Jonti Marks

Shaka Zulu: a Play Jonti Marks

There can be little doubt that Shaka was a great emperor. A contemporary of Napoleon, he subjugated and ruled over an area larger than his more well-known European counterpart. The fact that, for so long, he remained so little known is, perhaps, a reflection of the popular European idea of the time that nothing "great" could come out of Africa. Shaka's life-story is interesting in itself and this play is an attempt to redress the historical imbalance but it also invites us to consider that the time has perhaps come when we might be ready to re-define all our ideas of greatness.