There are eight African actresses vying for the 2019 AMAA award for leading actress. This category of the African Movies Academy Award is an exciting one and regardless of who wins, we have a reason to celebrate these eight women. Let’s take a look at each of the nominees, some of which are new and some old to the big screen.
Sheila Munyiva
- Movie: ‘Rafiki’
- Role: Ziki
- Country: Kenya
Sheila Munyiva was partly raised both in London and Nairobi and had visions of being a news anchor. While she was in higher institution studying Mass Communication, she visited a film set with a friend and what she saw sparked her interest in filming. She immediately changed course at school and first went into film production. So, she has mostly been behind the scenes until her role in ‘Rafiki’. Her character is a young lesbian woman whose sexual life is illegal and could land her in jail. We did not see Munyiva or any other actresses from ‘Rafiki’ competing in this category considering that the movie was forbidden from screening in most African nations including its country of origin Kenya. Munyiva has also expressed her support for same-sex relationships and has proven that she possesses a true cinematic presence.
