My first subject for this new interview series, from my C-Square ’hood in Prince Njube Township, is choreographer Alexander “Xander” Mhlanga (Bulawayo, 1978) who reveals his state of arts 30 years into the industry.
I have interviewed a variety of people from my former Ntabazinduna homeland chief Felix Nhlanhlayamangwe Ndiweni to David Coltart to Prudence Katomeni-Mbofana; from Bulelwa ‘Zahara’ Mkutukana to Mthokozisi ‘DJ Tira’ Khathi to Themba ‘Euphonik/Themba’ Nkosi; from Carla Kabamba to Patience “Mama G” “Mama Azuka” Ozokwor.
I was supposed to interview Peter “Nsukuzonke” Ndlovu in 2012 but the accident and subsequent trial occurred. July 2025 saw me begin the series The Republic of because we could use more of SJ interviews. My book Thole likaMthwakazi is due 27 November 2025.
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Primary School: Helemu Primary School.
Secondary School: Mpopoma The High School.
After School: Salukazi Arts Centre, popularly known as “eMatsheni” (place of rocks – SJ), a former city council beer garden in E-Square, Njube.
“No parent deserves to bury their child”.
The Dance of…
I cut my teeth at Young Warriors Theatre in 1995 and back then the arts were not considered a contributor to the gross domestic product (GDP) or “intellectual”. People viewed it as “into zamadlozi” (over-Christianised Africa often views indigenous arts and culture as “ancestral worship” – SJ). We got recognition when we started touring across Southern Africa. We were the generation that had the mindset of building ourselves and our communities through the arts.
However, there are dangers in building a community. The same people that you love and support can sink you – they can pull you down. We then founded Umkhathi Theatre Works (Ndlovu, 2024) with Matesu Dube in 1997.
The First Passport Stamp of…
Botswana.
The Miseducation of…
We unfortunately set European standards as a measure of our success. As we started to get booked to travel by airplane and meet celebrities like Oliver Mtukudzi, we were compelled to learn what traditional or folk dance was; the craft and the techniques. We consulted historians to learn about Isitshikitsha which is an expression of Isintu, who we are.
In the ‘90s we had adopted music from African American artists like 2Pac, and television was now accessible. We, however, made it cool to be us. Our eternal message was: black is beautiful, dark skin is beautiful, and you speaking your language IsiNdebele, IsiZulu, IsiXhosa is beautiful.
The Dreadlocks of…
Immediately after finishing school, I put on ikleza, dreadlocks (-kleza, other meanings – SJ). It was not be Rastafari but this was my way of setting a bar to show that I identified as black, and I was happy, despite being compared to other children whose academics were better.
The Spirit of…
I discovered that being black was brought by dance, because it is spiritual. People should be aware that our dances are powerful, and they can use dance as therapy for mental health challenges, wellbeing, and healing. Dare I say that dance is better than sex!
Initially I played football for Highlanders Football Club’s reserve team before dancing found me. I had no interest in the arts prior to that. I went to Salukazi Arts Centre and I’m still there till today.
The Solo Career of…
In 2000 I founded Amawumbo Dance Company (Nkala, 2015), which also gave birth to the group Phakama Mfazi. Amawumbo had one of the first online presences in Bulawayo as we had a website. This was pivotal as I had been inspired by the late Norman Takawira (founder of Young Warriors from 1987-1998 – SJ), Josphat Ndlovu (Bambelela Arts Ensemble), and Matesu Dube, who had been our seniors at Young Warriors.
The Diaspora of…
That year of 2000 aged 21-22, I moved to Sweden and lived there for 10 years. I was a bit lonely in Scandinavia as there were few of our people abroad compared to now. The 6-month winters were long, it is dark by 4PM and miserable, but I made friends with the wider African community from Senegal and The Gambia. I got an opportunity to learn Contemporary dance and combined it with my own traditional dance to improve my Afro-fusion storytelling.
I came back home in around 2010 as by then Amawumbo had a cast of 25 including now solo stars Japhet ‘Hwabaraty’ Mlauzi and Othnell ‘Mangoma’ Moyo to mention a few.
Another difficulty I faced in Europe was that sometimes you don’t get the jobs that you deserve because of your surname (the phenomenon of being unable to get jobs because of a foreign surname or “black-sounding names” is well researched – SJ). We would see westerners who learn African artforms being booked far more than us and so it was a bit frustrating. Thus, I typically would come and go between home and Sweden until I overstayed in Bulawayo and upon returning, I was informed that my permanent residency was revoked (generally there is a set number of days that you can live outside of your country of main residence – SJ). I did not object as I had never taken up Swedish citizenship and indeed my commitment was to my work at home.
“Why must I disregard my lineage of ancestors for global consumption?”
The Religion of…
I believe in God. I however do not go to church. I will not be pulled into their politics and hierarchies of church.
SJ: …considering that you are the grandson of the legendary late Gogo MaZulu of the St. Anne Society at the St. Pius X Parish of the Roman Catholic Church in Njube…
(Laughs) I ran away so fast from there! Church teaches you not to think. It is a controlled society. You can’t have your own story, and I am very conscious of my black identity. I know God is there and if people hadn’t lost our indigenous knowledge of herbs and trees for example, we would be far. We pay for vegetables, fruit, rent and gadgets…! Why must I disregard my lineage of ancestors for global consumption?
We are no longer close to nature because the capitalist system builds urban areas. You can’t hear birds chirping anymore, you can’t grow your own food, what we eat is no longer organic…! We exchanged all of that for being overdressed on Sunday and to put money in a tithing basket to show that you are “near God”. When you say these things, people think you are “anti-Christ”.
The Njube of…
I will never wish to have been born anywhere else. Njube is alive, it is vibrant, and it is full of culture, but it was a hard place to grow up in. There was gangsterism, house robberies, and high unemployment such that the only visible role models were bad characters (Njube and Bulawayo have had a spell of the highest house-burglaries in the country for years, but to be fair Njube is so big, the size of London Luton. My family only ever had one house break-in in our entire lives in 1992 of only an outside light bulb – SJ).
So, it was everyone’s dream to leave the ‘hood and move to the suburbs. I however learned that if you hold your head high, you rise above the noise and find yourself – I must point at you Jermain. Njube gives us very little resources, but you must make the best with that you have. You must be bold, and protect your space and your soul because people will attack you for who you are. You also have to be selective with friends.
SJ: …and we have to thank you because you were easily the first person who paved the way and showed us that you can do as Lovemore Majaivana sang in 1984; “Dabuka Mhlaba!”
I am happy to hear that you saw it so long ago because you have to look up and outside. Many of us came from broken homes and were raised by our grandmothers in those one-bedroom homes with cousins. You had to be smart with your mind.
The Siblings of…
My father, a former footballer Philip Mhlanga (Izithakazelo zakoMhlanga – SJ), had two older sons, and with my mother he had three of us. My two siblings from my mother passed away.
The Marriage of…
I got married in a court of law and so that would be the western kind of a union, but we did not do a “white wedding”.
The Children of…
It took me three years to get out of the dark place of losing my son. No parent deserves to bury their child. My third-born Adrian Mhlanga, a talented footballer, was 15 at the time of his death due to sarcoma (rare cancer forms of bones and soft tissue – SJ). We did not know what it was, and the specialists ordered a leg amputation. I sold my car to raise the operation funds. Sadly, it progressed so fast from Stage 1 to 4 within months, and subsequently he collapsed at his happy place, the Njube “Desert” Stadium in 2022. I now have 6 kids. I had 7.
I left the arts industry and isolated myself. I would cry a lot and go to his grave all the time until friends and family sat me down in an intervention. I am better now, and we give thanks to his life and that God knows best. Victoria Falls saved my life. I moved there and I found calm. I now shuttle between there and Bulawayo.
Alexander Mhlanga’s work can be found on Facebook and a GoFund Me to support his community deveolpment project in Njube.
Fun journalism: (below) I found a video of Alex (in blue tshirt) and Umkhathi Theatre below in 2000 just before he left for Sweden – SJ.
Interview date: 21 July 2025
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Cite this article: Jermain, S. (2025, July 22). The Republic of. . . Alexander Mhlanga. Sonny Jermain Online. https://sonnyjermain.com/the-republic-of-alexander-mhlanga/
In-text: Parenthical – (Jermain, 2025); or Narrative – Jermain (2025).
