Nelisiwe Sibiya on playing a villain

Actress and self-proclaimed cultural advocate Nelisiwe Sibiya says it’s refreshing to see brands embrace and uplift African heritage, especially at a time when younger generations are growing increasingly distant from traditional values.

TshisaLIVE caught up with the Ithonga star at Sunday’s Castle Milk Stout Songs To Savour event at the Wits Origins Centre in Johannesburg. The celebration of African identity through music and storytelling was headlined by Zoe Modiga, Culoe De Song, Mbuso Khoza and Yanga Chief with cultural curator Scoop Makhathini as host.

Speaking about the importance of such initiatives, Nelisiwe said the event resonated deeply with her. “Everyone knows I’m a cultural advocate. It’s a breath of fresh air knowing there are brands that empower and embrace our cultural beliefs,” she said.

“There’s a huge gap between the old generation and the new generation when it comes to embracing our culture, so seeing this kind of platform is inspiring.”

Known for her breakout role as Dr Mbali on Durban Gen, and more recently on Scandal! and Mzansi Magic’s mystical drama Ithonga, Nelisiwe is flexing new muscles in her acting career by playing her first villain as Zama Ntanzi. “The reception has been amazing, but the character I’m playing is a villain and it’s my first time doing that. It’s been hard because abantu bayangizonda [people hate me],” she laughed. “They think what I’m doing on TV is who I am in real life. As artists we grow, and this is all part of the journey.” —Times