Draft:Tauriq Jenkins

Tauriq Jenkins
Jenkins in 2023
Born	(1981-03-17) March 17, 1981 Harare, Zimbabwe
Years active	1999–present
Website	tauriqjenkins.co.za

Tauriq Jenkins (pronounced /tɔːˈriːk/) is a South African actor, activist, and cultural leader. He is known for his theatre work, including Shakespeare productions, and his advocacy for indigenous rights in South Africa. Jenkins serves as High Commissioner of the Goringhaicona Khoi Khoin Indigenous Traditional Council (GKKITC) and has campaigned for the preservation of indigenous heritage sites and environmental protection.

In 2013, he received the International Davis Peace Prize for his theatre and rehabilitation work in South African prisons. He also received the City of Cape Town Mayoral Award for Community Bravery in 2021.

Early life and education

Tauriq Jenkins was born in Harare, Zimbabwe, to South African parents who lived in exile due to their anti-apartheid activism. His family returned to South Africa in 1995. He attended schools in Zimbabwe and then South African College Schools (SACS) in Cape Town, where he excelled in chess, cricket, and acting. He later studied at the University of Cape Town (UCT), winning student representative council elections as an independent candidate in 2002.

Jenkins earned a Master of Fine Arts from Columbia University (2012–2015) and began a PhD in African Studies at UCT in 2021, supported by the Archie Mafeje PhD Fellowship.

Leadership in GKKITC

In 2017, Jenkins became a member and later High Commissioner of the Goringhaicona Khoi Khoin Indigenous Traditional Council (GKKITC). Under his involvement, the council has campaigned against developments on sacred indigenous sites, including the River Club site in Cape Town (now Amazon's African headquarters), citing its historical significance as the location of the first Khoi–Dutch conflict.

Acting and theatre career

Jenkins has appeared in films such as Invictus (2009), The World Unseen (2007), and Angel of the Skies (2013), and on stage in Shakespearean and classical roles in South Africa and internationally.

He founded the Independent Theatre Movement of South Africa and Shakespeare in Prison South Africa (SHIPSA), bringing Shakespeare to incarcerated individuals, which earned international recognition.

Notable stage roles include:

• Hamlet, Royal Shakespeare Company (dir. Dame Janet Suzman)
• Amadeus, Baxter Theatre Centre (dir. Lara Foot)
• Antigone, Baxter Theatre Centre (dir. Sean Matthias)
• Wrote and directed 'Coconuts and Maroelas' and performed this at the National Arts Festival
• The Wishing Tree, Signature Theatre Company (NYC) (dir. Mustafa Kaymak)
• A Winter's Tale, Shapiro Theatre (NYC) (dir. Andrei Serban)
• Twelfth Night, Malvolio, Shapiro Theatre (NYC) (dir. Maridee Slater)
• Midsummer Night's Dream, Classical Stage Company (NYC) (dir. Tyne Raffaeli)
• Light, Classical Stage Company (NYC) (dir. Brian Kulick)
• Hamlet, Cape Heart Theatre Company, (dir. Mark Hoeben)
• Oedipus, Artscape / Kirstenbosch Dionysos Festival, (dir. Roy Sergeant)
• King Lear, Artscape Theatre, (dir. Roy Sergeant)
• Hamlet, Cape Heart Theatre Company, (dir. Andre Samuels)
• Othello, Cape Heart Theatre Company, (dir. Mary Dreyer)
• The Bacchae Pentheus, Artscape/ Kirstenbosch Dionysos Theatre Festival, (dir.Roy Sergeant)
• Macbeth, Maynardville Open Air Theatre, (dir. Geoffrey Hyland)
• Bucking Palace, District Six Richard, (dir.  Basil Appollis)
• The Trojan Women, (dir. Geoffrey Hyland)
• Les Splendides (dir. Sandra Temmingh)
• The Passions, (dir. Thain Torres)
• Conscripts of Apartheid (dir. Tauriq Jenkins / Kris Marias /)
• Maura Talbot National Arts Festival/ Mcgregor Poetry Festival
• Shakespeare: One Man (dir. Tauriq Jenkins)

He has chaired the Performing Arts Network of South Africa (PANSA) in the Western Cape and served as interim chair of the South African Palestinian Arts and Culture Coalition.

Shakespeare to Gaza

Shakespeare to Gaza is a collaborative theatre initiative co-conceived and directed by Jenkins and Megan Choritz, in response to a call from Palestine's Ashtar Theatre for performances of The Gaza Monologues. The production intersperses Shakespearean monologues with monologues written by children in Gaza about the 2012 and 2014 bombings, using art for cultural solidarity and resistance against oppression.

It premiered in Cape Town (31 December 2023–1 January 2024) and has had performances at the Artfluence Human Rights Festival (UKZN), with proceeds supporting Ashtar Theatre's work with traumatised children in Gaza. Additional versions were created in KwaZulu-Natal and smaller shows in the Western Cape.

Activism

Jenkins is a human rights defender, having chaired the A|XARRA Restorative Justice Forum and convened the C19 People's Coalition (over 400 organizations). He leads the Anti-Repression Working Group and is an accredited South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) Section 11 Monitor.

Strandfontein Debacle

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as an SAHRC monitor, Jenkins criticized conditions at the Strandfontein temporary homeless shelter in Cape Town as inhumane and prison-like. A Western Cape High Court ruling later vindicated these concerns.

He is convenor of Save Our Sacred Lands, involved in legal efforts to protect indigenous sites, including the River Club development.

His activism has drawn threats and smear campaigns.

Personal life

Jenkins resides in Cape Town, where he remains active in activism, education, and the arts. He is an avid chess player, having coached tournaments and won championships, and writes poetry, including on chess.

Legacy

Jenkins is recognized as a prominent voice in South African indigenous rights, theatre for social justice, and human rights advocacy, particularly through his prison theatre work and cultural solidarity initiatives.

Awards and recognitions

• International Davis Peace Prize (2013) – for theatre and rehabilitation in prisons
• City of Cape Town Mayoral Award for Community Bravery (2021)

Filmography

• "Angel of the Skies" (2013)

Role: Lt. Jimmy Oakes A World War II drama focusing on a British South African pilot's experiences during the war.

• "The World Unseen" (2007)

Role: Sheriff at Restaurant A drama set in 1950s South Africa, exploring the lives of two Indian women under apartheid.

• "More Than Just a Game" (2007)

Role: Clarence Makanda A film depicting the formation of a football league by political prisoners on Robben Island.

• "(2005 film)|Supernova" (2005)

Role: Paramedic A science fiction TV series about a team of scientists trying to prevent an Earth-threatening disaster.

• "Holby City" (2004)

Role: Dr. Makunda A guest role in this British medical drama that focuses on the lives of hospital staff.

• "Human Cargo" (2004)

Role: Antonio A Canadian mini-series that examines the global refugee crisis and personal stories within it.

• "Red Dust" (2004)

Role: Thulani A legal drama that explores South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission and justice pursuits.

• "The Bone Snatcher" (2003)

Role: Titus A horror film about a group of scientists encountering a deadly creature in the Namibian desert.

• "The Silent Fall" (2007)

Role: Eddie Shabangu A drama about a journalist investigating political corruption in post-apartheid South Africa.

• "Charlie Jade" (2005)

Role: 1st Engineer A science fiction TV series that follows a detective trapped between parallel universes.

• "(2008 British TV series)|Gladiators" (2009)

Role: Senator Zabarus A drama set in ancient Rome, exploring power struggles and political intrigue.

• "The Bird Can't Fly" (2007)

Role: Doctor A drama about a woman who returns to a desolate South African town to find her grandson.

• "The Librarians" (2007)

Role: Husband A series about a group of librarians protecting historical and magical artifacts.

• "Mercenary for Justice" (2006)

Role: Village Father An action film about a mercenary caught in a web of deceit and betrayal.

• "Inside" (2016)

Role: Zande A drama centered on a family dealing with the aftermath of a brutal home invasion.

• "Cape of Good Hope" (2004)

Role: Sikhumbuzo A South African ensemble film exploring the interconnected lives of several characters.

• "Invictus" (2009)

Role: Jail Guard A historical drama about Nelson Mandela's use of the 1995 Rugby World Cup to unite post-apartheid South Africa.

• "Scandal!" (2013)

Role: Father of Kila A popular South African soap opera where Jenkins played a guest role.

• "Crossing the Line" (2011)

Role: Doctor A drama that explores the challenges faced by a family of South African immigrants in the UK.

External links

• Front Line Defenders profile
• Columbia School of the Arts Alumni Spotlight
• ESAT theatre credits
• IMDb

This page will be placed in the following categories if it is moved to the article namespace.

Categories:

• Living people
• South African actors
• South African human rights activists
• South African environmentalists
• Indigenous rights activists