By Zuko Komisa
US actress Amandla Stenberg has taken time to respond to the criticism South Africans had been posting about her recently on social media.
The celebrity was criticized for how she was mispronouncing her Xhosa name on social media.
Contrary to people’s assumption that she is South African, Stenberg has no roots in Mzansi.
She was born in Los Angeles, California, on October 23, 1998. Her mother, Karen Brailsford, is African-American, and her father, Tom Stenberg, is Danish.
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Stenberg demonstrated that she could pronounce her name in the “proper” manner, but she also explained why she occasionally decided to do so.
“Okay, so I am coming on here because I’ve seen a lot of people talking about my name and how I pronounce it, and I want to get in the discourse because I’ve been thinking about these things a lot too.”
“A lot of Westerners and Europeans say: ‘Oh your parents took ‘Amanda’ and slipped and ‘l’ in there.’
“No, girl, bye, no, it is ‘Amandla’ as in ‘Amandla Awethu’, which means ‘power to the people’ in Zulu and Xhosa, and this was an understanding that I grew up with, that this had significant weight in history… that it was a rallying cry that was utilised during the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa.”
“I am still struggling, figuring out how to introduce myself you know, so, yo, South Africans, if you are willing then let’s have a dialogue please, I welcome it and I am grateful for it. Thank you.” said Stenberg
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She took to Tik Tok to give clarity to South Africans about her name.
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE:
@amandlafr ♬ original sound – amandla stenberg
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