Matsemela manaka biography of martin

South African playwright, poet, and artist (1956–1998)

Matsemela Manaka (1956–1998) was a South African playwright, poet, and artist.^[1] He began his career in the mid-1970s and was influenced by the ideas of the Black Consciousness Movement.^[2] Among his plays, the most distinguished are Egoli: City of Gold and Children of Asazi. He won the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award in 1987.^[1]

Early life and education

Manaka was born on 20 June 1956, in Alexandra township.^[3] He attended primary and secondary school in Diepkloof, and spent the majority of his life in Soweto.^[3] He then attended Ithumeng Commercial College studying commerce part-time. Manaka desired to attend a university, but the recently introduced requirement for Afrikaans, which wasn't offered at Ithumeng, was prohibitive. He then enrolled at Matibane High School in 1976, which did offer the language, but his attempt was vo