Sarafina! (musical): History and Key Facts

Sarafina! is a South African musical written and directed by Mbongeni Ngema with music by Hugh Masekela depicting students involved in the Soweto Riots, in opposition to apartheid. It was also adapted into a 1992 film starring Whoopi Goldberg and Leleti Khumalo.

Sarafina! The play was first presented at The Market Theatre, Johannesburg, South Africa, in June 1987. Following that success, it premiered on Broadway on 28 January 1988, at the Cort Theatre, and closed on 2 July 1989, after 597 performances and 11 previews. The musical was conceived and directed by Mbongeni Ngema, who also wrote the book. He wrote the music and lyrics alongside Hugh Masekela. The cast included Leleti Khumalo as Sarafina.

Leleti Khumalo received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, as well as an NAACP Image Award for her Broadway theatre portrayal of the title character. The production was also nominated for the Tony Awards for: Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Choreography, and Best Direction of a Musical.

The show presents a school uprising similar to the Soweto uprising of 16 June 1976. A narrator introduces several characters, among them the schoolgirl activist Sarafina. Things get out of control when policemen shoot several pupils at the school. Nevertheless, the musical ends with a cheerful farewell show of pupils leaving school, which takes most of the second act.

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