And now ... the opera

THE story of Nelson Mandela’s life has been told through books, movies, documentaries, plays and art works. Now it is to be turned into an opera. The writer of Madiba: An

African Opera is Prince Unathi Mtirara, a relative of Mandela and a member of the Thembu royal family.

The opening night at the State Theatre in Pretoria is May 18 — and Mtirara is already feeling the pressure.

“Being a family member adds some pressure to make sure the story is accurate and correct,” he said.

“The idea is to tell many of the stories that he wished he could tell. It’s the background to his life.”

The story begins just before Mandela was born. It touches on the family that convinced Mandela’s parents to take their son to school in Qunu and on anti- apartheid activists who shaped him later in life.

Mandela’s relationship with Winnie, from their first meeting to their wedding, which Madikizela-Mandela’s father did not approve of, will be explored.

The music is composed by Sibusiso Njeza and the orchestration is by Kutlwano Masote. The cast is “95% complete”, with all the major roles filled following auditions in Pretoria and Cape Town.

There will be 60 vocalists, 15 solos and a 50-piece orchestra. So who is playing Madiba? “I think we’ll keep that a secret until the media launch,” said Mtirara. “He’s a young guy from Bloemfontein who now lives in Pretoria. We are not bringing in any big names.

“One thing which the old man taught me was that everything we do must leave a legacy. So we decided to bring in young, fresh talent instead of a big-name actor or actress.”