Gibson Mthuthuzeli Kente (23 July 1932 – 7 November 2004) was a South African playwright, composer, director, and producer based in Soweto. He was known as the Father of Black Theatre in South Africa, and was one of the first writers to deal with life in the South African black townships. He produced 23 plays and television dramas between 1963 and 1992. He is also responsible for producing some of South Africa's leading musicians. Many prominent artists, including Brenda Fassie, owe their first opportunities on stage to him.
Early life and education
Gibson Kente was born on 23 July 1932 in Duncan Village, Eastern Cape raised in Stutterheim by his mother. He was educated at Bethel Training College Seventh-Day Adventist college in Butterworth until he moved to Lovedale Training College to complete his matric. In 1956 Kente moved to Johannesburg to study social work at the Jan H. Hofmeyr School of Social Work. The Union Artists offered black performers in South Africa training, royalty contracts and fair payment.
Career
In 1963, Kente produced his first play, Manana, The Jazz Prophet, which featured celebrated musicians Caiphus Semenya and Letta Mbulu. The play focused on Manana, a gospel preacher and prophet, whose main concern was to bring everybody to the Christian faith. His success with his first two plays motivated him to leave the Union Artists to start his own training centre and production company, GK Productions. He trained famous South African artists and entertainers such as Brenda Fassie, Nomsa Nene, in the garage of his home in Dube, Soweto. Kente also wrote music for artists such as Miriam Makeba and Letta Mbulu. In 1998, the Civic Theatre presented a tribute to him called A Tribute to Gibson Kente.
Associate Professor Emeritus Rolf Solberg of Norway wrote an account of the playwright's life and work in Bra Gib: Father of South Africa's Township Theatre.
Personal life
He married Drum cover-girl Evelyn Nomathemba Kasi in 1969 and they had three children. They were divorced in 1979.
In 2003 he announced that he was HIV Positive. This public admission received praise from South African politicians, including Nelson Mandela. He was admitted into the care of a hospice in Soweto, where he was cared for until he died in his sleep on 7 November 2004.