Iyasa boys
Bongani Ndlovu, Sunday Life Correspondent
IT’S been 15 years since an imaginative; Nkululeko Innocent Dube, then a Mpopoma High School teacher turned that institution’s drama club into an award winning and world renowned group – Inkululeko Yabatsha School of Arts (Iyasa).
On 23 December, past and present members of the group will take to the stage at Hartsfield Tshisa Nyama to mark their 15-year milestone.
According to Dube, it became apparent that the group could not be confined to school environment.
“We celebrate our success story and holding fort for 15 years,achieving and acquiring various awards over the years and becoming a brand in the arts and entertainment sector. We reflect on the amazing support we have got from our local and international fan bases and all organisations and corporates that have supported our work,” said Dube.
Iyasa has produced many prominent names that include Sandra Ndebele, Future Sibanda, Nomathamsanqa “Nkwali” Mkhwananzi, Prelude Sibindi, Silethemba Magonya, Cheryl Mabaya and DJ Prince Eskhosini Lunga.
“We are using this opportunity to reflect on achievements yet at the same time inspire our future. Where to, from here? How best can we improve? We also bring back our artistes to motivate our new generation so that they realise that success is not elusive.
“With over 100-plus young people, having at one time worked with us, we have every reason to reflect.”
Iyasa’s Banolila cast
Keeping a group ticking over so many years is not a simple walk in the park, as Dube says it’s like heading a family.
“We have used family values to keep Iyasa intact. Families are usually closely bonded and what binds them is how they relate and hold fort together. Iyasa was not only created as a place where we meet to train and perform.
“We went beyond that, creating relations among each other beyond the group and even with the families of the young people we worked with. We kept everyone; including parents, guardians, and relatives of the young people we worked with in loop with our activities. That created a lot of trust, which has seen us flourish over the years,” said Dube.
As with any artistic journey, challenges are faced and Dube said their most testing time was in 2008.
“When our economy began to wilt, our institution was affected and that was the time when most of our founder members sort greener pastures, mainly in South Africa. Transition was not easy as we tried to speed track the newer generation into the system.
‘‘In most cases our audiences still expected to see their original darlings. We then at the time got a lot of negative publicity and speculation that Iyasa would falter. We, however, turned a new page because the new Iyasa generation withstood and weathered the storm,” said Dube.
One of the founding members of the drama club that grew into Iyasa renowned artiste Nomathamsanqa “Nkwali” Mkhwananzi said she had fond memories of being under the tutelage of Dube.
“Mr Dube was a very strict person when it came to practice and it was difficult at first. I wanted to be just a singer as I had the voice, but Mr Dube said he wanted to groom me into a performer. Now because of that training that would take us to Plumtree, I had the opportunity to join Mother Africa and became their lead performer,” said Nkwali.