Mandla Langa
Encyclopedia
Mandla Langa is a published South African poet
, short story writer, and novelist. He grew up in KwaMashu
township.
Langa studied at the University of Fort Hare
where he graduated in 1972 with a B.A. in English and Philosophy.
in 1950 and grew up in KwaMashu
township twenty miles north of Durban. Langa grew up during the implementation of the apartheid system. He is one of nine children. His brother Pius Langa
, served as Chief Justice
in South Africa. His other brother, Bheki Langa served as South Africa’s ambassador to Russia. Mandla Langa attended Gardner Memorial School, Sibonelo High School in Durban, and then the University of Fort Hare
. Given the substantial amount of political strikes during his college career, he was able to complete his BA in English and Philosophy in 1972. In 1974, Langa became actively involved as a director of the South African Students' Organization (SASO) and maintained his position until his arrest in 1976. He was arrested for attempting to leave the country without a permit and served 101 days in jail. According to Charles Larson’s (editor of Under African Skies) introduction of Langa, Langa himself said that his arrest was due to sedition
.
While imprisoned, Langa continued to improve his writing skills. After serving his sentence, Langa fled to Botswana
, marking the start of his life in exile. Langa also spent time in Lesotho
, Angola
where he participated in military training at the MK camps, also known as Umkhonto we Sizwe
. In addition to Lesotho, Langa spent time in Mozambique
, Zambia
, Hungary
and the UK
.
Langa has two daughters with wife June Josephs.
Bursary for Creative Writing. Langa’s diverse work includes penning an opera, “Milestones” with musical accompaniment composed by jazz musician, Hugh Masekela
. In 1999, “Milestones” was featured at the Standard Bank Festival in Grahamstown. In 2007, Langa received SA’s National Order of Ikhamanga
(Silver) for literary, journalistic and cultural achievements. In February 2003, the Pan African Writer’s Association (PAWA) featured Langa in an event promoting him as a distinguished South African writer: “An Evening with Mandla Langa”. Langa’s continued success in novels landed him the distinction of the Commonwealth Writers Prize (Best Book in Africa) in 2009 for The Lost Colours of the Chameleon.
He appeared at the 2011 Paris Book Fair.
He will also be partaking in the Bush Theatre
's 2011 project Sixty Six where he has written a piece based upon a chapter of the King James Bible
Currently Langa is serving on the following boards...
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, short story writer, and novelist. He grew up in KwaMashu
KwaMashu
KwaMashu is a township twenty miles north of Durban, South Africa with very high levels of poverty and crime.-History:The township was formed by the apartheid state to house the mass resettlement of Africans that were living in Cato Manor during 1958-65. It is the largest of 3 townships in the area...
township.
Langa studied at the University of Fort Hare
University of Fort Hare
The University of Fort Hare is a public university in Alice, Eastern Cape, South Africa. It was a key institution in higher education for black Africans from 1916 to 1959. It offered a Western-style, academically excellent education to students from across sub-Saharan Africa, creating a black...
where he graduated in 1972 with a B.A. in English and Philosophy.
Early Life & Education
Mandla Langa was born in Stanger, DurbanDurban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
in 1950 and grew up in KwaMashu
KwaMashu
KwaMashu is a township twenty miles north of Durban, South Africa with very high levels of poverty and crime.-History:The township was formed by the apartheid state to house the mass resettlement of Africans that were living in Cato Manor during 1958-65. It is the largest of 3 townships in the area...
township twenty miles north of Durban. Langa grew up during the implementation of the apartheid system. He is one of nine children. His brother Pius Langa
Pius Langa
Pius Nkonzo Langa was previously Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. He was appointed to the bench in 1994 by Nelson Mandela, became Deputy Chief Justice in 2001 and was elevated as Chief Justice in 2005 by Thabo Mbeki. He retired in October 2009.-External links:**...
, served as Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
in South Africa. His other brother, Bheki Langa served as South Africa’s ambassador to Russia. Mandla Langa attended Gardner Memorial School, Sibonelo High School in Durban, and then the University of Fort Hare
University of Fort Hare
The University of Fort Hare is a public university in Alice, Eastern Cape, South Africa. It was a key institution in higher education for black Africans from 1916 to 1959. It offered a Western-style, academically excellent education to students from across sub-Saharan Africa, creating a black...
. Given the substantial amount of political strikes during his college career, he was able to complete his BA in English and Philosophy in 1972. In 1974, Langa became actively involved as a director of the South African Students' Organization (SASO) and maintained his position until his arrest in 1976. He was arrested for attempting to leave the country without a permit and served 101 days in jail. According to Charles Larson’s (editor of Under African Skies) introduction of Langa, Langa himself said that his arrest was due to sedition
Sedition
In law, sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that is deemed by the legal authority to tend toward insurrection against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent to lawful authority. Sedition may include any...
.
While imprisoned, Langa continued to improve his writing skills. After serving his sentence, Langa fled to Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
, marking the start of his life in exile. Langa also spent time in Lesotho
Lesotho
Lesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...
, Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
where he participated in military training at the MK camps, also known as Umkhonto we Sizwe
Umkhonto we Sizwe
Umkhonto we Sizwe , translated "Spear of the Nation," was the armed wing of the African National Congress which fought against the South African apartheid government. MK launched its first guerrilla attacks against government installations on 16 December 1961...
. In addition to Lesotho, Langa spent time in Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
, Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Langa has two daughters with wife June Josephs.
Literary Work
Some of Langa’s early publications include poems such as “Pension Jives” and “They No Longer Speak to Us in Song”. In addition to writing poetry, Langa began writing prose. His story "The Dead Men Who Lost Their Bones" was the first to be published in Drum Magazine in 1980. Langa’s success prompted his literary evolution from poetry to novels. In 1991, Langa became the first South African to be awarded the Arts Council of Great BritainArts Council of Great Britain
The Arts Council of Great Britain was a non-departmental public body dedicated to the promotion of the fine arts in Great Britain. The Arts Council of Great Britain was divided in 1994 to form the Arts Council of England , the Scottish Arts Council, and the Arts Council of Wales...
Bursary for Creative Writing. Langa’s diverse work includes penning an opera, “Milestones” with musical accompaniment composed by jazz musician, Hugh Masekela
Hugh Masekela
Hugh Ramopolo Masekela is a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, and singer.-Early life:Masekela was born in Kwa-Guqa Township, Witbank, South Africa. He began singing and playing piano as a child...
. In 1999, “Milestones” was featured at the Standard Bank Festival in Grahamstown. In 2007, Langa received SA’s National Order of Ikhamanga
Order of Ikhamanga
The Order of Ikhamanga is a South African honour. It was instituted on 30 November 2003 and is granted by the President of South Africa for achievements in arts, culture, literature, music, journalism, and sports...
(Silver) for literary, journalistic and cultural achievements. In February 2003, the Pan African Writer’s Association (PAWA) featured Langa in an event promoting him as a distinguished South African writer: “An Evening with Mandla Langa”. Langa’s continued success in novels landed him the distinction of the Commonwealth Writers Prize (Best Book in Africa) in 2009 for The Lost Colours of the Chameleon.
He appeared at the 2011 Paris Book Fair.
He will also be partaking in the Bush Theatre
Bush Theatre
The Bush Theatre is based in Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 above The Bush public house by Brian McDermott, and has since become one of the most celebrated new writing theatres in the world. An intimate venue renowned for its close-up...
's 2011 project Sixty Six where he has written a piece based upon a chapter of the King James Bible
Administrative Positions
- Cultural Representative of the African National Congress (ANC)
- July 2001- 2005: Chairperson of the first council of the Independent Communications Authority of South AfricaIndependent Communications Authority of South AfricaThe Independent Communications Authority of South Africa is an independent regulatory body of the South African government, established in 2000 by the to regulate both the telecommunications and broadcasting sectors in the public interest....
(ICASA) – (merging of the IBA and the South African Telecommunications Regulatory Authority- SARRA)
Currently Langa is serving on the following boards...
- Business and Arts South Africa (BASA)
- Foundation for Global Dialogue (FGD)
- Institute for the Advancement of Journalism (IAJ)
- The Rhodes UniversityRhodes UniversityRhodes University is a public research university located in Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, established in 1904. It is the province’s oldest university, and is one of the four universities in the province...
School for Economic Journalism - Trustee of the Nation's Trust
- Trustee of the Read Educational Trust
- Trustee of the South African Screen Writers' Laboratory (SCRAWL)
- Director of Contemporary African Music and Arts (CAMA)
Media Positions
- April 1999-June 2000: Chairperson of the Independent Broadcasting AuthorityIndependent Broadcasting AuthorityThe Independent Broadcasting Authority was the regulatory body in the United Kingdom for commercial television - and commercial/independent radio broadcasts...
- Langa served as a columnist for the Sunday Independent (South Africa)Sunday Independent (South Africa)The Sunday Independent is a weekly English language newspaper owned by Independent News & Media and published in South Africa.-External links:*...
- Vice-Chairperson of the successful Africa 95 Exhibition in London
- Served on the board of the South African Broadcasting CorporationSouth African Broadcasting CorporationThe South African Broadcasting Corporation is the state-owned broadcaster in South Africa and provides 18 radio stations as well as 3 television broadcasts to the general public.-Early years:Radio broadcasting began in South Africa in 1923...
(SABC) after his position as program director - "Editor-at-large"of Leadership Magazine
Fiction
- The Lost Colours of the Chameleon Picador Africa, 2008, ISBN 9781770100848 - a collection exploring the nature of South African society after the end of apartheid
- A Rainbow on the Paper Sky, Kliptown Books, 1989
- Tenderness of Blood, Zimbabwe Pub. House, 1987, ISBN 9780949225306
Collaborative Works
- 2006 Youth 2 Youth: 30 Years after Soweto ’76 (Introduction by Mandla Langa, edited by George Hallett)
- 2004 Moving in Time: Images of Life in a Democratic South Africa (Introduction by Mandla Langa, edited by George Hallett)
- 2004 South Africa's Nobel Laureates: Peace, Literature and Science by Kader Asmal, David Chidester, & Wilmot Godfrey James (Introduction by Mandla Langa)
Collections
- 2004 South Africa's Nobel Laureates: Peace, Literature and Science by Kader Asmal, David Chidester, & Wilmot Godfrey James (Introduction by Mandla Langa)
- 1997 Under African Skies: Modern African Stories edited by Charles R. Larson
- 1990 Junky's Christmas, and other Yuletide Stories by Elisa Segrave
Other
- “Milestones” – Musical opera in which Langa collaborated with the jazz musician Hugh MasekelaHugh MasekelaHugh Ramopolo Masekela is a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, and singer.-Early life:Masekela was born in Kwa-Guqa Township, Witbank, South Africa. He began singing and playing piano as a child...