Amanda Tobo
Creative Shell Rural Art Development
We have to unearth the latent talent of scriptwriters, playwrights and directors
Amanda Tobo grew up in an Eastern Cape village where no one took acting and the arts seriously, let alone attempting a career in this field. Like many other ambitious young people from across the country, she was consumed by her will to succeed. That determination saw her packing her bags, leaving the dusty village of Mbizana, and making the long trip to the City of Gold (Johannesburg) to chase her dream.
She has since made significant progress in chasing that dream, and was named Best Female Actress at the annual Ishashalazi Theatre Award in 2013.
The award-winning actress, filmmaker and youth development practitioner was born in Mbizana in the Eastern Cape, and spent a considerable time in Johannesburg.
She is committed to ploughing back what she learnt in the city of gold into her rural community. She has since returned home to the Eastern Cape where is she arming aspirant actors, directors and script writers with the necessary skills.
In her homestead of Mbizana, the urge to further youth development continues. She is training a cadre of actors, armed with the tools of script writing and directing, through her organisation Creative Shell Rural Art Development.