"I’ve always understood that we’re on this earth to do something and I’ve known that mine is to do with acting. I am constantly inspired by my love for the craft and the ability to tell beautiful stories through my work. Even though some characters are fictional, the stories I tell are not."

"Black artists are tired of having to beg for crumbs from the industry’s table when we are just as talented, qualified, and worthy of opportunities as our White counterparts. We don’t need anybody’s crumbs; we have already earned our seats at the table."

"Take the time to develop and study the craft – go to school. Take it seriously as a profession and honour your talent the same way you would if you wanted to become a doctor or a lawyer."

"Strive for excellence all the time. Be responsible about the kind of work you do and the kind of a social impact it can make."

"Be good to people – the industry is surprisingly small and people remember. Stay humble and true to yourself. And most importantly, be fiercely brave!"

"The arts have always been a part of my life and they are in my blood. This is my God-given calling. I am just walking out my purpose and my calling in life."

"I’ve always had a very deep passion for social justice and social justice issues, being a black child born under apartheid in the 1980’s. That had a very deep impact on me and my heart. That passion was always also inside of me and I’ve also felt very passionate about empowering young people especially from under privileged backgrounds in particularly in my community through education and the performing arts."

"Actors need to really master the art of compassion and of non-judgement and in order to do that you have to have a very broad and diverse experience of the world."

"I have always been hungry for education and information and just really keen to understand the world better and I am really just fascinated by different people and different cultures and histories."

"I’ve always been very clear that I don’t want fame and fortune. I want diversity and longevity in my career and to really do work that makes a really meaningful impact on the world."

"As a Black actor, I have to do my job just like everybody else in the room, but half of the energy that should be spent focusing on excelling in my craft has to go elsewhere. I have the added burden of constantly having to fight with writers, directors, or producers to fix a racist script or to keep my character from being portrayed in a way that perpetuates age-old, racist stereotypes."

"I have to explain why certain terms are racially offensive. And then there are the humiliating fights over why I deserve to have a hairstylist who understands my hair texture because White stylists are damaging my hair or don’t know how to work with it. The same goes for makeup artists. They may be obviously painting my face the wrong color, but then they’ll get irritated and defensive when I point this out, telling me to bring my own foundation and powder because they did not care to invest in a broader range of makeup that would cater to actors of all shades"

"Or how about when they hire a White stunt double to do your stunts, whom they put in blackface? And then when you report these things to the higher-ups, you’re often met with arrogance and dismissal. There’s this attitude that you’re hypersensitive or just causing trouble and being an inconvenience. You’ll be told that no one else has a problem with the hair and makeup stylists."

"You are constantly having to defend why you are standing up for yourself when you are the victim."

"We are no longer asking for things to change, to be more just and equitable."

"As artists and storytellers, our work is to reflect humanity back to itself and to steer people’s aspirations. We are the doctors of the human soul. We are healers and educators."

"I grew up knowing that the straighter or gladder (smoother) your hair was, the better. I didn’t really know much else because that was just the general ‘coloured’ idea, I didn’t ever really question it. Every hair salon, everybody else who looked like me had that straight hair so I just assumed growing up that it was ‘natural’, not realising that everybody was probably also doing the relaxer/ straightener thing to get it."

"I decided I wasn’t going to conform anymore and have my self-worth defined by straight hair."

"One of the best things is that I never had any pressure from family to re-conform to the straightness."

"I think it’s a fantastic revival of what the 70’s and 80’s did for natural hair. It’s a difficult transition to make though because I see how hair politics really permeates my fellow women of colour – so many think they would look ugly, suddenly appear stupid or be less sought-after without the weave, without the bi-weekly salon trips, without the ghd."

"Let us speak up and out against our perpetrators. No matter how small that action may seem to others. No matter how long ago it happened. Keeping quiet only protects them and leaves us drowning in pain"

"There’s no such thing as a free meal, meaning you have to work hard and smart for everything you want in life. Nothing comes easy, and if something doesn’t work out the first time doesn’t mean you have to abandon it."

"Surround yourself with people who want the best for you and who can help you see your goals at a different perspective. Have a good support system around you because we all need that."

"You must be able to take constructive criticism and avoid having people who inflate your ego only"

"The nve of the collection is about accentuating the femininity of a woman, because if a woman looks good they feel good, and it radiates where she goes."

"I have learned, from my experience that being an entrepreneur is about failing. But it’s a necessary experience that gives invaluable lessons. It’s also important to have a good support system around you because failing can be demotivating. Every failure is a contributing factor to what you need to learn, no matter what you are aspiring to achieve."

"Focusing on achieving one aspect of your life without giving attention to other areas is not a healthy way to be successful, if one finds balance, they find success"

"I don’t think success is a final destination. For me, success is about balance. It’s a challenge that I face because as a career-oriented woman whose married and has other caps to wear is quite hard"

"I also assumed that everyone is nice and although there are genuine people, not everyone is what you think they are. Meaning, I had to learn to work with different people the best way I know how, without losing who I am"

"I had to develop a thick skin because being rejected after numerous auditions is difficult. I learned that you can’t get every role, not because there’s something wrong with you but because you are not what casting agents are looking for pertaining the role"

"I am glad I have my educational background and there came a point where I had to choose between my articles in charted accounting or entertainment, and I chose the latter and, as they say, the rest is history."

"When I was younger I didn’t have the guts to pursue my passion, I thought I had to have a stable career since entertainment is mainly on a freelance basis."

"It is so clear that so many people are oblivious to the effects of drugs, black tax, abuse, GBV, sibling rivalry in our communities. Or they choose to behave like that here on the socials"

"So desperate to make this work as back home I had another story… he knew. He would park outside work the whole day and wait for me. I made excuses. And I tried to understand and help. I was desperate not to be rough"

"By the time I escaped in January 2022, my cards were no longer mine. Outside, he was a gentleman. Opening doors etc, and back home, he had cleaned out my Nedbank accounts. Leaving me in 200k debt, which I only discovered after leaving him. I left him two properties"

"This is my child’s father. Samphiwa, who has not seen or met her. I got a protection order against him. If anything ever happens to me, never let him take her. He would repeatedly beat me up, starve and lock me up at yide ufe ndizokonwaba [die so that I can be happy]"

"I want to see more children, not only reading books, but being able to turn the books into plays and writing their own books because I think children would enjoy reading books that are written by their own peers"

"With the book club, I wanted children to be inspired more because children are reserved and they cannot express themselves. That is why you find children being abused, but they don’t tell anyone about it because they cannot express themselves"

"I realised that children nowadays don’t read because they enjoy it, they read because their teachers or parents tell them to. I want to change that. Through reading, the children are stimulated and their minds are broadened because reading inspires you and takes you places"

"I have a mother who is very passionate about the arts and she has always been very supportive of my craft. I believe parents should support their children but the most important thing is that as a child you need to work at making your parents understand your craft. Convince them that this is not just entertainment, but is like any other career. Your parents will take it seriously if they see you take it seriously"

"I embrace my emotions, weaknesses and strengths. I love being a woman"

"I love that I am liberated and have the freedom to be a phenomenal woman because of the strides they took"

"I love that I draw my strength from the strong women who fought against oppression and marched in 1956"

"Today, I am a fearless and driven artist because I was always surrounded by like-minded people"

"From an early age, I learnt to have courage after seeing my community protesting and fighting against apartheid."

"I am everything that my heart desires to be. I am a woman, an artist, a lover of life and most importantly, a woman living a purposeful life. I am thankful for the gift of life and the chance to do what I love"

"It’s always been my goal and vision to take South African food to the world—what an amazing evening & incredible crowd of people to have in one room, definitely one for the books and a very proud moment!"

"Everyone gets to enjoy our cuisine but needs to celebrate it a little more. I hope to introduce the cuisine of my home more by doing residencies and pop-ups like this. The best thing about African cuisine is the people who make it and the stories behind them."

"There are so many different cuisines in the different regions and in every culture of Africa, If you go to Limpopo National Park to see the big five (lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and Cape buffalo) you’ll also find the biggest mangos and avocados you’ve ever seen, which all get exported to the rest of the world."

"People trying to get you to sign contracts so that they can hold you down. I went through a couple of songs where I didn’t get any money from them. Jobe is one of those."