Africa’s screen and acting first ladies slug it out at AMAA

By reason of the mention they received at the August 3 nomination event of this year’s edition of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), held in Lagos, these sterling actresses- Reine Swart, Okawa Shaznay, Miriam Phiri, Joselyn Dumas, Kate Henshaw and the trio of Nana Ama McBrown, Lydia Forson and Sika Osei have been admitted into the unofficial class of the continent’s leading actresses or acting first ladies. Celebrity salutes these screen queens who are competing for the coveted award of the actress in a leading role in Africa’s notable global reward scheme for filmmakers- AMAA

Reine Swart- Siembamba
BORN in Pretoria, South Africa, Reine Swart is an actress and filmmaker best known for The Lullaby (2018), Die Pro (2015) and Detour (2017).She played the lead in the epic drama, Siembamba, directed by academy-nominated director, Darrell Roodt, which was nominated in several categories of the AMAA this year. Reine has also played in various television series, such as Syfy’s Z Nation (2017) and Dominion (2015), BBC’s Jamillah and Aladdin (2016) and National Geographic’s Origins (2017). She also stars in The Empty Man (2018).

Currently based in the United States (US), Reine, who holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Pretoria, is first cousin of South African convicted athlete, Oscar Pistorius.She recently finished working alongside James Badge Dale in 20th Century Fox’s The Empty Man.

Dakore Egbuson-Akande- Isoken
HAILED and regarded for her craft, Dakore Egbuson-Akande played the titular role, Isoken. Reviews on the movie and her role in the movie have been plausible, as those who have seen it agree that the actress, singer, mother and wife nailed the role. They also agree that she brought class and finesses to the interpretation and was believable. An actress of vast and quality credit, those who have followed Dakore’s career are not surprised at her sharp portrayal, noting that she has always acted with unerring skill and has a way of throwing her whole being into every role she portrays.

A multiple award-winning film and stage actor, television personality, singer and dancer, Dakore, star of hit flicks, such as Emotional Cracks, Lunch Time Heroes, Fifty and Silent Tears, is an ambassador for Amnesty International (AI) and Oxfam of America.

Tunde Aladese- The Lost Café
WRITER and actress, Tunde Aladese, played Ose in Kenneth Gyang’s The Lost Café.The delectable actress showed stuff as the lead act in The Lost Café and it earned her a deserved nomination.Although best known for The Lost Café (2018), Bride of Pedro (2017) and Hello, Rain (2018), all recent screen efforts, Tunde has been working in the Nigerian entertainment industry for over a decade.

Star of Kenneth Gyang’s Confusion Na Wa, Tunde has been working as a professional writer since 2003 and has written several radio and television drama scripts, including being part of the workshop to develop the BBC/DFID radio drama series, Story Story. Her writing credits include The Station, Edge of Paradise, the Amstel Malta Box Office film- The Child, and the musical on stage, Oluronbi. Her performance as Isabella in Confusion Na Wa earned her the Best Supporting Actress win at the Nigerian Entertainment Awards in New York in 2013 and an AMVCA 2015 Best Supporting Actress nomination. Will Tunde grab the AMAA crest for her performance in The Lost Café, a romantic movie produced by Regina Udalor and directed by Kenneth Gyang?

Kate Henshaw- Roti
CLEARLY one precious talent every good director would want to have in his/her hands, the pretty and unpretentiously friendly Kate Henshaw earns a deserved nomination for her role in Kunle Afolayan’s Roti. An award-winning actress, who has walked herself to a level where she gets the sort of adulation that stars in Hollywood get, Kate has won the AMAA’s for leading actress previously. So, this would be double for her, if she gets the AMAA juror’s nod at the award ceremony in Kigali, the Rwandan capital, next month.

A trained microbiologist, acting for the African screen diva began in Lagos in 1993 after a chanced opportunity to audition for a role in a When the sunset. It took that effort for her to develop an unquenchable passion for acting. Soon, producers found her, a ready hand for their offerings.

Today, Kate, an ‘acting aunt’ and a role model to a couple of new entrants, has through dint of hardwork risen to become one of the celebrated actresses in Nollywood with a conservative movie credit estimate of about 100.

Joselyn Dumas- Potato Potahto
GORGEOUS Ghanaian star, Jocelyn Dumas, earns another nomination for her effort in Potato Potahto, the romantic drama with the signature of the adept filmmaker, Shirley Frimpong Manso.The actress, show host and television personality, is one of Ghana’s best- known screen personalities. Beautiful and blessed with a bodacious curves and an iconic hourglass figure, Joselyn was born in Ghana and spent her early childhood in Accra, the capital city. She has her early education in Ghana, but earned a degree in Administrative Law in the US. She returned to Ghana after a brief stint as a Paralegal practitioner to follow her dreams of becoming a television personality and an actress. Joselyn has won a couple of industry awards and has been nominated several times for the AMAA. This would, in fact, be her third major nomination in the leading actress category.
Other NomineesTHE other nominees in the leading actress category are Nana Ama McBrown, Lydia Forson and Sika Osei (Sidechic Gang) and Mariam Phiri (The Road To Sunrise).