British actor Gugu Mbatha-Raw, known for her roles in Belle, Beyond the Lights, Black Mirror, The Morning Show and more recently, Misbehaviour, has also been an advocate for the rights of refugee women, working as a High-Profile Supporter for the UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, since 2018. Speaking at the 6th FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Leading Women Summit on March 9, the brand-new Goodwill Ambassador of UNCHR, spoke about her work that includes touching the lives of the 35 million displaced people in Africa. She also spoke about her African roots.
“My dad is from South Africa and many of my family have been impacted by the legacy of apartheid and displaced, so for me, there were personal resonances to understanding what it means to flee your home or not feel welcome or free in your home. With Covid-19 and climate change, the world is dealing with huge shifts and refugees really are the most vulnerable. It’s about humanizing their stories.”
To a question on what attracts Mbatha-Raw to strong, powerful leads, and in life too, how she has found the courage to break stereotypes and rules, she said: “I have been fortunate to have ample opportunities… when you have more opportunities, you interrogate more what you are actually saying with the work you are putting out… I feel like with acting, for it to feel worthwhile, it’s always more fulfilling if I am contributing something to society or uplifting or empowering people in some way.”
Mbatha-Raw has visited camps in Africa home to Burundian and Congolese refugees. In Uganda, she spent time with refugee women who survived conflict-related sexual violence.
Last year, she also expressed herself through art during the lockdown, painting powerful portraits of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.
She also reveals more in this virtual interview with Renuka Methil, about her upcoming role in Loki, part of the Marvel universe. “We have been able to finish the show and I think it is coming out in May. Also, I am about to start filming a book, an adaptation of The Girl Before, in the UK.”
She said she will continue to travel to Africa in her work as a UNHCR goodwill ambassador.
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