Doing this profile interview is one of the things I could have only dreamt of having followed Weza Solange's work since Big Brother Africa days all the way to her acting career debut in one of Mzansi’s first telenovelas, Inkaba. She is an Angolan television personality and producer, emcee and actress who’s successfully and effortlessly made a home in Mzansi thanks to her unique talents, beauty and noticeable exotic accent that brought freshness to our small screens.
ZAlebs caught up with the star for a short interview about her recent PRISM Award win, and what it means for herself. She also spoke about the inclusivity in the South African entertainment space, her takes on the entertainment media landscape in Africa, being an economic force within the continent and hinted at new and exciting projects she is bringing to Mzansi.
The multi-faceted media personality was recently awarded the 2022 Presidential Prism Award for BEST TV PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR at the PRISA PRISM AWARDS at THE VENUE in Melrose Arch last weekend - her first big win and recognition in 13 years. Some of the other big names in the local entertainment industry that scooped awards include entrepreneur and verified hustler DJ SBU, radio and television mogul Proverb and singer Donald.
“It has been an honour winning the Prism award although I never do what I do for recognition, but it feels rewarding when people and industry greats recognise the effort you put into your work and celebrate it,” Weza told ZAlebs.
Weza whose full name is Weza Solange Canchica Dasilva boasts a 13-year-long media industry career longevity and success and this is her first award in Mzansi. She landed her first TV break as a presenter in 2009, on Africa’s biggest Music Channel, Channel 0. Soon after the success of her bilingual TV show ‘Top Mais’ and her participation as a housemate in Big Brother Africa, she became one of the most sought-out faces all over Africa.
Her first acting debut was in 2011 in South Africa’s FIRST Telenovela, ‘INKABA’, where she had the opportunity to co-star alongside industry greats such as John Kani, Robert Hobbs, and Charmaine Mtinta to name a few. She has been previously nominated for Broadcaster of the year at the Nigerian Merits Awards.Proverb, Weza and Donald at PRSM Awards (Supplied by Weza Solange)
About Prisa Prism Awards
PRISMs are Africa’s most sought after public relations and communication awards and are judged by over 67 judges alongside 10 dynamic young judges, as part of the PRISMs Young Voices initiative. The PRISMs are awarded to individuals, students, consultancies, companies, government organisations and NGOs that have successfully fused strategy with creativity and professionalism to achieve the best communications and business objectives in their public relations campaigns.
On The African Entertainment Media Landscape
Weza who considers herself an African influencer in both entertainment and the economy believes that the government and politics are not doing enough to help Africans tackle daily social issues, she furthermore challenges African leaders to focus on human-faced issues. She believes, however, that the local entertainment industry has grown more inclusive over the years.
“A while ago you would watch a South African show and only see South African cast members or presenters but now that has changed, there’s talent from other African countries and you can see the industry is doing better in inclusivity,” exclaimed the actress.
She aslo mentioned that she draws inspiration from many other entertainers in the industry but particularly South African comedienne Celeste Ntuli. Weza admits that Ntuli’s tongue-in-cheek wit is what makes her admirable, as well as her ability to address hard-hitting issues without beating around the bush and while maintaining humour and lightheartedness.
