- Mandla Langa
-
Mandla Langa Born 1950
Stanger, DurbanNotable work(s) The Lost Colours of the Chameleon (2008)
The Memory of Stories (2000)Notable award(s) 2009 Commonwealth Writer's Prize
1991 Arts Council of Great Britain’s Bursary for Creative WritingMandla Langa (born in 1950 Stanger, Durban) is a published South African poet, short story writer, and novelist. He grew up in KwaMashu township.[1] Langa studied at the University of Fort Hare where he graduated in 1972 with a B.A. in English and Philosophy.[2]
Contents
Early Life & Education
Mandla Langa was born in Stanger, Durban in 1950 and grew up in KwaMashu township twenty miles north of Durban.[3] 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.[4] 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.[5] In addition to Lesotho, Langa spent time in Mozambique, Zambia, Hungary and the UK.[6] Langa has two daughters with wife June Josephs.[7]
Career
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.[8] 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 Britain Bursary for Creative Writing.[9] 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.[10] In 2007, Langa received SA’s National Order of Ikhamanga (Silver) for literary, journalistic and cultural achievements.[11] 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”.[12] 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.[13] He appeared at the 2011 Paris Book Fair.[14] 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[15]
Administrative Positions
- Cultural Representative of the African National Congress (ANC)[16]
- July 2001- 2005: Chairperson of the first council of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa(ICASA) – (merging of the IBA and the South African Telecommunications Regulatory Authority- SARRA)[17]
Currently Langa is serving on the following boards...
- Business and Arts South Africa (BASA)[18]
- Foundation for Global Dialogue (FGD)[19]
- Institute for the Advancement of Journalism (IAJ) [20]
- The Rhodes University School for Economic Journalism[21]
- Trustee of the Nation's Trust[22]
- Trustee of the Read Educational Trust[23]
- Trustee of the South African Screen Writers' Laboratory (SCRAWL)[24]
- Director of Contemporary African Music and Arts (CAMA)[25]
Media Positions
- April 1999-June 2000: Chairperson of the Independent Broadcasting Authority[26]
- Langa served as a columnist for the Sunday Independent (South Africa) [27]
- Vice-Chairperson of the successful Africa 95 Exhibition in London[28]
- Served on the board of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) after his position as program director [29]
- "Editor-at-large"of Leadership Magazine [30]
Works
Fiction
- The Lost Colours of the Chameleon Picador Africa, 2008, ISBN 9781770100848
- The Memory of Stones. New Africa Books. 2000. ISBN 9780864864086. http://books.google.com/books?id=bZOugqyQ4q0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=mandla+langa&hl=en&ei=TYfJTYDBDOHc0QHk1MjcCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false. - a collection exploring the nature of South African society after the end of apartheid
- The Naked Song and Other Stories. New Africa Books. 1996. ISBN 9780864863133. http://books.google.com/books?id=MNGtqTeJyukC&printsec=frontcover&dq=mandla+langa&hl=en&ei=TYfJTYDBDOHc0QHk1MjcCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false.
- 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 Masekela
References
- ^ Langa, Mandla (24 June 2008). "<img class="contributor-pic" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2008/06/24/mangala.jpg" alt="Picture of Mandla Langa" title="Mandla Langa" />". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/mandlalanga.
- ^ http://www.literarytourism.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47:mandla-langa&catid=13:authors&Itemid=28
- ^ http://www.cca.ukzn.ac.za/images/tow/TOW2009/bios/Langa.htm
- ^ http://www.thepresidency.gov.za/pebble.asp?relid=1353
- ^ http://www.modernghana.com/news/31383/1/pawa-to-host-mandla-langa.html
- ^ http://www.cca.ukzn.ac.za/images/tow/TOW2009/bios/Langa.htm
- ^ http://www.multichoice.co.za/multichoice/view/multichoice/en/page49062
- ^ http://www.thepresidency.gov.za/pebble.asp?relid=1353
- ^ http://www.thepresidency.gov.za/pebble.asp?relid=1353
- ^ http://www.join-mozart-festival.org/pages/residence.html
- ^ http://www.thepresidency.gov.za/pebble.asp?relid=1353
- ^ http://www.modernghana.com/news/31383/1/pawa-to-host-mandla-langa.html
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_overall_and_regional_winning_authors_of_the_Commonwealth_Writers%27_Prize#1990s
- ^ http://www.intofrench.org/index.php/en/culture/news/99-mandla-langa-
- ^ http://www.bushtheatre.co.uk/biography/writers/
- ^ http://www.thepresidency.gov.za/pebble.asp?relid=1353
- ^ http://www.modernghana.com/news/31383/1/pawa-to-host-mandla-langa.html
- ^ http://www.literarytourism.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47:mandla-langa&catid=13:authors&Itemid=28
- ^ http://www.globaldialoguefoundation.org/
- ^ http://www.iaj.org.za/
- ^ http://www.literarytourism.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47:mandla-langa&catid=13:authors&Itemid=28
- ^ http://www.intofrench.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=99:mandla-langa-&catid=52:news&Itemid=103&lang=fr
- ^ http://www.intofrench.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=99:mandla-langa-&catid=52:news&Itemid=103&lang=fr
- ^ http://www.intofrench.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=99:mandla-langa-&catid=52:news&Itemid=103&lang=fr
- ^ http://www.literarytourism.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47:mandla-langa&catid=13:authors&Itemid=28
- ^ http://www.literarytourism.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47:mandla-langa&catid=13:authors&Itemid=28
- ^ http://www.literarytourism.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47:mandla-langa&catid=13:authors&Itemid=28
- ^ http://www.thepresidency.gov.za/pebble.asp?relid=1353
- ^ http://www.thepresidency.gov.za/pebble.asp?relid=1353
- ^ http://www.modernghana.com/news/31383/1/pawa-to-host-mandla-langa.html
External links
- Langa, Mandla (24 June 2008). "Africa's credibility is at stake". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jun/24/1.
- "Mandla Langa and Uwem Akpan Win the 2009 Commonwealth Writers' Prizes – Africa Region"
- "MANDLA LANGA", African Millionaire
Categories:- South African novelists
- South African poets
- South African short story writers
- South African journalists
- University of Fort Hare alumni
- Living people
- Prisoners and detainees of South Africa
- 1950 births
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