16 March 2004 13:12
KENTE`S HOME TO BE DECLARED HERITAGE INSTITUTION
Playwright Gibson Kente's Dube, Soweto, home may be declared a heritage instoitution, the Department of Arts and
Culture said on Tuesday. "There are tentative plans to begin the process of bestowing proper status to the house,
which is an important landmark in the heritage landscape of South Africa. The possible declaration of the house as a
heritage site is at the discretion of Gibson Kente," spokesman Andile Xaba said. Kente publically revealed his
HIV-positive status last year, to much acclaim. He is ill. Xaba said the government and the Gibson Kente Foundation met
on Monday to map out how to assist Kente, who is affectionately known as the "Godfather of township theatre".
The team agreed to begin the process of declaring Kente's house a heritage institution and ensuring he is supported
with a grant for day-to-day expenses, spokesman Andile Xaba said. The Theatre Benevolent Fund had agreed to provide
Kente with a monthly stipend. Xaba said the department also agreed to assist the Kente Foundation to secure the house
after Kente announced that he had no money and repossession was hovering. The Gibson Kente Foundation was considering
ways of giving Kente an income, rather than having him depend on grants. "We are thankful that the government is
working with us to ensure that the legacy of Gibson Kente as the father of South African Theatre is properly looked
after," Duma Ka Ndlovu of the Gibson Kente Foundation said. Kente's work at the theatre included Sikhalo, How
Long,Can You Take It, and Mama and The Load. He influenced playwrights such as Mbogeni Ngema, Matsemela Manaka, and
Maishe Maponya by creating a form that reflects black experience. Sapa 03/16/04 14-47 C=100
[SAPA (South African Press Association)] |
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