Winnie Mandela opera to open in South Africa

An opera about the life of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the ex-wife of former South African president Nelson Mandela, is set to premiere in the country next year.

Winnie the Opera, said to be the first opera to be fully created and produced in South Africa, will have lyrics in both English and Xhosa with a 60-piece orchestra.It's set to open at the State Theatre in Pretoria on April 28.

The production is an extension of a 2007 opera about Madikizela-Mandela.Toronto was the location for the premiere of The Passion of Winnie (Part One).

The newopera continues the collaboration between South African-born composer and musician Bongani Ndodana-Breen and filmmaker Warren Wilensky.

Madikizela-Mandela separated from her husband in 1992, shortly after his release from jail. They divorced in 1996.

The anti-apartheid activist has led a troubled life.Since her husband was imprisoned in 1964, the "mother of the nation," as many called her, spearheaded the movement and was jailed several times.

During the apartheid era, she was convicted of kidnapping a 14-year-old activist, who was murdered by a member of her bodyguard corps.

In 2003, she was found guilty on charges of fraud and theft.

'A fully-rounded story'

As the show's producer and librettist, Wilensky promises to paint a realistic portrait of Madikizela-Mandela with all her struggles and faults included.

"She is the perfect operatic character. The highs and lows of her life are too big for a normal dramatic story," he told The Guardian newspaper. "She was there at a difficult time with no support We're trying to tell a fully-rounded story that I don't think has been told before."

That hasn't stopped others from trying.

Earlier this year, the BBC aired a portrayal of her life, starring Sophie Okonedo.

Singer Jennifer Hudson is also portraying Madikizela-Mandela in a film due out next year. Winnie, a co-production with Montreal-based Equinoxe Films, is based on the book Winnie Mandela: A Life by Anne Marie du Preez Bezdrob.