Sifiso Mazibuko Talks The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, Fatherhood and Hope

Sifiso Mazibuko is a South African actor, singer and theatre maker whose career has spanned major productions across South Africa, the UK and the United States. From Shaka Zulu The Musical, Dreamgirls and African Footprint to the original work !ke e: /xarra //ke – A New African Folk Tale, which he co-created with Melonie Mazibuko, […]

Jun 10, 2026 - 09:46

Sifiso Mazibuko Talks The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, Fatherhood and Hope

Sifiso Mazibuko is a South African actor, singer and theatre maker whose career has spanned major productions across South Africa, the UK and the United States.

From Shaka Zulu The Musical, Dreamgirls and African Footprint to the original work !ke e: /xarra //ke – A New African Folk Tale, which he co-created with Melonie Mazibuko, Mazibuko has built a career rooted in performance, storytelling and cultural expression.

Now appearing as ‘Trywell‘ in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind at @sohoplace, he reflects on portraying a father caught between tradition and change, celebrating African culture on a West End stage, and the enduring hope at the heart of William Kamkwamba’s remarkable story.

Please introduce yourself …
My name is Sifiso Mazibuko. I am a native of South Africa, born and raised. I live in London now and have been working in the West End for the last 10 years.

Describe your life right now in one word or sentence…
Blessed.

⁠Why are we here?
William’s story has brought us together because his story is about overcoming hardship even when the odds were stacked up against him. This speaks to us all universally.

As William’s father, Trywell is driven by both love and fear. What was your understanding of that balance? And how did working with Alistair Nwachukwu help build their dynamic?
Trywell’s journey is shaped by the world he was born into. He, like many other African cultures, know the burden of providing for family and doing so by way of the land. He is fighting a world that is changing how he knows to provide as climates affect the cycle of the rains and the harvest. When William is determined to find another way to grow food and bring water, Trywell struggles to reconcile his son’s efforts as worthy of solving their need for food because he doesn’t know anything else other than his dependence on nature.

The father-son relationship feels like the emotional heart of the production what was the process of creating both the love and conflict between them?
Alistair is such a giving actor. We connected from day one. I think it’s easy for us because we want to honour this beautiful story.

A lot of the parents in this story are carrying immense pressure from drought, poverty, and the responsibility of protecting their families. How did you connect personally to the emotional weight these men carry, especially the parts of it that are often not spoken out loud?
The research and reading into this project has helped shape the emotional weight of Trywell and everyone. Being from South Africa and being able to experience difficulties financially a see poverty throughout means that there’s a bit more information for me to draw from as an actor.

The musical moves between joy and hardship so quickly. As a performer, how do you navigate the emotional shifts?
I think the music helps serve as a guide and friend to me as the performer. I don’t have to do much work in that regard because the music, story and emotional moments in the play are emotive enough to inform my shifts as the character.

There’s such a warmth and sense of community that comes across on stage. What has it been like building that environment within the company?
It has been a joy. My colleagues are such wonderful and generous people. Building community has felt easy because everyone is so passionate about this story.

⁠The production is deeply rooted in Malawian culture, from language and costume to movement. What is most meaningful or exciting for you to bring to the stage and share with audiences?
The exciting aspects of Malawian culture to me have to be in the set and costume design as well as the language and dancing in the musical. As a West End production, it gives me such pride to think of the world being able to have access to these rich colours and tapestries designed by Frankie Bradshaw and watch audiences fall in love with the choreography by Shelley Maxwell. These two elements have been most exciting for me.

There’s a quiet dignity to Trywell even in his hardest moments. What did you admire most about him?
His sacrificial, hard-working and deeply loving commitment to his family.

What conversations do you hope this show creates around family, resilience and community and hope?
I hope many see the power of this universal story. I hope many will tap into the inspirational force William’s story is.