By: Jubilant Cheyeza Baloyi
The South African hit series “Shaka iLembe” received honors at the recent Septimius Awards, held on 19 August at Tuschinski in Amsterdam. The series won two awards: Best Costume Design and Best African Actress, which was awarded to Nomzamo Mbatha for her performance as Queen Nandi.
Lemogang Letsipa, who plays the young Shaka Zulu, was also nominated for Best African Actor. Sheli Masondo, the costume designer for the acclaimed television series, received the Best Costume Design award.
“It was an amazing feeling to be recognized on the international stage and to be in a category where other costume designers did magnificent work. I didn’t expect to win. I’m very grateful that we can tell stories in our language with our authentic traditional outfits,” said Masondo.
She explained that she spent over a year researching the 1700s and 1800s to ensure historical accuracy. “I visited KwaZulu-Natal museums, went through the archives, met with historians, and searched across the continent for inspiration to ensure I captured the look of the period correctly.”
Masondo also mentioned that she found elderly men and women who still craft original traditional pieces of costume. “For example, Mbata is a Zulu traditional chest guard handmade from animal skin, exclusively worn by the Royal family. Only the king or his wife can wear a leopard skin.”
Masondo noted that finding these artisans was instructive, as it showed that, aside from a few modern techniques, Zulu costume design has remained largely unchanged through the centuries.
