Cont Mhlanga

{{Short description|Zimbabwean playwright and actor (died 2022)}}{{Infobox person

| name = Cont Mhlanga

| birth_name = Cont Mdladla Mhlanga

| birth_date = 1957/1958

| death_date = 1 August 2022

| nationality = Zimbabwean

| occupation = playwright, actor, and theatre director

| notable_works = The Good President

}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}

Cont Mdladla Mhlanga (1957/1958 – 1 August 2022){{Cite web|url=https://www.zimlive.com/2022/08/renowned-culture-activist-and-playwright-cont-mhlanga-dies/|title=Renowned culture activist and playwright Cont Mhlanga dies|date=1 August 2022|work=Zimbabwe News Now |access-date=2 August 2022}} was a Zimbabwean playwright, actor, and theatre director.{{Cite book| last = Riemenschneider| first = Dieter| authorlink =|author2=Frank Schulze-Engler| title = African literatures in the eighties| publisher = Rodopi| year = 1993| location =| pages = 113| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=muARApGW2CQC| doi =| id =| isbn = 9051835183}} He was also the founder and head of the Amakhosi Theatre Productions company, formed in 1982.{{Cite book| last = Rubin| first = Don| authorlink =| title = The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre: Africa| publisher = Taylor & Francis| year = 1997| pages = 365| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=TIgS_Eij8SEC| isbn =0415059313 }}

{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/may/12/david-smith-cont-mhlanga| title= Letter from Africa: 'When you tell a joke in the street, that is political'| publisher=The Guardian| date=12 May 2009 | location=London | first=David | last=Smith | accessdate=30 April 2010}}

Mhlanga was a critic of the government of Robert Mugabe, and was arrested often for public expressions of his views. He, alongside Burmese satirist Zarganar and City of Rhyme – a 14-strong hip-hop group from northern Brazil, whose lyrics condemn violence{{cite web | url=http://www.shinealight.org/CityOfRhyme.html | title=Shine-A-Light – City of Rhyme | access-date=14 September 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090928223428/http://www.shinealight.org/CityOfRhyme.html | archive-date=28 September 2009 | url-status=dead }} – were winners of the inaugural Freedom to Create Prize in 2008.{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2008/nov/27/theatre-awards-artventure-mhlanga-zarganar| title= Mhlanga and Zarganar win arts awards for human rights| publisher=The Guardian|date=27 November 2008 | location=London | accessdate=30 April 2010 | first=Nosheen | last=Iqbal}}{{ cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts_and_culture/7751151.stm | title= Zimbabwe writer Mhalanga honoured | publisher=BBC News | date=26 November 2008 }}