Key Sentence:
- Award-winning playwright and poet Napo Mashin has been appointed as the new artistic director of the Sibiqua Center for the Arts.
- Siliqua, a multidisciplinary arts center, has a 33-year history of being a prolific contributor to South Africa’s socio-economic structure.
The center has established itself across continents with global connections in the United States and Europe. Mashin said his new position “clearly demonstrates the silent shift” taking place in the theater industry.
“My colleagues and I (associated with black women) played on this stage, took many pages, and rolled up our sleeves in boardrooms for centuries. “But this position is beyond privilege or opportunity; it is a duty and a service that I accept with honor, commitment, and pride.”
The machine isn’t the only new addition to the center – he’ll be partnering with Karin Green, who will lead the center as CEO. Theater legends and co-founders of the Sibikwa Center for the Arts, Smal Ndaba and Phyllis Klotz will hand the baton to the dynamic duo starting July
Regarding their departure, Ndaba and Klotz said: “We remember very well the years we spent in Sibiqua.
“We are very proud to hand over our world-class organization to the new management team and are confident that we have found the ideal place for the CEO and Art Director.
“Karin has demonstrated strong leadership skills since she was appointed CEO in 2019, and we are confident that, together with Napo’s deep artistic experience and deep knowledge of theater management, they will ensure Sibiqua continues to thrive.”
The center was founded in the home of Dayton Ndaba to be a creative haven for young people to escape the tumultuous conflict of the late 1980s. It has developed into a major arts center recognized as a center of excellence by the Ministry of Sports, Arts, and Culture.
Known as Ikhaya Lethu (Our Home) by the thousands of young students studying at Sibikwa, he has created many acclaimed art professionals who grace the nation’s finest theater and television screens. He was appointed Business Arts Manager at Sibikwa in 2019 when Ndandal and Klotzin mentored him in preparation for the CEO role.
The machine is a founding member of Feela Sistah! Produced “The Spoken Word” and “Main Products of the Village” and previously was deputy artistic director at the South African State Theatre. “We are honored to carry on the legacy of our co-founders, to remember and rethink a Sibiqua that immortalizes its story, story, and story.
“We hope to consistently promote the spirit of Uku’bikwa, turn raw talent into sustainable opportunities, participate in global cultural exchanges and develop the arts and culture landscape, and take Sibikwa to unprecedented heights every year,” said Machine and Green.
