Actresses channel strong Ma Winnie in new monologue
NOT content with just posting messages on social media‚ some of South Africa’s actresses have created a monologue to celebrate the life and struggles of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela., who died on April 2 after a long illness.
Emmy-nominated actress Thuso Mbedu has joined Lerato Mvelase‚ Connie Chiume‚ Hlubi Mboya‚ Mona Monyane and Busisiwe Mtshali to record monologues based on certain portions of the struggle hero’s life for online acting portal‚ Actor Spaces.
The monologue will be available on the platform in the next few days.
Mbedu said that over the last week she had studied the life of Winnie more than she ever had before‚ and felt a fire burn inside her.
“It was a challenge for me because I had not studied or followed Winnie’s life as much as I had hoped to prior to her death,” Mbedu said.
“I immersed myself in books and documentaries about her and it ignited a fire inside me.
“We all complain about things but Ma Winnie showed us that we must look at how we can make a difference in the world.”
Thuso wrote a monologue about the time Ma Winnie was interrogated and kept in solitary confinement.
She said that she often started to cry when shooting such emotional scenes but she wanted to be as strong as Winnie would have been.
“When you reflect on a traumatic experience‚ like I was doing‚ you have to keep some things back and be strong or you won’t be able to tell your story properly.”