Entertainment

We shouldn’t work for the white man’s benefit anymore: Thishiwe Ziqubu

“I’ve been working in this industry for 12 years now and there are a lot of people that I started with back then and we are all still employees of these white producers, that has to change. We need to break free. We shouldn’t work for the white man’s benefit anymore. It’s 2018, we shouldn’t have the same problems that our parents had.

And, until we own the content, we are not true storytellers, we just making someone else money.” After being in the entertainment industry for over ten years Thishiwe Ziqubu had a burning desire to own the stories that were told in productions.

Thishiwe Ziqubu

And her dream became a reality when the Emoyeni series, Nsanguluko, aired for the first time last week. Thishiwe said making Emoyeni brought her immense joy because despite all the challenges she faced the lessons were worth it.

“We didn’t make any money off of this project… I probably spent more than I made even but because it had my name there, it satisfied me. It is mine and that is a great feeling. For the first time, I saw everything myself, the budget and the money spent.”

As an actress, Thishiwe has impressed Mzansi in all the roles she’s brought to life. The actress said she would never leave acting and being in front of the camera as it was a part of her bigger purpose.

At the core of her purpose in life, is telling stories. Whether she is in front or behind the lens, she feels it’s about time it happens without limits.

“It’s been a lifelong dream for me to write and produce, long before I even understood what it really meant. I always knew I was a storyteller in that way. I think it’s really important for black filmmakers and particularly black, female filmmakers to be independent and create their own content. Content that they own. ”