October, The Dark Month For Zambia

The month of October 2006 can best be described as a Black month for theatre artists in Zambia as three prominent artists Kingsley Sinkala, Sonny Ngwenya and Cosmas Gabriel Mpundu died during the month. The untimely, horrendous and brutal demise of one of Zambia’s theatrical heroes has really saddened the artistic fraternity. In Kingsley Sinkala we have lost an ambassador, a friend, a musician, an actor, producer, director and arts promoter.

Kingsley was killed by armed bandits in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was shot by four men who raided his landlord's house in Rundburg residential area on Saturday 30th September 2006. He was gunned down when he tried to rescue his landlord who had been attacked by armed bandits. The late Kingsley was 43years and is survived by a wife and five children.

Kingsley had been on the art scene for entirely all of his lifetime having taken part in the ZANTAA festivals of the 70s and 80s as a schoolboy at Ndeke Secondary School. This was the time when, together with, the late Graig Lungu, Maidstone Mulenga, Elijah Daka, Danny Chanda and scores of other upstarts founded the youthful but powerful Tithandidze Theatre Group. Kingsley excelled both as an actor and a playwright and actually conceived a good number of plays that were accredited as having been written by the late Graig Lungu. Among such plays were ‘Woman is Queen’, ‘Den of Torment’, ‘Ring of Fire’, ‘Forsaken’ and ‘Love Enchained’.

His theatrical prowess continued at Zambia National Service where he helped found KAFUNASE, the Kafue National Service Drama Group, which later became ZANASE. For some time after the Zambia National Service stint, Kingsley led what one would call a peripatetic life, living in about four towns a long the Great North road. He was in Lusaka, Kabwe, Kapiri Mposhi and Kitwe, and in all these towns, he was involved in various theatrical activities. It was the Venus Theatre Club project in Kabwe that catapulted him to greater heights when he played a leading role in ‘Kalicheli,’ a musical production penned, produced and directed by the late Kwaleyela Ikafa. In this successful and highly acclaimed production, Kingsley Sinkala played the leading role of Kalicheli.

In ‘Kalicheli', he partnered well with Belinda Dube who played the role of ‘Sheli’. The play went on to win an award at the 1982 TAZ Festival and was one of the best pieces ever to be screened on Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation Television.

Kingsley, fondly known as King, went on to push his talent to the top when he featured in a memorial play for the late Haggai Chisulo. ‘Haggai Remembered’ was a compilation of six excerpts from six plays in which Chisulo had played the leading role. The director Mumba Kapumpa wanted an energetic actor who could play Haggai’s roles in these excerpts, and Kingsley scooped the part. The role was extremely demanding because the characters varied and the play was fast paced requiring someone who would change character and costume quickly enough so that it’s continuity was not disturbed.

Kingsley stole the hearts of the audience when ‘Haggai Remembered’ premiered at Evelyn Hone College Hall. Many would recall how Kingsley changed from being an American guy in ‘I’ve Always Been A Stranger Here’, to ‘Che’ in ‘Che Guevara’, to ‘Kamunu’ in ‘Hunter of God’ and ‘Man’ in ‘Soweto Flowers Will Grow’ among the six other roles he played in that masterpiece. The beauty with Kingsley was his attitude towards criticism and eagerness to share ideas.

In 1989, Kingsley Sinkala found himself in another musical play, again by Kwaleyela Ikafa who had now moved to Kitwe from Kabwe. The play was special in that the actors lived in different parts of Zambia and only met occasionally for rehearsal. Kingsley was based in Kapiri Mposhi. The play, ‘Mawe-The Musical Riffs of Conscience’, was performed by CAST ( Creative Arts Simple Theatre ) with Kingsley taking the leading role of Kadansa.

‘Mawe’ told a story of two warring gangs in society ‘The Makululu People’ and ‘The Coach Station People’. These two groups were at each other’s necks with each blaming the other for its own social problems. Incidentally, the play saw the return of the two stars of Kalicheli as leaders of the two gangs. Sinkala (as ‘Kadansa’) led ‘The Makululu people’ whilst Belinda (as Tendai) led the ‘The Coach Station People’.

This contact with musicals brought out the musician in Kingsley Sinkala such that in 1991, he entered the ZNBC Studios and recorded an airplay single entitled ‘Uno Mwaka Tulevota’ backed by The Green Labels band. At this time, he was back with ZANASE as a full time actor taking part in a number of their ‘Play Circle’ productions that were the only local production on Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation Television.

After 1991, Kingsley Sinkala decided to export his rich artistry to the highly competitive South African scene where he still weathered the storm and represented the Zambia in that country. Apart from teaching drama and dance at high school, he wrote, produced and directed a number of successful pieces for the South African theatre.

Among the pieces that Kingsley did in South Africa, were musicals ‘One Love’ and ‘Katinanga’. He also featured in another drama entitled ‘Room 20’, a two man cast in which he played ‘Jabu’ an undercover cop investigating the activities of a drug trafficking sex-worker. Sinkala also wrote and directed the play. In Kingsley Sinkala, the nation has definitely lost a dedicated patriotic Zambian artiste who worked for the betterment of the arts.

As the country was still mourning Kingsley, the national again lost Television soap opera actor, Sonny Ngwenya, who died in Lusaka on Friday 6th October 2006. Ngwenya entered the limelight soon after the launch of the ZNBC Talent Search for Kabanana soap opera. He was picked during the talent search, and has been featuring in the Kabanana Soap, as a Drug Enforcement Officer.

Ngwenya also appeared in a ZNBC better TV advertisement where he acts as an informer for ZNBC TV licence officials.

Cosmas Gabriel Mpundu, a producer , play director, accomplished actorand playwright, died in Chingola on 19th October 2006 and was buried four days later in the same town. On 22nd October 2006, artists paid their last respects to Cosmas when his body passed through the Chingola Arts Society auditorium.