongile, uJames noMasekela).  

Ungena emsebenzini wokuba wumqondisi wezobuciko eMarket nje, akaqali kulesi sikhundla. “Sisabenza-ke kanjalo bese ngiqashwa ngabantu base-The Netherlands ukuthi ngiyoba wumqondisi wezobuciko kwifestiveli okuthiwa yi-Afro Vibes. Lowo msebenzi ngawenza cishe iminyaka emine ngisebenza emashashalazini awu 19 emazweni ase-Europe. Ngaba wumqondisi wezobuciko we-Arts Alive.

Injani insimbi eMarket? “Ngineminyaka eyisishiyagalombili eMarket Theatre. Akulula! Akulula ukuba kulesi sikhundla engikusona akulula. Kulesi sikhundla akudingeki uthando kuphela, kudingeka ubuchule bebhizinisi nokuthi isabelomali esikhona usiphatha kanjani. Yizinto  engizifundile.” Okunye akufundile wukuqaphela indaa yegama lenkampani, phecelezi i-brand management.

Ezintweni ezimgeza ubebebe wukuzwa abantu bethakasela izinguquko esezikhona eMarket. Phakathi kwazo ubala umuntu owathi: “Ave kukuhle ukubona imisebenzi eyenziwe ngezilimi zethu. Yinto engayisho nakwinhlokokhono. Ithimba kwinhlolokhono langibuza ukuthi yini ehlukile engizoyiletha. 

“Ngathi angiyena umuntu obheka emuva. Into uNkulunkulu nedlozi abangangiphanga yona wukubambelela ezintweni esezidlulile. Izinto uyazikhumbula (uma uwumuntu) kodwa lezo zinto akufanele kuhlale kuyizona ezikubophaya, ungaboni lutho (olunye).

“Ngiwumuntu othanda ukuthi kuhlanganiswe amakhanda, kubanjiswane. Noma ubambisana nabantu kodwa kufanele ube nombono. Hhayi uthi ungena uthi ‘nithini nina?’. Akukona ukuhola loko.

“Kufanele uthole abantu bekhethelo. Uma uzungezwe yizimbongi (izicashalala), awukhuli. Mina ngithanda ukusebenza neziqhwaga, umuntu ovelele kwakwenzayo. Uma uhlangana abantu abanjalo, kuphuma umentshisi wento.

“Enye into engiyithanda kakhulu wukucathulisa abasafufusa. Zonke izingane eziphuma koWits, ko-UJ, e-UKZN noRhodes ziyazi zinekhaya eMarket. Nigsebenza nezingane ezincane mina eziphuthuma ama-PhD nama-Master’s.

“Uma sebeqede ukufunda, ngithi beka izincwadi phansi, singene endimeni. Into engiyithandayo wukuthi nami ngiyafunda kuzona. Ngiyabafundisa, bayangifundisa. Ngiye ngithi i-mentor (umcathulisi) yangempela kuningi engakufunda kwi-mentee (ethwaseni). Yiloko ukuzithoba,” kusho yena.

Phakathi kwezinto aziqhayisa ngokuziletha eMarket ubala izinhlelo, phecelezi programming, nokuthi ulethe izinto zokuqala. “Ngenze izinto iMarket engakaze izenze kodwa futhi nokugcinwa kwezinto ezindala ezisebenzayo kwenzekile.” 

Ezintweni ezintsha ubala ukugubha i-Black History Month, ukuxhumanisa iMarket nomhlaba wonke nokubonakala kwezilimi zesiNtu, “eGoli (ngesiSuthu) bathi dipuo tsa rona”, kusho uNgcobo.

Uhambo alupheli eMarket. Kunezinhlelo aphezu kwazo zokuzicijela ikusasa nokho ngeke ayikhulumele eziko.

Ufisa ukuqhubeka nomsebenzi weSibojama noXoliswa Ngema. Ufisa ukuyosebenza eDar es Salaam, eTanzania, izwe azifelayo ngalo. Ufisa nokubhala ngesizwe sasenyakatho yeNamibia esiphila ngokufuduka, amaHimba.

OKUNYE NGAYE:

• Igama lakhe lesiZulu wuSibongeleni;
• Ukuba akabanga wumlingisi, ngabe wangena endimeni yezemfundo ephakeme njengoba ethanda ezomlando ne-anthropology;
• Bazalwa bewu-12 kubo. Ungowesi-10;
• Unabafana ababili. Uganwe yisithole somSuthu uMaMoloi;
• Uyazifela ngebhodwe. Uthi imbuzi uyayishaya. Ukwazi ukuyenza i-roast nezithako o-black pepper, i-rosemary ne-thyme. KokwesiNtu uthanda isijingi;
• Unamateki i-All Star acela kwawu-14. Ubuye aphisane ngawo;
• Uhlale ebuswa wukuthi ithuna lilindile kodwa ngenkathi usaphila akube khona okwenzayo.