MEET Musa E. Zulu
MUSA E. ZULU is a published author, an award-winning entrepreneur, international artist, celebrated motivational speaker and prominent
disability activist in South Africa. After achieving an Honors degree in Sociology at UKZN (1993), he lectured in the Faculty of Humanities before moving to the corporate world as Human Resources Manager. He was fast climbing the career ladder when his life took a dramatic and unexpected turn. This was “On the 20th of April” in 1995 when he was 23 years old.
CHANGE: Paralyzed and left in a wheelchair after a car accident, Zulu found himself faced with one of the hardest challenges life can bring – disability. Applying his personal philosophy of embracing change, he found not only a way to cope with his new life, but to inspire others as well.
In 2017, MUSA E. ZULU was invited by Activate, a non-profit organization targeting youth empowerment, to receive a Traditional Blanket from the community of Hluhluwe, northern KwaZulu-Natal, for his contribution to the promotion of disability arts and culture in rural communities of the province.
Over the past 27 years (since the 1995 road accident) he has delivered motivational talks to various institutions throughout South Africa. These
invitations have included being requested to deliver strategic solutions aimed at helping Clients achieve optimal marketing and communications
targets.
Musa E. Zulu
Creative Director: Valhalla Arts
Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Culture Strategy, People & Governance
Media
Keynote
'Rainbow Colours on Black & White: Utilizing Art to Achieve Team-Building' (Valhalla Arts; 2006).
'THISABILITY: A Graduation from Acceptance to Embracing' (Valhalla Arts; 2008).
'How Effective Managers & Executives L.E.A.D' (Valhalla Arts; 2013).
'6 Essentials for Mastering the Art of Self-Motivation' (Valhalla Arts; 2017).
Milestones & Achievements
In recognition of his achievements, Musa was awarded:
1998 - 2002
MUSA E. ZULU was the first Director of the ASIPHEPHE Road Safety Campaign in KwaZulu-Natal. This successful pilot project was later rolled out nationally as the Arrive Alive Campaign.
October 2002
He was named ‘Man of the Moment’ by True Love Magazine.
November 2002
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education and Culture used his life story (sampled from an article featured in Bona Magazine earlier that year) for Paper 1, Higher Grade Zulu Second Language Senior Certificate Examination.
2004
He was invited by Gecko Productions to be one of the Judges in the Multichoice Vuka Awards that honour exceptional creatives in the South African
film industry.
2005
He registered Valhalla Arts, a company to manage his work including the implementation of his community outreach initiatives aimed primarily at the empowerment of persons with disabilities.
July 2006
He was named ‘One of 10 South African Men we just Love’ by Oprah Magazine (SA).
2007
He won both the ‘Best Entrepreneur of the Year Award’ together with the coveted ‘Platinum Award’, the showstopper moment where all category winners are pitted against each other, at the annual Black Business Quarterly (BBQ) Awards.
2012
In partnership with Killa Joe Records, Valhalla Arts embarked on the ‘Ego Sum Quod Sum – I Am What I Am!’ Disability Arts Tour, to showcase the role of music, crafts, literature, and poetry in enabling disability identity, expression, and empowerment.
2013
He was invited by the American Embassy in South Africa, Durban, to participate in the State Department sponsored International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) which builds mutual understanding between the United States and other nations through carefully designed professional visits to the US for current and emerging leaders.
2013
He is the recipient of both the eThekwini Municipality ‘Mayors’ Achiever Award’ (2013) and ‘The Phoenix Light Group Distinguished Service Award’ (2013) for the role he has played in pioneering new models for disability integration and economic empowerment in South Africa.
2013
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education presented Valhalla Arts with an ‘Award in Inclusive Education’ at an occasion held in celebration of the 3rd of December, which is International Day for Persons with Disabilities.
2014
‘The Language of Me’ was one of the books analyzed and critiqued by Dr Ken Junior Lipenga for his PHD thesis titled “Narrative Enablement: Constructions of Disability in Contemporary African Imaginaries” submitted to the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.
2014
UKZN Press partnered with Valhalla Arts to release a special edition of his 2004 autobiography as ‘The 10th Anniversary of Language of Me’. This commemorative issue came out with a new cover sleeve and was packaged with a DVD featuring recordings of his motivational talks, televised art exhibitions and community work.
2016
He received an Award at the 2nd Annual ‘We Can ARTS FESTIVAL’, held in KwaZulu-Natal and coordinated by OUTRAGE CONCEPTS in partnership with the Department of Arts & Culture, for his contributions to the development of disability literature and arts in South Africa.
2016
He was invited to come and receive an award, presented by Mind Set 101, for ‘21 Years of Mental Strength and Tenacity’.
September 2019
He had the honour to receive an award from Arise & Shine, a community arts organization based in
Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, for his contribution to the promotion of traditions and culture in township communities of the province.
April 2020
Shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic
lockdown announcement, he launched a virtual art
exhibition on social media titled ‘The 25 Gifts of Gratitude’. The collection featured 25 special artworks drawn to pass gratitude to the people of South Africa for embracing his life, work and talents over the 25 years in his wheelchair. This special art exhibition was beamed to millions of continental television viewers, on SABC2’s Morning Live news programme, in commemoration of his ‘Silver Jubilee’ in his wheelchair on the morning of the 20th of April 2020.
April 2021
He self-published his fourth book titled ‘I
AM ART: The 40th Anniversary Essay,’ which reflects on the four decades (1979 – 2019) of doing art together with the past 25 years of his disability. He launched the book with a daring skydive over the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands to also highlight the 100 years anniversary celebration of the Open Air Special School for Learners with Disabilities, located in Durban, South Africa.
June 2021
He was identified as the artist to draw artworks for all the winners in the prestigious KZN Standard Bank Top Business Awards
November 2021
He was invited by the MANGOSUTHU University of Technology in Durban, South Africa, to conduct a 1-day ‘Identity & Self-esteem Workshop’ for students with disabilities on campus.
Books
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