Findley is the keynote speaker at this year's FAME Week Africa.
After growing up inspired by the South African film Sarafina! US actress Edwina Findley can’t wait to experience the country.
“I remember when I was, maybe eight years old, and all I was obsessed with was Sarafina!” Findley tells The Citizen, adding how she was also obsessed with singing the title song, which was written and performed by Hugh Masekela.
ALSO READ: Why Sarafina’s soundtrack could be just better than the actual film
Findley, the Sarafina! fanatic
“I mean, I watched it over and over, over and over again. It was something so beautiful to me as a child, to see artistic expression bursting forth from the motherland.”
“I’m just remembering this as we’re talking. I remember being in my mom’s living room and just singing it over and over and doing the dances, and then it became a theatrical performance, and I remember going to see it, I think I was in high school at that point…and going to see it on stage. Oh, and then I had the soundtrack…it was like so seared in my bone.”
Findley says she has used the Sarafina! soundtrack to prepare for some of the roles she’s played in her career.
“As I’ve prepared for roles in film and television, I tend to create soundtracks for my characters, and that soundtrack I have used for multiple characters that I’ve played in film and television. That’s how deep it was for me, and I’ve always had this strong vision and desire to perform in Africa — that still hasn’t happened yet.”
For two decades, Findley has captivated audiences worldwide, from her breakout role as Tosha Mitchell in The Wire to starring in Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey’s If Loving You Is Wrong.
Her most recent work includes portraying Sheila Cannon in the Netflix series The Residence.
Findley spoke to The Citizen ahead of her trip to South Africa, where she’ll be the keynote speaker at this year’s FAME Africa Week.
This will be her first time in South Africa, and she says she’s heard great things about the country from friends and family who have visited.
“My dear, beautiful friend Viola Davis has been filming there quite a bit recently, and so she’s been giving me all the run-downs of how wonderful South Africa is and how beautiful it is.”
Part of her itinerary includes safari drives and going to the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.
ALSO READ: Sarafina! becomes first SA film to return to Cannes Film Festival after 30 years
FAME Africa Week
Hosted in Cape Town, FAME Africa Week is one of Africa’s biggest film, television, music and TV industry events.
The gathering provides creatives with a platform to bring their ingrained talent, their stories, and their culture to the forefront.
“I’m just so excited about the fact that there are artists and creatives coming from different parts of the continent and the world to celebrate their artistry, to pursue their dreams, to explore their passions and to become more informed about the entertainment industry, locally and globally,” Findley says in excitement.
“It’s so wonderful that the FAME organisation has decided to host people from various countries and have these diverse voices that other artists can glean from and learn from.”
US actor and comedian Steve Harvey was last year’s keynote speaker.
“She inspires with her craft, uplifts through her words and leads with her heart—exactly the kind of energy and insight we want to share with our audience,” says FAME Week Africa’s Portfolio Director, Martin Hiller.
“Her presence promises to be a highlight of the week, delivering an unforgettable blend of inspiration, storytelling and practical wisdom for industry professionals and dreamers alike”.
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Findley the author
Findley recently released a faith-centred self-help book, The World Is Waiting for You: Embrace Your Calling and Manifest the God Dream Over Your Life.
“I am a person of faith, and I receive a lot of prophecies, and for the last few years, I received this prophecy consistently: ‘God’s calling you to write a book’ and so then it became a prayer: ‘Hey Lord, what would you like for me to write about specifically?’” shared Findley.
She said she understood the direction she should head towards while attending Oprah’s Life In Focus tour in 2020, which is a motivational speaking tour by the media mogul.
“While I was at the conference, she was talking about manifesting your dream, and she was also talking about how to change the world. And then there was a point where from the stage, she looked out at me and said ‘isn’t that right Edwina’” shares the actress.
Findley says one of Oprah’s staff members came to her after the conference to ask about how she manages to manifest specific things in her life.
“My answer to her was very simple, I said, ‘Oh, it’s God’. But she said ‘what do you do’ like she really wanted more information and I realised that a lot of people are looking to manifest dreams and there’s all these different methodologies and mine’s a little different.”
The book is described as a faith-filled, laugh-out-loud guide for manifesting your “God Dream” and creating the life you’ve always envisioned.
Her friend and mentor, renowned actress Davis, wrote the foreword in the book.
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