Jonathan Khumbulani Nkala

Jonathan Khumbulani Nkala (1980-2014). Playwright and performer.

Usually referred to simply as Jonathan Nkala

Biography

Born in Zimbabwe, he led an extraordinary life, fleeing to South Africa in 2005*?, and travelling to Cape Town. Here he sold beads and told his story on Camps Bay beach. He was discovered as a playwright and performer by director Bo Petersen, who helped him shape the story of his journey as a one-man play originally called The Journey (2006) and reworked as The Crossing in 2008.

His life was ultimately documented in a trilogy of plays he developed and performed over time, and these were published by Junkets Publishers as Cockroach: a Trilogy of Plays in 2011. The three plays are The Bicycle Thief (childhood), Faith in Love (adolescence) and The Crossing (young adulthood).

Died of cancer in Zimbabwe in May 2014.

Sources

Newsletter from Robin Malan [rmalan@iafrica.com]

Business Day, 17 March 2011.

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