It’s a Monday afternoon, a band of nobodies are sweating it out for practically nobody in a small room in South Africa’s Limpopo province. This is Shayamore (which means hit more) rehearsing for their next gig.
As the band plays, I find myself tapping and nodding to the rhythm. It’s hard to believe that a hot and raw talent like this is unknown.
The band is made up of five members, for whom music is their daily bread: Goodman Mndawe, a bassist; Solly Ndlovu, a pianist; Lazarus Silubane, a guitarist; Surance Chimbilini, a pianist, and Thabo Khoza, a drummer. For 18 years, they’ve been working and playing in vain.
“We’ve performed in a lot of places but we’ve never had any exposure or media interviews. This is actually our first interview ever,” says Silubane, co-founder of the band.
Gigs are as scarce as interviews.
“We sometimes go for three months without booking any shows,” says Silubane.
“We have to spend our own money to organize gigs, design posters and distribute it just to get our names out there,” says Khoza.
On Sundays they do jazz sessions in taverns. They charge R3, 000 ($215) for a performance and share it between themselves.
“We end up coming back with R2, 000 ($145) because of expenses like transport and food. And then we have to divide the money by five.  And it happens that we hire dancers as well and have to pay them,” says Khoza.
To them music is life as well as bread.
“Music feeds my soul… I can tell my story through this music,” says Khoza.
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For Khoza, who joined the band in 2014, becoming a musician wasn’t easy.
“After my mother passed away I had to stay with my aunt and she wanted me to become something else. I lost my relationship with my dad. Every time I would run away and go to practises, until she was convinced that I’m really serious about music. Then I started playing music in clubs and local taverns. I had a guitar which was a gift from someone,” he says.
“I had to sell the guitar for R700 ($50) because I was desperate for money and I needed to move out of my father’s place. I couldn’t stay with him when he didn’t believe in me and my music. When I went back to Mpumalanga that’s when I met Lazarus and he introduced to me to the band,” says Khoza.
“Every time we’re behind the instruments we tell ourselves that we are on a big stage, even if there’s no spotlight, and that the universe will one day recognize us.”
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They want to release an album, but money is a problem.
“We don’t want to be signed under any record label because we’ll lose our freedom to do music the way we want. Our aim is to be independent,” says Silubane.
“You see this guitar I’m holding, I take it as my lover. And I’ll never stop playing it, only death would stop me,” says Madalwe.
In five years’ time, they want to be like one of the world’s greatest icons, Michael Jackson, and perform in New York and London.
It’s nice to dream, unfortunately the reality says next year this time around they’ll be playing in Limpopo. That’s just the way it is.

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‘The universe will one day recognize us’

“War isn’t pretty. Neither is sexism or racism. Mutu’s genius has been to make them too gorgeous to turn away from,” says Lori Waxman, a special contributor of the Chicago Tribune, referring to Kenyan-born artist Wangechi Mutu’s art.
Mutu, who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York, and is known for her thought-provoking signature collages and artwork, was in Johannesburg in November last year when she exhibited some of her collection at the Goodman Gallery as part of its Africans in America exhibition.
Mutu has a packed schedule and FORBES WOMAN AFRICA is fortunate to get a few minutes of her time at the gallery where we get to see both the artist and her work in a single setting.
In reference to her collage painting, I’m too misty, she starts to explain how the process of mixing the supplies was so fulfilling.
“I used ink, water and paint to create this work, and it is really satisfying for me because things are happening in the making of things – in the ink and color you won’t see in a bottle,” she says.
She is vocal on issues of identity and says when she moved to America from Kenya to study art, thoughts of her being an immigrant occupied most of her thinking.
Mutu brought one of her thought-provoking films called Eat Cake to the month-long exhibition.
The short film is black and white and has a lanky woman with long nails sitting on the ground and eating a big, chocolate cake. Mutu describes the woman in the video as a primal creature.
She says during her pregnancy she was fascinated with urges of eating earth and rock, as compensation for the need for iron.
Other artists who were a part of the exhibition were Ghada Amer, Paulo Nazareth, Alfredo Jaar and Theaster Gates. The exhibition formed part of the In Context series launched by the gallery’s director, Liza Essers, in 2010.
Essers, along with artist Hank Willis Thomas, conceptualized Africans in America, which displayed the “flows, exchanges and continuities between the continent of Africa and the United States”.
“Things are not as simple or as precise or surface as they may come across from the outside. I try to express that to other people – that it is my story,” says Mutu.
The expressive African artist agrees one’s biography in itself is inspirational.
“I think the simple stories about who we are and where we come from, is very inspirational. There is no woman who can look up and say there is no female artist from Africa… we are all here now,” says Mutu, who clearly lets her art speak volumes about her story.

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Her Story In  Ink And Paint

Ask Beverley Joffe what the secret to belly-dance is and her answer might surprise you.
“It’s just decorated walking,” she says, perhaps because the art of moving has always come so naturally to her.
“Since I was little, I was aware that dance was a meeting point between musical expression and the exploration of movement. It has always been a personal discipline as well as a path of surrender. Dance is more than just my love and passion. For me is it an inseparable part of life and an expression of it,” Joffe tells FORBES WOMAN AFRICA.
Joffe began ballet when she was three and made her first stage appearance a year later. She soon progressed to modern dance and jazz and as a young adult trained in London’s West End before heading east to study yoga and Oriental dance. At the time, she was preparing for a career on the stage. Now, as the owner of Babylon Theatre Cafe in Claremont, Cape Town, she owns the stage.
The restaurant is a Mediterranean-fusion, vegetarian, non-alcoholic, Arabic shisha (hubbly-bubbly) establishment and is an embodiment of all Joffe has become. She has not eaten meat for 25 years and not consumed alcohol for a decade-and-a-half as she sought to nourish her body, and the results are self-evident.
Joffe mastered several dance forms including the Indian classical dance Bharatanatyam, worked as a soloist in the United Kingdom and performed with the international Planet Egypt events before returning home to Cape Town to care for her aging mother.
Since being back in South Africa, she has established her own studio, Al-Masrah Academy in Sea Point, and has now branched out into the hospitality industry, where she intends to share all she has learned.
“There is one thing I know without question: when you stand by your truth you will succeed. As an artist I know I can only create from what I know, and what I draw towards me. To many on the outside, it looked like a crazy gamble, but to me the only thing that made sense was to open a vegetarian, non-alcoholic theater restaurant,” says Joffe.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-31612 alignleft" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2017/05/B22-199x300.jpg" alt="" width="199" height="300" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/B22-199x300.jpg 199w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/B22-300x453.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/B22-600x906.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/B22.jpg 678w" sizes="(max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px" />
“Food is the key to healthy body maintenance and physical cell regeneration. We should be eating nutrients and energy. I can’t serve what I would not eat myself.”
Her philosophy starts with her staff, an all-female crew who she has handpicked and trained. Joffe hopes to empower them to become entrepreneurs of their own one day.
“Far from running my staff as a business machine, I train them as I would an athletic team. Feeding them on a vegetarian diet is a power unto itself and I pay very close attention to their health and performance. I see my success for the restaurant alongside their success in skill development and reaching greater standards in life,” she says.
However, the main attraction at Babylon Theatre Cafe is neither the organic, locally-sourced foods and freshly-squeezed juices nor the card games, but the shows on Saturday nights. From 8PM to 11.30PM every week, the restaurant turns into a theater with performers ranging from professionals in the industry to students from Joffe’s studio, who have acquired the expertise to put on their own show.
Joffe continues to teach classes, with the intention of helping women find their inner voice. Her students start as young as nine and she has no age limit on who she opens her doors to. Anyone, at any stage of life, with any or even no level of dance experience is welcomed at Al-Masrah. Classes cost R80 ($6) a session.
“I have never run my studio as a commercial profiteering venture. I offer small group classes and lots of personal growth space for everyone. This created a haven for so many women who needed to unshackle and blossom, learning yoga, bellydance and gaining back their natural confidence and joy,” she explains.
When she is not teaching or working in the restaurant, Joffe has one more project occupying her time. In October 2016, she started the Theatrical Oriental Dance Festival, a three-day event of intense dance workshops and performances across a range of genres. Joffe invited international guests from as far afield as France to teach master-classes and take part in a gala evening. Her intention is to run the festival annually for dancers to “come together and share their work”.
According to Joffe, the magic of art is as much in the creating as it in the sharing, which is why she keeps giving so much.
“Art can only grow and evolve with display, interaction and training, so platforms like this are essential for healthy artistry and inspiration. It’s a mammoth task, but worth every drop of sweat,” she says.

All The Right Moves

A mother’s love for dressing her two-year-old daughter, Atlegang, in unique African clothing, inspired her to start a business.
Shweshwe Baby Couture is a clothing label offering vibrant outfits for infant boys and girls.
Gugulethu Kgongoane, a former digital and marketing coordinator for various magazines in South Africa, launched the brand with an online collection 14 months after the birth of her first child.
The 27-year-old realized she didn’t fit into the 9AM to 5PM work routine, so was even more determined to launch her business.
“When I started, I had about $221 start-up capital in hand and made a conscious decision to re-invest the money I got back [from her previous job] into the business. Our vision is to create a global fashion brand that will inspire the confidence, creativity and self-belief of children growing up and living in diverse, global cultures,” says Kgongoane.
The budding entrepreneur admits success for her means being able to wake up and go to bed feeling fulfilled, challenged and inspired.
“I admire a businesswoman who has faith and understands that while life can be hard at the best of times, faith is the knowledge that things will get better.
“It’s about taking the next step when you can’t see the entire staircase,” says Kgongoane.
The Shweshwe collection includes the Atli Dress named after her daughter and the versatile peplum set that can be worn with other items.
Kgongoane will prioritize innovation, and Shweshwe Baby Couture will be known for playing a role in the progression of kids’ wear.
Innovation certainly came in handy for Kgongoane when she decided to turn the simple activity of dressing up a toddler into a full-time business.

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Africa On A Bib

The Collective Rwanda (RW) Week of Fashion wrapped up its inaugural edition with a successful press launch, several ‘business of fashion’ seminars and a sparkling evening of runway shows that saw the latest collections from local designers showcased to an array of esteemed guests, including Rwanda’s First Lady, Jeannette Kagame, and her daughter Ange Kagame.
In attendance too was an excited, style-savvy crowd.
In what was a highly-anticipated debut, the fashion event took place at the five-star Kigali Serena Hotel, hosted by Collective RW (a creative collaboration founded in 2015 by the city’s local designers Sonia Mugabo, Teta Isibo, Matthew Rugamba, Linda Mukangoga and Candy Basomingera) in partnership with Journal Rw and national airline RwandAir.
With the aim to promote ‘Made In Rwanda’ fashion and encourage collaboration within the African fashion industry, the week of fashion saw no shortage of contemporary, bold, and colorful collections from all the featured designers, against the backdrop of ‘teamwork makes the dream work’. FORBES WOMAN AFRICA was present too; here’s a report of the highlights:
<h2>Haute Baso</h2>
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Having ventured into the world of fashion precisely because it offers the freedom to transform ideas into pieces that can be shared with an audience, the designers at Haute Baso presented a collection inspired by a book about Rwanda’s military history called Resilience of a Nation. Showcasing women’s wear with simple yet contemporary silhouettes, the resultant collection featured classic military print jackets and tees mixed with stylish, easy ready-to-wear pieces.
Haute Baso’s mission is to translate the passion for art and design into a vehicle for positive change, so highlighting local artisans while promoting job creation particularly for youth and women is important.
“We know that to empower a woman is to empower her community,” says designer Linda Mukangoga. Her belief in the potential of showcasing Rwanda in a global market through fashion and at the same time empowering artisans in the community is what drives this quiet, determined and passionate designer.
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<h2>Sonia Mugabo</h2>
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“If ever there is a market where the fashion world still has potential, it is Africa. I believe it is the right time to change the African narrative and I feel as though it is our creative responsibility to do so,’’ says designer Sonia Mugabo. Following her heart despite being advised to do fashion ‘on the side’, she delivered a SS17 collection featuring bold colors mixed with delightful floral prints and layered ruffles in silhouettes inspired by a refined femininity.
Best known for playing with the perfect mix of vintage and modern design, the brand creates pieces that reflect a documentation of ever-evolving experiences and style.
It represents a collection of memories, of places, people and moments brought to life by #madeinrwanda.
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<h2>Inzuki Designs</h2>
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Inzuki Designs is best known for its specialized brand of accessories that are globally appealing, African-inspired and Rwandan-made. Presenting bold, mostly-beaded statement pieces on the runway most suitable to a modern-day contemporary style, every product sees authentic design translated into a vibrant and fashionable accessory.
“I team up with numerous local artisans to transcend traditional Rwandan design and seek to customize it into comtemporay design,” says founder and designer Teta Isibo.
In what was unprecedented for a Kigali show, she believes the fashion week went a long way in showing the potential of ‘Made in Rwanda’.
“We are hoping to grow this movement, get more Rwandan fashion designers on board and forge ahead together to take Rwanda fashion global,” she says.
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<h2>House of Tayo</h2>
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Designer Matthew Rugamba took his turn showcasing his menswear collection combining touches of bold African patterns and textures on shirts and jackets.
Key items included a new mix of African-inspired print shirts, pocket squares and scarves, with slim fitting pants.
Feeling both relieved and happy after the show, the designer said he believes togetherness will create a difference in Rwanda’s fashion industry, and that being a part of this platform means there is a growing opportunity to share experiences and widen networks, whilst growing together.
The Collective RW Week of Fashion looks set to keep contributing to an already growing conversation about African fashion and talent in Africa and around the world.

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Clothes Encounters  In Kigali

You could be forgiven for not recognizing ‘Ms Isis’, the woman who “wants to be known as that female producer who made beats” – she changes her hairdo almost every week. But the roots that she doesn’t change, are the ones embedded in her sound.
Ms Isis, not to be confused with the terrorist organization, but rather with the Egyptian goddess of fertility and motherhood, grew up in the windy city of Port Elizabeth in South Africa.
She moved to the Gauteng province after school and it was while at university in Tshwane that she found her passion for composing hip-hop beats.
“I bumped into people who knew how to make beats and they taught me, so I’m basically self-taught,” she says.
Trying to etch out a place in the competitive and male-dominated industry is not easy for anybody, let alone a woman.
“It’s harder… there’s a lot of expectations for females,” says Ms Isis on the challenges she faces.
Another is staying relevant and standing out from the crowd. This is perhaps why her hair is transformed almost every other week. The music industry is hard for women and Ms Isis is acutely aware of this.
“I’m a girl but I’m not necessarily the girl that everybody wants to see,” she says, referring to the unrealistic expectations forced on women. She refuses to sexualize her music and is unwavering in her stance against surrendering her musical integrity.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-32133 size-large" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2017/05/Miss-Isis-184-1024x681.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="681" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Miss-Isis-184.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Miss-Isis-184-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Miss-Isis-184-600x399.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Miss-Isis-184-768x511.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
‘Ms Isis’, Terrorist, Organization, Egyptian, Goddess, December 2016
As a woman, Ms Isis has to juggle music, motherhood and marriage. Her husband is Lengolo Moletsane, also known as Madkind, a graphic designer by day, and multi-instrumentalist and producer in her band by night.
“He can tell you more about South African music, I can tell you more about Coolio,” says Ms Isis jokingly.
They are strong-willed and determined to find the right balance between music and parenting.
“It’s very difficult… I see why people are always discouraging, but it can be done. I want to do it and I’m going to do it.”
There is a distinct air of defiance in her voice, as if she’s out to prove the doubters wrong.
With two successful radio singles in 2016, she seems to be getting it right. Her single, Only, a house groove which she collaborated on with Sculptured Music, enjoyed regular airplay and received stellar reviews, most notably from house legend, DJ Christos. She recently wrapped up the video for her second single Mamatime, a jazzy hip-hop inspired melody. Ms Isis has picked up some traction with these singles and hopes that the coming year will bring with it more bookings and the release of her first studio album, which she is currently working on.
“I’ve been an artist that always performs with beats and now I have formed a band, I’m very excited about it,” says Ms Isis, who hopes to one day grace stages like the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz Festival, a venue she has great fondness for. Mamatime ends with Ms Isis singing the isiXhosa words Ixesha, Ixesha, lihamba naba hambayo, meaning “time only moves with those who move with it”. It looks like Ms Isis’ time has come, and it’s moving forward with her beats.

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The Goddess Of Groove

It’s a Thursday afternoon in November, with the summer sun baking the pavements, and everything in sight. Being a weekday, South Africa’s famous Vilakazi Street, home to two Nobel Peace Prize laureates, in Orlando West, in the historic township of Soweto, is not too busy – there are fewer tourists compared to the usual.
I am looking down the linear street, no more than a kilometer, filled with history, craft and commerce, not to mention an assortment of tourists.
It’s a far cry from the street it was in the apartheid days, days before its most-famous resident, Nelson Mandela, was whisked off to prison for 27 years. His home here, number 8115 or Mandela House, which he said is marked with an ‘X’ in his mental geography, is a museum now, the street’s biggest draw. Mandela had returned to this house when he was released from prison in 1990.
Vilakazi’s other famous resident was Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Nobel prize-winning social rights activist who also opposed apartheid.
I strap the camera around my neck, put on my sunglasses and become a tourist, walking from one end to the other exploring the street; it almost feels like I am not in Soweto, this is one of Africa’s world-renowned pieces of real estate.
It takes me less than a minute before I see an urban building to my left, The Box Shop, a shop created primarily for locals but with international tourists streaming in and out.
Launched as a fashion store in 2015 employing about 11 staff, it has extended its retail offerings to furniture and food – mouth-watering delicacies such as mogodu (lamb or beef tripe).
Sifiso Moyo, marketing director of The Box Shop, is one of the store’s four founders who decided to open the store on Vilakazi Street.
“It was a combination of things that made us pursue Vilakazi, we looked at the Gauteng government mandate in terms of revitalizing townships, so we looked at how we are going to align ourselves with that strategy and contribute positively to the dream of township revitalization,” says Moyo.
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I walk again for three minutes, and stop, as I see a gentleman with a snake around his neck. I step closer to make sure I am not imagining things.
It is a snake, a real one, a Red Tail Boa. After introducing myself to the gentleman, he directs me to the house to meet his mother, Lindiwe Mngomezulu.
Her business is offering tourists the Soweto Live Snakes Show. The inspiration for it came when she joined a snake club in Edenvale, east of Johannesburg, South Africa.
Her daughter, Lwandle, had forced her mother to part with R5 to see snakes at the Soweto Arts Festival. Curious, Mngomezulu asked how they could join the club. They were told to visit on Saturdays.
“Love. I wouldn’t have them [the snakes] without love. But the business started when my daughter was seven years old, when she first held a snake. As a mother, I gave her support; wherever she wanted to go where there was snakes, I took her, only to find that I have an interest too,” says Mngomezulu.
I am speaking to Mngomezulu in her living room, which is almost like a mini-zoo – to my right is a monkey, behind me, a parrot, and next to her, a hedgehog. I am a little uneasy knowing there are pythons in the next room, which was once one of the bedrooms in the small home.
The mother and daughter started volunteering at the snake club cleaning the enclosures of 300 reptiles including crocodiles; shortly after, by 2009, they were bringing snakes to the township for snake shows, so it could generate revenue for them. At first, business wasn’t good because they didn’t know how to charge, but worst of all, the community was not in agreement with the idea of snakes in their township as they thought the mother-daughter duo were practicing witchcraft.
“The entrance fee was R5, we didn’t know what we were doing, and people were scared,” says Mngomezulu.
Not long after, Mngomezulu bought her daughter her first pet, a Corn snake, and called it Pikinini because it was small. But the fact remained; they were not making money and had to return the borrowed snakes to the club.
That was when Mngomezulu decided to buy her own snakes to start her own mini snake park. After the Corn snake, it was twin pythons and a boa.
During the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Mngomezulu went back to the club and borrowed snakes for a show in Soweto, the day of the final game, which drew visitors from all over the world. This time, she made wads of cash, enough to share with the club.
Sadly, in 2013, three of Mngomezulu’s snakes died because of pneumonia. Her four-roomed house in Vilakazi Street wasn’t warm enough for the snakes.
Today, thankfully, business is okay, and Mngomezulu can more than afford a loaf of bread. She is now extending her house to accommodate more snakes and tourists. The entrance fee is worth it. People come in to touch the snakes and pose with them for photos.
“Our show is not just a show, it’s an educational show, we educate you about the snakes we have, because I take care of them, we grow them, train them. They are used to cameras, noise and people,” says Mngomezulu.
Not only does she make money on Vilakazi Street, she also has her snakes starring in films and the small screen, namely a South African TV show shot in 2015 titled Ngempela.
Although her show also includes her other pets: a monkey, parrot, bearded dragon lizard, hedgehog and a yellow anaconda, Mngomezulu says the fear of snakes can drive people away.
“When one stands at the gate and fears going in, others get scared too,” she says. The tour guides are also an issue; they don’t spend time at the Soweto Live Snakes Show which affects her business.
I don’t get to watch the show, so I move on to the house next door, a space selling art.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-32130 size-large" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2017/05/Vilakazi-045-1024x681.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="681" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Vilakazi-045.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Vilakazi-045-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Vilakazi-045-600x399.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Vilakazi-045-768x511.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
Thamaga Montjane is CEO of JHTCE (Joining Hands To Create Employment). He says the challenges he faces are people going only to one end of Vilakazi Street and not going further up – to this spot where his shop is.
I can relate to it. As I was walking towards Mandela House, I could see more action – more cars, more color, more tourists thronging the stalls there – than here, by Montjane’s shop.
I speak to one of the vendors a few feet from Mandela House. Bongane Ngcobo sells t-shirts, caps and African art. An entrepreneur in his own right, he says he makes about R4,000 ($282) on a good day and about R200 ($14) when it’s not so good.
As I stroll further down, the street is getting busier. I am drawn to a group of idling youngsters outside an art gallery named Shova Lifestyle Origin.
Thabo Modise, the owner here, started off selling t-shirts in the streets of Soweto; now he owns the gallery and the boutique next to it.
“It is a lifestyle boutique, where we have local fashion designers showing their work and we have a gallery for locals to do the same,” says Modise. He is an entrepreneurial success on Vilakazi Street.
The ambience of the street gets more vibrant as the afternoon progresses. I go across the road from the gallery, to Sakhumzi; a popular restaurant in Soweto, right next door to Tutu’s house. I step in to speak to a few tourists gulping down drinks and South African food.
“It feels awesome being here, we went to the Mandela museum and it was great, proper energy, real place,” says Tavis Wright, a tourist from England.
Lorenzo Grifantini, a tourist from Italy, says there is life and movement in the street and the people look happy.
Not too far from where I am seated at the restaurant, I spot more tourists savoring the local food.
“I didn’t expect a vibrant and classy restaurant like this here, I’m really surprised and I’m loving the food. I had tripe, it was very delicious,” says Adrian Seigs, also a tourist from Europe.
At the end of Vilakazi Street is Kwa Lichaba, a busy car wash corner on the opposite side.
Eventually, what was meant to be a 10-minute walk for me with my camera, turned out to be an hour-long expedition.
On the journey, I learned that the street boasts more South African tourists than foreigners and that hawkers could possibly make more money on a daily basis than a business with a counter, cash register, tables and a door.
As I look at the street again, I think of Benedict Wallet Vilakazi, the South African Zulu poet, author and linguist who died in 1947, and after who the street is named.
Little did he know that school children would be fighting for education on that street, that Winnie, the former ANC Women’s League president and ex-wife of Mandela, would be arrested on that very street, that Nobel accolades would arrive all the way from Sweden to this street in Soweto, or that today Vilakazi Street is more about preserving history – and making money off it.

Vilakazi-Str-043

Pythons And  Peacemakers Down Vilakazi Street

You may accuse Nhlanhla Nciza of having it all – friends, family and fame. Now, also add a booming business to the list.
Nciza, one half of Mafikizolo, a duo that has kept the world dancing to an authentic African sound for over 10 years now, is taking the fashion industry by storm, with her brand, NN Vintage, inspired by fashion from the 1940s to 1980s.
When we meet her, at her showroom in Northriding, a 20-minute drive from Sandton, Africa’s richest square mile, she is on cloud nine. She had just showcased her latest collection at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Johannesburg. She impressed Africa, and is now flooded by orders.
“We have had such overwhelming response and I am pleased we are where we are,” says Nciza.
It didn’t come easy. When interviewed for a FORBES WOMAN AFRICA cover for women’s month in August almost three years ago, Nciza had lost about R600,000 ($41,000) in the business. NN Vintage was struggling.
“When I first started, I wanted to impress people. I would do clothes that I wouldn’t wear, designs that weren’t practical and I forgot the reason I got into this business in the first place,” she says.
It didn’t work. It was time for change.
“I remembered people were in love with the way I dressed. In 2014, I re-launched the company and the first thing I did was to do clothes people can wear to the office, can wear to functions and weddings and most importantly, things I would wear,” she says.
Staying true to herself meant celebrating Africa. This resuscitated the business.
“Because of the internet, the world is becoming smaller. People are falling in love with Africa again and rediscovering who we truly are and embracing that. Some people have explored everything else, Chinese culture, Spanish, European cultures and now it’s time for Africa. It is time for us to shine and be proud of it.”
She traveled the continent looking for fabric, and rediscovering it.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-32125 size-large" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2017/05/Nhlanhla-053-681x1024.jpg" alt="" width="681" height="1024" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Nhlanhla-053.jpg 681w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Nhlanhla-053-300x451.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Nhlanhla-053-600x902.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Nhlanhla-053-200x300.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 681px) 100vw, 681px" />
“If people embrace themselves, they become successful. The Jamaican music sound took over in America because they embraced their authenticity. Instead of them copying America, America came to them and that’s what we should all strive for,” says Nciza.
Celebrities like Thembi Seete, Jessica Nkosi and Uyanda Mbuli have rocked Nciza’s designs. This makes it possible for NN Vintage to employ eight people.
Despite the success, there is still a bit of struggle. She says there isn’t enough support from locals and it’s hard to source African print as most of it is made in China.
“People see something foreign as better than what we produce in Africa which is far from the truth. We need to change mind-sets so our people can support us as much as they support foreign brands. They shouldn’t ask why a Dolce&amp;Gabbana is the same price as an NN Vintage or David Tlale.”
Fashion is not the only place Nciza wants to dominate. She has also launched Home Based Records, a record label that has been her dream for years.
“Since I started music, I have always wanted to be one of the first women to own a record label. When I started my career, there were no women record label owners and I wanted it to be a message to young women that you can do anything you want, there is nothing meant for men alone.”
Worlds from her music genre, Nciza’s first artist signed to the label is M Thulz, a commercial hip hop up-and-coming star who recently released Emigodini, a single making the rounds on radio stations.
“Even though Mafikizolo was signed by a big record label, it took us four albums to break well into the market. I know everything takes time. I don’t think just because I am Nhlanhla from Mafikizolo everything will just come easy,” she says.
Hundreds of South Africans are already in-boxing her, asking to sign up with her label.
“It breaks my heart because I know what it feels like to be passionate about something and it doesn’t happen. I know what that does to a person. I don’t just turn them away but I advise them to keep going.”
Home Based Records employs four people and is looking to grow. But Nciza isn’t stopping there either. She is launching an accessories collection in 2017; Mafikizolo is releasing an album and recording its first live DVD.
It’s hard to balance it all. She has had to miss out on important things like her child’s first step while touring in Uganda.
With Mafikizolo Entertainment, which employs 13 people, they have made some tough decisions.
“We have decided not to say yes to everything so that we can be with our family. Mostly in January and February we don’t take bookings unless it’s something really important. I take strength in knowing I am not the first woman to go through this, many have worked and raised children and so can I,” says Nciza.
Nciza is determined to keep going. As we leave, she shows us framed FORBES WOMAN AFRICA covers hanging on her boardroom wall.
“I was the first in South Africa in the entertainment side to be on the cover of the magazine and that’s big. It’s one of the biggest highlights in my life next to meeting and performing for Nelson Mandela. Who would have thought that a girl like me from Kagiso and from the farms of North West can be on the cover of such a magazine?” she says, as we leave her preparing for yet another meeting.
Friends. Family. Fame. FORBES WOMAN AFRICA. It’s an enviable list indeed.

NN Vintage

Songs And Skirts For Africa

Amidst a flurry of designer gowns and sexy stilettoes, the Lagos Fashion &amp; Design Week (LFDW) is off to a ritzy start at the Federal Palace Hotel in Victoria Island, Nigeria. As is expected, it’s big on style and selfies.
Seated in the front row for the Ejiro Amos Tafiri show, high-profile personalities and celebrities sipping champagne from long-stemmed glasses soak up the glitz and glamor of an event that celebrates African fashion.
This year, 42 designers hit the runway to showcase their interpretation of what is new and chic in African fashion, and as the runway transforms itself in bright colors juxtaposed with velvet material and sheer fabric, personal shopper and fashion buyer, Mohammed Dohan, is right where he needs to be – in the front row.
“I have been coming to this event each year since it started in 2011 and the quality of designers and the types of African brands has improved dramatically. There is a great demand for authentic African pieces all over the world,” says Dohan.
Working for high-net-worth individuals and luxury boutiques in the United Arab Emirates, Dohan knows a thing or two about the latest fashion trends and LFDW is an inspirational hotspot for him.
Like Dohan, everybody is here for a piece of the growing garments industry in Africa, and no one knows this better than the founder of LFDW, Omoyemi Akerele.
“Currently, the value of garments, apparel and leather in sub-Saharan Africa has been tapped at $30 billion by Euromonitor, so the market is huge and if Nigeria is the single-largest market in Africa due to the sheer size of the population, then we are sitting on a gold mine,” says Akerele.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-32119 size-full" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2016/12/IMG_6116.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="800" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/IMG_6116.jpg 550w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/IMG_6116-300x436.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/IMG_6116-206x300.jpg 206w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" />
“We realized that there was no fashion industry when we started and decided that there has got to be a semblance of an industry. Number two, we have talent in Nigeria, but there is no commerce backing that talent, so we had to get to a place where we asked ‘what do you want to do first? Do you want to focus on the commerce or do you want to focus on the creativity?’ Creativity seemed like a good place to start, hence fashion week.”
With a degree in Law from the University of Lagos and a master’s in International Economic Law from the University of Warwick in England, Akerele knew from an early age that she was going to follow her father’s footsteps in the legal profession.
“Law was firmly what I had my heart set on until the day I stopped. Initially I thought it was because I didn’t want to work in that particular law firm. I thought I was going to get married and go back to law with a different organization but it took being at home for me to realize I did not want that. I asked myself ‘why are you going back to something you don’t love’,” recalls Akerele.
She knew it was time to make a change.
“For you to have a career and thrive in it, it has to be something you love and that is what pushes you and makes you go beyond the extra mile to be able to give it your best. So that is what I realized was missing from my career as a lawyer.”
She began her new career as an image consultant and fashion stylist. Her first role was as contributing stylist for Truelove, however a partnership with a friend ignited her passion for the creative arts.
Her friend at the time, Bola Balogun, moved back to Nigeria, so they met and started a company together called Exclusive Styling, moving on to do styling jobs in Nigeria from Big Brother Africa to MTN Project Fame and Idols.
Soon, she was at a point where she needed to go back to the drawing board again.“I thought going back to school would do the trick, I thought doing a master’s in fashion would be the next phase so I went to three different schools which were the best in Europe and they asked for my portfolio and they asked me ‘why do you want to do a master’s, do you mean you want to teach’? They said your portfolio looks really good so half of the things we will be teaching you, you have already done in practice so this course is not for you,” says Akerele.
After some soul-searching, Akerele had her moment of clarity.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-32118 size-full" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2016/12/IMG_5880.jpg" alt="" width="533" height="799" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/IMG_5880.jpg 533w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/IMG_5880-300x450.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/IMG_5880-200x300.jpg 200w" sizes="(max-width: 533px) 100vw, 533px" />
“The problem was not to learn a bit more about creativity. The problem is about the environment we are in and how do I contribute to creating or being a part of things that can create change and sort of expand the industry a little bit. And that is how Style House came into it. I realized at the time that one of the problems we had as designers was getting access to clothes.”
With greater accessibility, a deeper understanding of how creativity can turn into commerce became a focus for Akerele and her new company, Style House.
Soon, her creative platform, LFDW was born. Conceived in 2008, Akerele also set up avenues for master classes, capacity building and skills development that could take young designers from where they were to a completely different level.
“Collaboration became our most powerful ally. How do we collaborate with people within Nigeria, how do we collaborate with people outside Nigeria and corporate organizations too to help bring this vision to life because it is very expensive,” says Akerele.
In just five years, the organization has grown to be the leading fashion event in Nigeria and for Akerele, the focus is not only about providing an access to market platforms for young and emerging entrepreneurs but more importantly driving the conversation and key issues that affect fashion in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

Omoyemi2-Photo-Credit-Lakin-Ogunbanwo

Haute And Happening

You are an established Hollywood actress now – an Oscar winner for 12 Years a Slave, do you have any plans to start your own business, be it a production house or otherwise?
Well, I actually am producing a film, Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and I am putting that hat on my head.
&nbsp;
<h3>And how is it going wearing two hats?</h3>
It is going well, it’s a learning curve for sure. But this is an industry I am very passionate about, I love storytelling. So I am just learning a new way to tell a story.
&nbsp;
The experience of being on the red carpet that night of the Oscars, what goes through your mind when they announce your name?
It was very confusing.
&nbsp;
<h3>In what sense does time stop?</h3>
It’s just I didn’t know if they had said my name or if I had said my name or my brother said my name, and you have no time to figure it out, you have to get up there and say something.
&nbsp;
And in terms of your process for a role, what do you do to embody the character, what is your method as it were?
Each role speaks for itself and you kind of design your preparation, depending on the kind of role. But it always starts with research about the world the character lives in.
&nbsp;
<h3>What kind of research did you do for Queen of Katwe?</h3>
Well, it was about learning as much as I can about these people. I was fortunately privileged enough to have the real Harriet – she is very much alive and kicking – and I sat with her and asked her to tell me about herself from her perspective and that was really cool, to ask her why she let Phiona go to Robert Katende’s chess academy and she was very practical, she said ‘he could give her a cup of porridge when I couldn’t’. So this is a woman who is very practical and principled as well and I felt very honoured to play because her dignity is one that doesn’t have a price tag on it.
&nbsp;
<h3>What is the experience of shooting in Uganda like?</h3>
It was incredible, to be on location shooting in the places where these things transpired, you are doing research as you walk and every day you are learning something new and deepening your understanding of your character and the world you live in. So for me, it was very fertile to be in Kampala, in Katwe, in its environments.
&nbsp;
<h3>As an African actress, you’ve now very much become an icon on this continent, do you feel it’s a big responsibility to shoulder and how do you feel to potentially mentor young girls to get where you’ve gotten to?</h3>
Well I don’t feel a responsibility at all, I feel like it’s my opportunity, it’s a conviction of my heart. I didn’t grow up seeing very many movies like Queen of Katwe, certainly not told by Disney so to have a chance to be that mirror this time feels very meaningful.
&nbsp;
<h3>Marvel’s Black Panther… what is your involvement there, are you are allowed to talk about it?</h3>
I am allowed to say who I am playing which is Nakia, and that’s about it.
&nbsp;
<h3>Is it a big studio film or…?</h3>
It’s Marvel… so it’s in the league of Captain America, Avengers and Iron Man… those kind of movies.
&nbsp;
<h3>Other than that, what are your future plans at this stage?</h3>
I am definitely looking forward to that, I have not shot that yet. So that is coming up shortly, and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun and totally new role for me and I will be producing Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah as well and I hope to do comedy sometime soon.
&nbsp;
<h3>In terms of influences, who are they, be it directors, actors or actresses?</h3>
Oh…I am very fortunate to work with people like J.J Abrams, Mira Nair, and Steve McQueen to name a few. I love Cate Blanchett, I love her work, I loved Elizabeth Taylor as well, Viola Davis is fierce, Sidney Poitier is incomparable, yeah, those are some of them…

Queen of Katwe Movie Premier in South Africa

‘I Hope To Do Comedy Sometime Soon’

In Ajegunle, a neighborhood located in the heart of Lagos, Nigeria, Tunde Amaechi is readying for an audition. This will be his 20th in a month and today’s audition is on the other side of town in Victoria Island. The trip will cost him two weeks’ wages but the potential gain is worth it.
“I am auditioning for a role in Desperate Housewives Africa. I get to say three lines, which is very good for me. When you get a speaking part, it means you are moving up and I think I will get this one by God’s grace,” says Amaechi.
Nigeria’s growing movie industry, known as Nollywood, is the third largest in the world following Hollywood and Bollywood.
Its growth has spawned a generation of young people desperate for the limelight and a chance to make it big in the movie business. For Amaechi, it is the only way he can help his mother and two sisters escape poverty.
<div id="attachment_32086" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32086" class="wp-image-32086 size-large" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2017/05/93Days-credit-Toronto-Film-Festival-1024x512.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="512" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/93Days-credit-Toronto-Film-Festival.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/93Days-credit-Toronto-Film-Festival-300x150.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/93Days-credit-Toronto-Film-Festival-600x300.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/93Days-credit-Toronto-Film-Festival-768x384.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Cast from 93 Days</div>
“I lost my father at an early age and since then I have been the main breadwinner of the house. Making it in Nollywood means my family will be taken care of and my little sisters will have a chance at a better life. It is also my dream to make it and be as big as Ramsey Nouah [popular Nigerian actor],” he says.
With no acting background, Amaechi, like millions of young struggling actors, is looking for that life-changing role and no distance is too far to travel for that break.
Chuks Amaka is an actor and entrepreneur living in Lekki, Victoria Island. He has featured in a number of roles including M-Net’s flagship daily soap Tinsel as well as some local productions and also played the role of executive producer in his own movie. For him, the movie industry, like any other, is a business and the end game is money.
“The goal is to cross over from Nollywood into Hollywood. That is where most actors want to go and that is where the money is. They believe if you build a strong enough brand in Africa’s largest economy, then America will come knocking,” says Amaka.
That belief is not far-fetched. In 2015, American actor Danny Glover starred in 93 Days, a film on the deadly Ebola virus in Nigeria. Acting with the veteran Hollywood star were some of Nollywood’s finest, all vying for international recognition. Beasts of No Nation, the Netflix-distributed civil war movie starring another Hollywood bigwig, Idris Elba, was also shot in Nigeria and Ghana with actors queuing up for hours for a part in a big Hollywood production.
“The natural evolution for any Nollywood actor is to make a name in Africa and then hit the big leagues in Hollywood. These type of blockbusters are hotly-contested and every actor knows this is a potential golden ticket,” says Amaka.
For Amaechi, however, that dream is too big to comprehend. Making a name in Nollywood is already a tall order. He has been auditioning for roles for the past year and is yet to secure any paid work. He supplements his income by working as a waiter at the local Bheerhugz Cafe in Ikeja, Lagos. The Desperate Housewives Africa role will be the first time he may be paid for his work. He is optimistic his fate will change.
“This means everything. I love acting and all I need is the opportunity for the world to see my talent. I know I can be one of the biggest in Nollywood then the rest of the world,” says Amaechi.
Austin Abolaji is a Nollywood actor from Imo State, Nigeria. In 2012, he starred in the action drama film, Black November, with an ensemble cast of international stars including Mickey Rourke, Kim Basinger, Vivica Fox and Wyclef Jean. The movie premiered at the Kennedy Center in the United States.
<div id="attachment_32088" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32088" class="wp-image-32088 size-large" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2017/05/Omoni-Oboli-1024x615.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="615" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Omoni-Oboli.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Omoni-Oboli-300x180.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Omoni-Oboli-600x360.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Omoni-Oboli-768x461.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Omoni Oboli</div>
“Nollywood is still growing and there are massive opportunities in this sector, however it will take a long time before actors are paid properly for their craft. When you look at the average Hollywood actor, they get paid a lot better for the same roles we are doing here. This is one of the reasons why people want to make it in Hollywood,” says Abolaji.
Another reason is the acclaim.
“After Lupita Nyong’o won the Oscar, we all now believe it is possible. We saw her acting in MTV Shuga and to see one of us from Africa succeed in Hollywood is motivation for all of us. She is probably the biggest African actress in the world right now,” says Abolaji.
Nyong’o’s Oscar win has been the catalyst for a new lucrative career ranging from roles in Star Wars to brand endorsements with Lancome to being on the cover of Vogue magazine. Her success has opened up the once forbidden Hollywood dream to the rest of Africa and Nollywood’s elite is looking to follow suit one role at a time.

Idris-Elba-in-Beast-Of-No-Nation-credit-Netflix

Non-Stop  From Lagos To LA

Nigerian domination, presidents under fire, a controversial voting system, a prophecy foretold, tension over a last-minute switch. The African Union? No, the MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMAs) 2016, at the Dome in Johannesburg, heavy with the heaviest music in Africa and laden with controversy.
Before a note was played, the first controversy struck. Rising African star Trevor Noah – who is tripping the light fantastic on The Daily Show in New York – pulled out from fronting this shimmering night in the country of his birth. He was ill.
In stepped Bonang Matheba, for a whispered R500,000 (about $36,000), with just 24 hours to go, to become the first African woman to present the event in its nine-year history. Founder of the MAMAs, Nigerian Alex Okosi, claimed it was “exciting” and “it’s girl power tomorrow”. You can only imagine how chuffed he was to lose his host 24 hours before the awards and how stressful the last-minute rehearsals must have been.
Women took center stage on the night and were outspoken. Co-host Nigerian Yemi Alade retorted to her President Muhammadu Buhari over his comments on a visit to Germany recently along the lines that a woman’s place was in the kitchen and the so-called “other room”.
“Women, don’t forget! We are not only good in the kitchen and good in the living room and good in the other room; we are also good anywhere we want to be,” snapped back Alade from the stage.
This drew rapturous applause from the thousands in the crowd.
When the awards came, it was women again to the fore. One touching moment amid the glitz was the awarding of the Africa Re-Imagined Award to Mary Taedzerwa who is fighting in Zimbabwe against the marriage of children. She was married off at the age of 15. Her efforts helped persuade Zimbabwe to increase the legal age for marriage to 18 in January. According to UNICEF, 34% of girls in Zimbabwe, aged 20 to 24, were married by the time they were 18.
<div id="attachment_5555" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-5555" class="wp-image-5555 size-medium" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/GettyImages-617684068-300x230.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="230" />Wizkid (L) and Emtee perform during the 2016 MTV Africa Music Awards</div>
As the awards were handed out, there were questions in the audience about the Google voting system. Many claimed it didn’t reflect Africa. The system allows every person five online votes a day and they can return to the system the next day. This means people can easily pile up the votes, making it more of a popularity contest than an appreciation of music on the continent.
On top of this, a mere 28% of the population are on the internet meaning most Africans can’t vote.
More than half of Nigerians are on the internet – about 100 million users, 60 million more than anyone else – and that could explain why, yet again, the West African nation did well.
It also may be that Nigeria has the second-fastest growing music industry in the world, after Indonesia, and is getting stronger every year. According to a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers, it will be worth $86 million by 2020.
Maybe the self-proclaimed South African Prince of Hip-Hop, from the other end of the continent, knew what he was talking about. Love him or loathe him, AKA made a sidewalk prophecy in FORBES AFRICA (December/January 2015) saying Nigerians have attitude to burn.
“Nigerians are told to be great,” he says. “In South Africa we are told to be humble.”
On this night he was right. Nigerian artists stole the show winning both Male and Female of the Year awards, Best Song as well as the outright Artist of the Year. The big winner of the night was 26-year-old Wizkid who released his first album at the age of 11, under the name Lil Prinz, at a time of life when most of us were learning how to ride a bike. He is taking the continent by storm, making music with Drake, Chris Brown and Tinie Tempah.
As the crowds melted away into a night full of insects and summer rain, they reflected on the band of talented Nigerians who came to South Africa’s city of gold and shone.

No Humility As Nigerians Prove They’re Great

Nandi Mngoma recently wed her “best friend” and South African celebrity-musician Zakes Bantwini (Zakhele Madida). This followed speculation about her pregnancy and a classic reveal when, dressed in a figure-hugging white dress, she showed off her baby bump on the ramp at the opening of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Johannesburg. The songstress and presenter also wowed United States’ fashion critics at the 2016 BET Awards in a monochrome mermaid dress from her own fashion line, Colour. E! News even wrote: “Work that dress.”
Mngoma, who also has a new song, Fly Away, with DJ Kent, reveals more to FORBES WOMAN AFRICA:
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1As an entrepreneur, why fashion?
Mainly because I feel like even from ancient African times, we as a continent have always been creating and inspiring the rest of the world and I want to continue this and share my creativity. It’s a challenging industry but one that I feel we as Africans need to own and be more business-orientated with. As a business, it’s not one in which huge amounts of money can be made but one with which you can potentially make a significant impact, which is why I started Colour.
2What’s your most treasured piece of clothing and why? My mother gave me a Zulu beaded necklace which means the world to me. I travel with it and it’s always received with interest.
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3Who are your favorite designers, and why? Carolina Herrera – she’s in her 70s and still believes in feeling good as a woman and making other woman feel beautiful. I’m inspired by her and how she embraces the aging processes and how she makes females feel beautiful, no matter their age or size.
Victoria Beckham – as she is also a media personality. I admire her transition from Spice Girl to respected designer. I have studied her and have been impressed with how willing she has been to listen and learn and be a student and that’s exactly what I have done.
Chanel – in terms of being daring and taking risks. Coco Chanel was very daring – she took a tweed jacket which was traditionally for men and made it something women could wear.
And lastly, the late Oscar de la Renta – simply because his designs were just beautiful!
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4If you were to design an outfit for one person in the world, who would that be?
Rihanna – I would love to put her in a jump suit that we have designed, possibly for one of her music videos. I think that it would look great on her!
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5Your proudest achievement so far…? Just being able to inspire people through what I do, expecting a baby, being a wife and family person and still continuing with my career. Also being at a point where I can embrace who I am. I believe that you can be career-orientated and a great mother. I watched my own mother do this and I want to do the same.
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6You are in entertainment; what qualities have you had to adapt to be a fashion entrepreneur?
The entertainment industry prepares you for a lot and there are many qualities and skills which I have used in my fashion career. I have found the fashion industry to be much more detailed and organized compared to the entertainment industry.
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7Success is…?
Knowing God.

Nandi-etch

‘Would Love To Put Rihanna In  A Jump Suit’

The night we go to press with this issue is when Lupita Nyong’o jets in from Kampala to Johannesburg for the premiere of her new film, Disney’s Queen of Katwe, releasing in South Africa mid-October.
Getting a phone interview – even two exclusive email quotes – from this African A-lister, despite relentlessly pursuing her PR machinery for months, has proven painfully difficult.
But this is Lupita, the African who brought home the best supporting actress Oscar for her turn as Patsey in Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave in 2014. Her Cinderella-esque pose with the Oscar statue in the billowing blue – a color she famously said reminded her of Nairobi – Prada dress is still fresh in social media memory.
This spring, she was seen in Eclipsed, which made its Broadway debut and was written by another famous African daughter, Danai Gurira, the playwright more popular as the actress in The Walking Dead.
Eclipsed, a story about hope and activism starring a cast of all-African women, saw Lupita scoop the best Broadway debut performance award at the 2016 Theatre World Awards. The play explores the journey of four women drawn together due to the turmoil in their home country, Liberia.
Referring to her portrayal in Eclipsed, The New York Times said: “The superb Lupita Nyong’o is one of the most radiant young actors to be seen on Broadway in recent seasons.”
The Mexican-born Lupita, who was raised in Kenya, plays a part closer to home in Queen of Katwe, as Harriet, the strong-willed mother of Ugandan child chess prodigy, Phiona Mutesi.
The coming-of-age film, which is a true story, set in Katwe and Kibuli in Uganda, is directed by Mira Nair, who has straddled world cinema with such memorable films as Salaam Bombay!, Mississippi Masala, Monsoon Wedding, The Namesake and The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Nair has had a home in Kampala for the past 27 years and is the founder of Maisha Film Lab, a film school for East Africans.
In a press statement, Nair says the role of Harriet was written for Lupita, who she has known for years.
“I thought of Harriet as a young Mother Courage, and that is the strength and beauty that is in Lupita,” says Nair.
Lupita was an intern at Nair’s production company Mirabai Films in New York before she shot to fame with 12 Years a Slave. The actress had reportedly broken down and cried after reading just 10 pages of the script of Queen of Katwe.
“It was the first time in a while that I’d been so enlivened, inspired and challenged by a role I was considering,” says Nyong’o.
In its review of the film, The New York Times, said: “The sight of well-fed, well-dressed schoolboys beaten by a girl — a poor girl, at that — would be satisfying even if Queen of Katwe were a less vivid and engaging movie.”
In the interim leading up to the film, Lupita had also essayed roles in Non-Stop with Liam Neeson, The Jungle Book and played the voice of 1,000-year-old space pirate Maz Kanata in Star Wars: A Force Awakens, which released winter 2015.
And there have been other ‘appearances’. Lupita recently posted a video on her Instagram account showing off her freestyle-rapping skills, much to the mirth of her 3.1 million followers.
Lupita is also the Global Elephant Ambassador for WildAid, a wildlife conservation group focusing on protecting animals from being poached.
While Kenya banned the ivory trade over 20 years ago, WildAid says close to 33,000 elephants are killed annually in Africa for ivory. Lupita joined WildAid, for the campaign ‘Poaching Steals from Us All’, in July 2015, to advocate the protection and survival of elephants. It’s a role she takes seriously.
WildAid CEO Peter Knights says it has been amazing working with the star.
“Lupita is such a powerful presence on-screen, and this power has translated so beautifully to this campaign. She is truly passionate and committed to saving Africa’s elephants,” says Knights to FORBES WOMAN AFRICA.
Lupita had recently also gone back to her roots in Kenya for the October cover of Vogue. Needless to say, the 33-year-old Yale School of Drama graduate is leaving a trail as the beacon of hope for other young women in her country.
Moses Wafula, the principal of St. Mary’s School Nairobi, where Lupita was a student, calls her the school’s “heroine”.
“St. Mary’s School is very proud of Lupita. It’s a joy even to us who have ridden in the fame she has brought to the institution. Her success is a brand to our school and thence, many students have joined this institution since her Oscars’ triumph,” he says.
Attests Vivian Onano, an activist and youth ambassador for UN Women, who hails from Kisumu county in Kenya where Lupita is also from: “Lupita is a great role model and an inspiration for many young African women, me included. Despite her success, she has maintained her authenticity and stayed grounded. She has boldly showed us that you don’t have to conform to Hollywood’s definition of beauty to be successful in the global space. She acknowledges her roots and has used her platform to create opportunities for other young ladies who aspire to be like her.”
Kenyan photographer Lyndsey McIntyre, who knew Lupita before she became famous, was invited by the actress to a film she had produced on albinism, a subject McIntyre says Lupita is passionate about.
“The documentary was incredible… She always had that star quality about her even years ago but was humble, intelligent and very charming. I have no doubt Lupita is still humble and charming, she is just one of those types of people I think will manage to keep her feet on the ground,” she says.
“Like most people who acquire that level of recognition, she is exceptional, a one in a million. She has many gifts — her beauty, her intellect, her tremendous talent and her lovely personality but she was also privileged in her upbringing and studied her craft in the US when she was signed by obviously an excellent agent. She was not plucked out of a village in rural Kenya or even out of Nairobi,” says McIntyre.
In Kenya, Lupita’s parents have a reputation of their own. Her father, Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, is a professor of political science and senator of Kisumu county. Onano, who knows Lupita’s mother Dorothy (see interview on previous page), calls her: “A quiet lady though a great force and a doer; a very beautiful woman full of grace and a big heart.”
It’s the same grace and creative zest Lupita brings. Her hairstylist Vernon François, who created the brown and blue head wrap for her interview on American talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live in September, tells FORBES WOMAN AFRICA working with Lupita is a fantastic creative process.
“We have a very productive relationship because we are both always full of ideas and collaborate well. Selecting the material for every head wrap that I design for her, is always a team effort between Lupita, her stylist and myself,” he says.
Fans can now look forward to Lupita playing Nakia in Marvel’s Black Panther, which will cast her with The Walking Dead’s Gurira; the film’s expected to be released in 2018.
She is also in the upcoming much-awaited film adaptation of Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s book Americanah.
Africa is watching.
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<h2>‘She Will Continue To Break Through Ceilings For People of Color’</h2>
<div id="attachment_32006" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32006" class="wp-image-32006 size-large" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2017/05/GettyImages-476081543-1024x871.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="871" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/GettyImages-476081543-1024x871.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/GettyImages-476081543-300x255.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/GettyImages-476081543-600x511.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/GettyImages-476081543-768x653.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/GettyImages-476081543.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />SANTA MONICA, CA- MARCH 01: Actress Lupita Nyong&#8217;o (R) and mother Dorothy Nyong&#8217;o attend the 2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards at Santa Monica Beach on March 1, 2014 in Santa Monica, California.(Photo by Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage)</div>
<h4>Lupita’s mother, Dorothy Nyong’o, is an advocate for women and girls and whose work with the Africa Cancer Foundation speaks for itself. Known in Kenya for her commitment to cancer patients and cancer research, she also owns a public relations firm, 7th Sense Communications:</h4>
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<h4>Do you travel often with Lupita?</h4>
I occasionally travel to meet Lupita at work. She takes her work very seriously. She has a very high work ethic and does whatever is necessary to give it her very best. At the same time, she likes to enjoy her work. She is playful and builds in enjoyment of the process and of the moment. She has always done so.
<h4>How do think Kenyans have responded to Lupita’s success?</h4>
Kenyans generally own Lupita’s success. They have personal pride in her achievements and feel she belongs to them. They are inspired by her and have a lot of goodwill towards her. She is a good role model for many. People often ask me, ‘how is our daughter?’
<h4>What do you think the future entails for her in Africa?</h4>
Lupita is already a role model in Africa and worldwide. She is an influencer and a leader in her craft. She will continue to break through real and imaginary ceilings for people of color and for women all over the world. She will continue to create opportunities for Africans and people of color, worldwide.
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shutterstock_432782164-Ovidiu-Hrubaru-Shutterstock.com-

Queen Bee!

Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o, 33, grew up in Nairobi before studying film and theater at Hampshire College, Massachusetts. Her father, Peter, is a politician who has spoken of being harassed and tortured for his beliefs. In 2014, Nyong’o won the Oscar for best supporting actress for her role as Patsey in 12 Years a Slave. She currently lives in Brooklyn. Here, she talks fame, and how childhood readied her for it:
Being uncomfortable with sudden fame is nothing to be ashamed of. It can be trying and confusing. Being cast in 12 Years a Slave completely altered the architecture of my life. I had come straight out of school and everything seemed to change overnight. Suddenly there was all this recognition. It still surprises me when people know who I am.
If I look calm, it’s probably because I’m terrified. Human beings have three reactions to stress – fight, flight or freeze – and my default is to freeze. If that comes across as calmness, I’m lucky.
I have a lot to thank television for. As a child in Kenya, it presented me with a window to the world. I was exposed to different cultures through shows from England, Australia, Brazil, Mexico. TV taught me what it means to be human.
In my family, looking good is a sign of respect. You should take time to present yourself well for an occasion. I grew up with so much grooming that, after a while, I got sick of it and cut off all my hair.
My tempestuous nature has served me well. As an actor, I can play the storm as well as the eye of the storm. It is very damaging to have only one notion of beauty. My teenage years were plagued by the idea that light skin was better skin. There were adverts on TV about a woman trying to get a job and she only got it when she applied skin-lightening cream. I felt that I was not considered beautiful because of my complexion. My self-worth was deeply compromised in those years.
What you wear has to stand the test of time. You need clean lines and maybe a bit of humor, too.
My childhood prepared me for this life in more ways than I could have imagined. I witnessed my father navigating life as a public figure and also just being my dad. He was on the cover of the newspaper and everyone was talking about him in an abstract manner in my presence. Then I would go home to a very real man who was tired and needed a back rub. I grew up meeting world leaders and, as such, I have always known that incredible people are also very normal people.
Throw a seed over your shoulder and it will grow. At least, in East Africa it will. I miss eating the seeds from the baobab trees.
The most important thing to instil in a child is curiosity. Going to college was never a question. I was born expected to achieve. But I found school to be a very narrow experience, having to cram in all this theoretical and literary information. I learn through story and experience. If it weren’t for my parents, who were very liberal, I think I would have given up on myself.
Stand up for what you believe in. I’ve witnessed my father stand in the line of fire for his causes. He has sacrificed a lot for his beliefs and my family has had to stand by him and support his calling.
Don’t get me started on self-righteousness. The idea that how you see the world is the only way the world can be is so annoying. Eat deep-fried food. In Kenya, we deep-fry anything. There’s a snack called chevdo, which is a mix of deep-fried potatoes, peas, raisins and cashews. There’s a fruit that’s really good for you – higher in calcium than milk – but we fry it up with red spice before we eat it. It’s heavenly.

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