Kwanda Host

Nyanga is an internationally accomplished puppeteer, puppet trainer, writer and director for educational live puppet theatre and television. He worked and trained with Jim Henson Productions in New York on muppet making and costume design.

He has over eighteen years of experience in creating innovative educational and entertainment puppetry projects for live theatre and television programmes.
 
His experience in working with adults and children, and his fluency in so many of South Africa’s official languages  gave him an ability to empathise and connect with ordinary people that the producers saw would be invaluable in hosting Kwanda.

He has worked as performer and a workshop co-ordinator in South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Canada, France, Reunion Island, Botswana and Germany promoting the use of puppetry – in education and awareness programmes to tackle controversial and sensitive messages such as AIDS, Abuse/Domestic violence and Voter Education programmes.

He consulted for the Children’s Television Workshop for the adaptation of the Sesame Street Television series for South African audiences and sits on the on the advisory panel with the writers for the development of Takalani Sesame television and radio programmes.

He was a producer, director and writer for the Gauteng Health Department HIV/Aids/Abuse outreach programme for primary school learners.

He is a writer for Abc Ulwazi radio programme to raise awareness on how communities can work with their municipalities for the betterment of their lives and is a radio drama performer for SAFM’s radio drama productions.

He is fluent in English, IsiZulu, Sesotho, IsiXhosa, Siswazi, Afrikaans, Setswana.