DUT Drama Student Wins Standard Bank Ovation Award

Thando Mbulelo Mbanjwa


The sky is definitely not the limit for third year Drama & Productions Studies student, Thando Mbulelo Mbanjwa who was announced as one of the winners of the 2018 Standard Bank Ovation Awards at this year’s National Arts Festival Fringe.  

The awards are a celebration of artistic innovation, excellence, the exploration of new performance styles and the courage to open new conversation through the arts.
The budding actress and choreographer won the award for her edutainment dance theatre performance titled I’m HIV and Living. Mbanjwa’s piece was aimed at tackling the stigma around the Human Immune Virus (HIV) and change people’s perspective on how they look at this virus. 
The outstanding performance illustrated the endless possibilities of living with this disease and aimed at encouraging young people to test for HIV and to stop living in the fear of what the outcome of testing will be.

“What inspired my piece is that there are so many people living with HIV and being HIV doesn’t mean you will die soon, it just means take care of yourself, so being HIV and Living is the key,” said Mbanjwa.

Mbanjwa credited her grandmother for her support saying she is her pillar of strength and has always encouraged her to do better. 

 “My grandmother, has been my backbone, she has never missed any of my performances, she even came to watch all my shows at the National Arts Festival Makhanda,” she said.
Mbanjwa also stated that she aims to build an international name for herself and to choreograph pieces that not only entertain but also have a message to deliver to her audience.

With more than 100 productions performed on the Fringe at the 2018 National Arts Festival Makhanda, Mbanjwa being one of them, this year’s winners of the Standard Bank Ovation Awards have emerged as being among the best of the best.


-NASIPHI GIGABA

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