I follow Mili Bongela’s blog, Miss Milli World, and last week she posted that she would be on a new CNN documentary, The Millenials.
I watched the video clip this morning, and I felt a little more confident about having listed Mili Bongela as the person who inspires when I was completing a questionnaire a few days ago.
Though it may not be clear from the interview she did here, what I love is that she has the confidence to own her opinions and ideas (and dreams), and that she is taking all the opportunities that come her way- in business, in fashion, and in journalism- and making the most of them. This up-and-comer has arrived.
When I dream of what I’ll be When I Grow Up, I am her- but in another life. For a long time I was Khwezi Magwaza, and sometimes I am Janine Jellars… Inspiring women who have made it in media.
I also remember hearing about Khanyi Dhlomo from an early age: she was the editor of True Love- a magazine my mother was obsessed with for a little while when I was younger, and she was also the first person whose “celebrity hairstyle” I wanted to copy after seeing her do a cute cropped cut long before Rihanna had even released Pon De Replay.
I keep saying “…one day” when I think of all the education these women have immersed themselves in, how they’ve used it to build their careers, and how their passion and drive has taken them all over the world.
I’m trying to figure out how to make “one day” into “right now”, and it’s taking a lot longer than I’d like. Where is Stefan Urquelle with his transformation chamber when I need him?
Nkhensani Manabe 