Since the day she was told that “you are beautiful,” Danai Gurira’s confidence has soared. That optimistic account by an African-American wo...
Since the day she was told that “you are beautiful,” Danai Gurira’s confidence has soared. That optimistic account by an African-American woman visiting her country, Zimbabwe, decades ago, has never faded from her mind.
Today, she is one of the most celebrated African actresses and activists for disadvantaged women, with a Zimbabwean origin. And she has kept her identity, language, and African personality intact, regardless of several years in the American acting industry.
“As an actress, I have the good fortune of being able to ply a complex strong and flawed woman,” wrote Guririra on the Love our Girls website. “As a writer, scripting narratives is my act of resistance, my way of bringing that unheard African female voice front and centre and allowing it to manifest its astounding value.”
Since the day she modelled in front of the American delegation Harare, she grasped the values of women, and she has been fighting for their space ever since. “I have always had a passion for women and girls, a hope to see them function on the same playing field as men and have the same opportunities and appropriate protections.”
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| Black Girls are Beautiful, Declares Danai Gurira! |
African women, especially in war zones are exposed to various forms of abuse and Love our Girls target such women. “Love our Girls focuses on displaced girls, sexual violence, and highlighting the struggle of girls through nurturing awareness and love,” revealed the versatile actress during an interview.
Her bold activism is admired by fellow actress Lupita Nyong’o, who has established herself in the Hollywood acting industry. Gurira is proud of her native Shona language and is fluent in four languages, including French, English, and basic Xhosa.
“Black girls are beautiful. Sisters are beautiful. This publication (Essence magazine) does everything to celebrate us sisters,” she told a receptive audience, after her recognition by the magazine, whose editor commented on her beauty in Harare, years ago.
Despite the discrimination she endures, the ward winning actress remains focused. “We found our source of power. A real sister knows her power is recognised by other sisters. No one can set her straight but her other sister. I would not be standing here if it was not for the sisters.”
She candidly exposed how celebrities fight stereotypes to stay relevant in their respective spheres. “And, I realised that sometimes I forget what it was like to be that young, to struggle in your own skin that much. To grapple with a world system that was clearly not made for us in mind,” she told audiences at the Black Women in Hollywood.
“To be unsure of your place in this realm, of how you will ever find it or how you will ever like yourself, let alone love yourself,” she added.
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