photo credit Paul Weinberg

Publications:

The Snake with seven heads , Skotaville, 1989

Nalohima, the Deaf Tortoise, Gamsbek, 1999

Fudukazi's Magic , Cambridge University Press, 2000

Nozincwadi Mother of Books , Maskew Miller Longman, 2001

African Mother Christmas , Maskew Miller Longman, 2002

Have You seen Zandile?, Skotaville, University of Natal Press , 2002

Love Child , University of Natal Press, 2002

Stories of Africa , University of Natal Press, 2003

GCINA MHLOPHE

South Africa

Poet, playwright, performer and South Africa 's favourite storyteller, Gcina Mhlophe has been writing and performing on stage and screen for the past 23 years. Encouraged during her childhood by her grandmother to let her imagination run wild, Gcina started writing and telling her stories. She produced and performed in the collaboration CD for children with Ladysmith Black Mambazo in 1993, and has written the music and stories for the SABCTV series, Gcina & Friends . In 2000 she released an award-winning storytelling CD entitled Fudukazi's Magic for German audiences, which was also produced for video in collaboration with Anant Singh of VideoVision Entertainment.

In 2001 her CD and book, Nozincwadi Mother of Books , was produced as part of her nationwide reading road show to South African rural schools. Gcina feels that the well-known traditional tales of Africa have worldwide appeal, as they recur in different versions in many other parts of the world. Gcina's writings have been translated into German, French, Italian, Swahili and Japanese. Her honours include; BBC Africa Service Award for Radio Drama, The Fringe First Award at Edinburgh Festival, Joseph Jefferson Award in Chicago, OBBIE in New York, and Honorary Doctorates from London Open University and University of Natal. The play, Have You Seen Zandile? , was first performed at the Market Theatre, Johannesburg , in 1986, with Gcina Mhlophe as Zandile. She was awarded the Sony Award in Britain for Best Actress when the play was performed there as a Radio drama for BBC Africa Service. In Love Child , a fascinating retrospective collection of stories, Gcina shares her personal journey through the social and political landscapes of the 1980s.