Praised writer and actress Nokugcina Elsie Mhlophe, popularly known as “Gcina Mhlophe”, will be recognised by the Faculty of Arts and Design at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) at their May graduation. DUT will award an Honorary Doctor of Philosophy in Visual and Performing Arts to the world-renowned South African storyteller, author, poet, playwright, activist and actress.
The honorary degree will be conferred at the DUT 2024 Autumn Graduation ceremony, which will be held at the Olive Convention Centre, Durban on Tuesday May 28 at 9am.
The awarding of the honorary degree is in recognition of Ms Mhlophe’s exceptional contribution and accomplishment to the world of the arts, particularly in literature and the entertainment industry. She will be among 371 graduates from the Faculty of Arts and Design who will attend the Durban graduation ceremony and be acknowledge for their dedication and achievement.
The multi-talented award-winning, Ms Mhlophe is most highly acclaimed for her one-woman autobiographical play, titled, Have You Seen Zandile? in which she played the lead actress. The play was first produced in 1986 and received a standing ovation from its audience at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg.
Ms Mhlophe played the role of Zandile, and DUT’s 2022 Honorary Doctorate recipient, Dr Thembi Mtshali, played the character of Zandile’s grandmother. The play was directed by Maralyn Van Reenen and has been flighted on numerous international stages, namely the Market Theatre in Johannesburg, Edinburgh, London, Basel, Zurich, Chicago, and Tennessee. The play was performed as a BBC radio drama for which Ms Mhlophe won the Sony Award for best actress, and the play won awards in Chicago and Edinburgh.
Ms Mhlophe was an editorial advisor for the Staffrider, a literary magazine founded in Johannesburg in 1978 and published until 1993. The publication was a primary instrument of artistic and intellectual resistance in the struggle against apartheid. As a literary activist, she founded and directed the Zanendaba storytelling company in Johannesburg and has championed literacy through the Nozincwadi organisation to resource communities to read, especially young children.
Her Million Books Project has impacted on countless children in South Africa in her efforts to grow a vibrant reading culture. She is the founder and executive director of Gcinamasiko Arts and Heritage Trust under which projects such as the annual Nozincwadi Story and Book Festival are hosted.
Congratulating Ms Mhlophe, the former Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Design at DUT, Professor Runette Kruger, said the Faculty of Arts and Design takes pride in conferring an Honorary Doctorate on Ms Mhlophe.
“The inspiring work she has done in the arts and in literacy has contributed immensely to the cultural richness of South Africa. Through her dedication and creativity, Ms Mhlophe shines a light on South African tales for local and international audiences while also preserving the culture and art of storytelling. Ms Mhlophe’s sustained excellence and achievements embody the aim of the DUT ENVISION2030 strategy, which is to improve the lives and livelihoods of our people,” said Professor Kruger.
He added that the Faculty of Arts and Design looked forward to collaborating and engaging with Ms Mhlophe, as her decades of rich industry experience will benefit both the DUT students and the university’s academic programmes immensely.
