The RR Foundation Gala dinner’s master of ceremonies is Gcina Mhlophe who is a multi-award winning author, poet, playwright, director, performer and storyteller.
As Gcina Mhlophe was born in Hammarsdale, her roots are in KwaZulu-Natal. Gcina Mhlope was influenced by her grandmother’s tales when she was a child and is passionate about preserving storytelling as a means of keeping history alive and encouraging South African children to read. This passion is very much in keeping with the RR Foundation’s focus on education and its interest in storytelling as a means to add value to society.
Apart from her many South African performances, Gcina Mhlope’s talent has seen her perform in South and North America, Europe, Greenland and Japan. She has performed her stories in theatres such as the Royal Albert Hall, the Kennedy Centre in the United States and she has collaborated with Ladysmith Black Mambazo on a children’s CD.
Gcina Mhlope has won numerous awards including the Sony Award for Radio Drama from BBC Africa, The Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Festival and an OBBIE Award in New York. She has received honorary doctorates from the London Open University (UK), University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pretoria University and Fort Hare.
