Winnie the Opera Hits The Stage In Pretoria

By Ezinne Ukoha | June 22nd, 2011

In Diaspora. Winnie Mandela, the iconic ex-wife of equally iconic Nelson Mandela, has been bestowed the highest honor of having her life story set to a melodic dramatic symphony. And this time the normally reserved South African Freedom Fighter was the biggest cheerleader,which is a stark contrast to her reaction to the upcoming biopic pic starring Jennifer Hudson and Terrence Howard. At opening night of “Winnie the Opera”, it was hard for anyone to ignore the incredible music composed by renowned South-African composer, BonganiNdodana-Breen and the ecclesiastical performance of leading lady Tsakane Maswanganyi. All the elements came together, including thearousing sounds of the KwaZulu –Natal philharmonic orchestra to make opening night a night to remember. The State Theatre in Pretoriacame alive, and Winnie Mandela acknowledged the thrill of watching her much publicized and scrutinized life come to life on stage, detailing the role she played to help her famous husband abolish apartheid while trying to maintain a stable home for her children and be the dutiful wife she was taught to be. She took the stage at the end of the performance and eloquently expressed her approval, “In all my career of fighting, I’ve never been short of words, but tonight I am. This is the first time I have got such accolades from my country, this surpasses anything I have ever known.

We can’t believe its taken this long for Winnie Mandela to be celebrated for her all her sacrifice and fearless determination but better late than never. The production ended its run May 3rd 2011 but history was made and Winnie Mandela proved that she is the ultimate leading lady.