LEGACY IS NOT A NAME

Image: Gibson Kente 

(no copyright infringement is intended.) 

SATURDAY EDITION | ARTS, CULTURE & COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT  

WHAT THE GIBSON KENTE LECTURE DEBATE TEACHES US ABOUT HONOUR, POWER, AND PROGRAMME

By Thami akaMbongo Manzana 
| The Creative Passport

Image: Gibson Kente 

(no copyright infringement is intended.) 

Arts, Culture & Community

Across the world, cultural institutions are grappling with uncomfortable but necessary questions: Who controls legacy? Who decides honour? And what does it mean to truly preserve cultural memory beyond symbolism?

In the United States, an ongoing debate has erupted following the announcement that the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has been renamed the Trump Kennedy Center, after executive leadership changes saw President Donald J. Trump elected as Chair of the Kennedy Center Board, replacing David M. Rubenstein. The development has ignited global discourse around the politicisation of cultural institutions, the rewriting of legacy, and whether renaming and leadership shifts strengthen or dilute the original intent of cultural monuments.

This debate, although geographically distant, mirrors a deeply local conversation unfolding back home in Soweto, South Africa.

Image: Gibson Kente Theatre

 (Source: Soweto Theatre)

WHEN LEGACY BECOMES A CONTEST

In South Africa, social media platforms have been alive with debate following the announcement of the Gibson Kente Lecture, scheduled to take place on 28 February 2026 at Soweto Theatre. 

At the centre of the discussion is not merely who will speak, but who has the legitimacy to speak in honour of one of South Africa’s most revolutionary theatre practitioners.

Gibson Kente was not just a playwright. He was a political educator, a cultural organiser, a disruptor of apartheid aesthetics, and a builder of people. His work was never comfortable. It challenged power, confronted hypocrisy, and spoke directly to the lived experiences of Black communities when doing so came at great personal cost.

It is therefore unsurprising that any initiative bearing his name provokes strong emotion.

But perhaps the discomfort reveals something deeper.

Image: Gibson Kente 

(no copyright infringement is intended.) 

HONOUR IN NAME VS HONOUR IN PRACTICE

Renaming buildings, hosting annual lectures, and issuing press statements are easy gestures. The harder work lies in programme integrity, institutional courage, and meaningful continuity.

The critical question is not simply who speaks at the Gibson Kente Lecture, but:

- Does the lecture meaningfully advance Kente’s ideological, artistic, and political legacy?
- Does it create space for new voices shaped by the conditions Kente wrote against?
- Does it translate legacy into living practice rather than ceremonial remembrance?

Legacy without programme is branding.
Legacy without access is gatekeeping.
Legacy without continuity risks becoming hollow.

Image: James Ngcobo & Dr Mbuyiseni Ndlozi 

     (Source: Soweto Theatre)

QUESTIONS SENT TO SOWETO THEATRE

In the spirit of constructive engagement and public-interest cultural journalism, 

The Creative Passport formally submitted the following questions to Soweto Theatre on 30 December 2025, seeking clarity and context regarding the 2026 Gibson Kente Lecture:

QUESTIONS: GIBSON KENTE LECTURE 2026

1. What is the thinking and vision behind the 2026 Gibson Kente Lecture, particularly in relation to the current cultural and social climate?

2. Who has been confirmed as the Guest Speaker for this year’s lecture, and what informed that choice?

3. What can audiences expect from this year’s edition in terms of format, themes, and outcomes—especially for young practitioners and theatre-makers?

4. How does Soweto Theatre respond to the range of social media commentary following the recent engagement between Artistic Director Mr James Ngcobo and Dr Mbuyiseni Ndlozi?

5. Will there be any staging, revivals, readings, or reinterpretations of Gibson Kente’s work as part of Soweto Theatre’s 2026 programme linked to the lecture?

At the time of publication, Soweto Theatre has not yet responded.

Their responses will be published in full once received, as they have the right of reply.

Image: Gibson Kente 

(no copyright infringement is intended.) 

THE REAL QUESTION WE MUST ASK

Perhaps the most uncomfortable question is not about individuals, but about institutions:

- Are our cultural institutions bold enough to allow legacy platforms to be sites of debate rather than consensus?

Gibson Kente’s work thrived on disagreement. On argument. On friction. To sanitise his legacy in the name of politeness would be to betray the very principles he stood for.

Similarly, the global debate around the Kennedy Center reminds us that cultural institutions are never neutral. They reflect power, ideology, and the politics of the moment — whether acknowledged or not.

Image: Gibson Kente 

(no copyright infringement is intended.) 

FROM SYMBOLISM TO SUBSTANCE

If lectures, theatres, and buildings are to carry the names of giants, they must also carry their values, questions, and unresolved tensions.

Honour is not only about who stands at the podium.
It is about what is said, who is heard, and what follows after the applause.

As South Africa continues to reckon with its cultural memory, the Gibson Kente Lecture presents an opportunity — not just to commemorate, but to interrogate, educate, and reimagine.

The sector is watching.
The community is speaking.
And legacy, as history teaches us, cannot be managed — only lived.

Image: Gibson Kente's Poster

(no copyright infringement is intended.) 

QUESTIONS FOR THE SECTOR AND THE PUBLIC

As we watch what is unfolding in the United States with the Trump Kennedy Center, and what is happening in Soweto around the Gibson Kente Lecture, difficult questions remain:

- Who truly owns cultural legacy — the institution, the state, or the community?

- When does honour become political control?

- Can legacy platforms survive disagreement, or are they designed only for comfort?

- Are we building programmes that speak to today’s realities, or merely protecting reputations?

- And most importantly, are we brave enough to allow culture to challenge power — even when it is inconvenient?

These are not American questions.

They are not Soweto questions.

They are global cultural questions.

Image: Gibson Kente Annual Lecture 

     (Source: Soweto Theatre)

The Creative Passport will continue to follow this story and publish responses and further developments as they unfold.

The Creative Passport is an independent platform focused on Arts, Culture and the Creative Industries. Readers are encouraged to follow, comment and engage constructively.

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