Xabiswa Sutukazi Ndodana – nicknamed Xabi to her friends and Manono to her mom – is 21 years old and comes from Kimberly. Her major for this year is screen acting, with a minor in stage acting.
UNIVERSITY BURSARY
Xabi’s motivation for studying at AFDA all began in Grade 10. ‘AFDA visited my school on Career’s Day,’ Xabi tells me. ‘I had been studying drama, and entertainment came naturally to me.’ Fast forward to the end of matric: Xabi was the only student at her school who was sponsored to study at any university of her choice. ‘That is when I knew that my love for performance would take off at AFDA.’
Studying screen and stage acting at AFDA GQ has been a complete 180 turnaround for Xabi. Growing up in Kimberley, she lived on an army-controlled base homestead. She often felt secluded, as it was a different way of life far from the city. ‘I appreciate the dedication that the AFDA lecturers offer to the students, as well as the closeness of the Gqeberha campus (considering that it is the smallest). You are not just a student number, but rather a talent that is molded and guided by determined supervisors,’ Xabi says.
BEAUTY & DREADLOCKS
‘In the South African entertainment/film industry, there are still plenty of stereotypes surrounding girls with dreadlocks,’ Xabi tells me. ‘I want to be the fresh face that brings emotions out of and captures an audience.’ She loves to perform and would love to do as much of that one day.
Xabi’s favourite actress is Halle Berry. ‘I fell in love with her performance in the film ‘Catwoman’ and realized that her physical abilities create a lot of range for her in terms of genres.’ Xabi would also love to utilize my physical abilities to showcase the range of a performer in just one movie.
She explains that she would also be delighted to play the character of someone who is incarcerated. ‘I am intrigued by the complexities of someone who has been jailed because it means that they have experienced a lot in their lifetime to eventually lead them to such an unfortunate place.’
MULTIPLE TALENTS
If Xabi didn’t have to work one day, she would dance all the time. ‘It is one of my favourite forms of creative expression and also identifies as performance,’ she explains. ‘It genuinely makes me happy.’
Playing instruments is a hobby that she would still like to pick up. ‘Currently, my voice is my instrument, but I would love to play a physical one.’ Xabi is deeply inspired by her little sister who started playing the violin at the age of six.
Xabi also loves to journal. ‘I recently fell in love with it because it allowed me to express myself in MY words and MY perspective, allowing me to validate my feelings.’ She also says that she did not always take the time to acknowledge any hurt that she previously experienced. Journalling now helps her recognize and validate those feelings without any judgment or pressure.
RESEARCH QUESTION
Xabi’s research question for her Honours thesis this year focuses on the following:
The independent creation of opportunity by a performance graduate utilizing the new age media technologies (social media platforms)
‘I was greatly intrigued by the sudden fame accumulated by ‘Tyla”, our very own international superstar, and how she utilized Tik Tok and YouTube to build a fan base,’ Xabi says. Her main focus is to differentiate between a performance graduate’s ways of attracting a market, versus anybody else, in efforts to create a personal brand that culminates their career.
RANDOM QUESTIONS
I ask Xabi a series of random questions to get to know her better. What was the last time she tried something new? ‘Two months ago; I don’t and have never really enjoyed cookies or biscuits, but I tried them out without judgment and found that I do enjoy them.’
Does she think a single moment has the power to change the world? ‘Absolutely. A moment in time can be significant to someone who is a catalyst for being a change in the world, or rather making people aware of change that needs to come.’
How does she determine right versus wrong? ‘When it is right, it feels easy. When it’s wrong, it weighs heavily on the heart.’
Whenever Xabi walks into a room, she draws attention. She is stunning and turns heads wherever she goes. She carries herself with poise and grace and articulates her words clearly. Xabi’s full name has a beautiful meaning: Xabiswa means ‘precious’ and Sutukazi means ‘woman’. This is a beautiful and perfect summary of who she is as a young woman with a bright future.
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Last year, Xabi had the leading role in the short film, Altered, a horror film made by 3rd year students at AFDA GQ. Watch the trailer:
