Atandwa Sings the Praises of His Legendary Father Dr John Kani
Atandwa Sings the Praises of His Legendary Father Dr John Kani. Every project that Dr John Kani touches always turns into a masterpiece. Through acting, writing and directing, he has made a name for himself both locally and internationally.
Dr Kani is known by many for portraying T’Chaka in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Captain America: Civil War and Black Panther, Rafiki in the 2019 remake of The Lion King and Colonel Ulenga in the Netflix film Murder Mystery. If you follow his career though, you will get to know that there is more to it than just a couple of iconic roles.
The multi-award winning Dr Kani’s latest offering is for the books. Kunene and the King, takes the audience through a confrontation between two men who represent polarised aspects of the South African experience. Marking 25 years since the country’s first post-apartheid democratic elections, the play becomes an exploration of race, class, politics, theatre, and the potentially unifying power of Shakespeare.
The talented Michael Richard plays Jack Morris, a cantankerous old actor who hopes to overcome severe liver cancer to get to Cape Town to play King Lear. Kani himself is Lunga Kunene, a retired carer assigned by an agency to tend this querulous thespian.
One of those who have been lucky enough to see the play is Atandwa Kani, who is Dr Kani’s son. Atandwa, and actor himself, is excited over the play, and can’t help singing her father’s praises. He also invited the rest of the country to go see the play.
“I went to see “Kunene And The King” at the @ArtscapeTheatre written, produced by and starring the genius that is Dr John Kani @JOHNKANIELDER… The Doc’s work has been timeless since the beginning of time, his talents are beyond our comprehension & we are blessed to witness him,” Atandwa said.
