IMBEWU actress Leleti Khumalo has encouraged women in the arts and entertainment industry to fight on their chosen journey.
She was delivering a virtual masterclass called Women In Art Masterclass with Leleti Khumalo.
It was hosted by KZN Department of Arts and Culture and was broadcast from The Durban Playhouse on Monday, 16 August.
She was answering a question from an aspiring artist about favouritism and inequality in the acting industry.
Leleti said: “In the industry, there are internal politics and you wouldn’t want to be involved in those politics. The reality is that people are not treated the same and we can’t run away from that. Sometimes it’s about who you are, what are you bringing to the production.
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“The industry needs to be fixed but in the same breath, we must remember that we are not equal to men. Our fight is about us, as women. We’re not fighting to be equal to men. Even our creation is not the same. There’s a head and the neck. I don’t even want to entertain the subject of 50-50, because I don’t believe in that.”
She said even in her household, everybody knew there’s a man of the house and then there’s her.
“The idea of a woman being equal to a man will never happen in this lifetime. As a woman you must know and stick to your lane.”
She also said that in the acting industry, men were always getting better opportunities.
“As women, we are also talented but there’s never been fairness. So if you choose your journey, you must fight and it has got nothing to do with your talent. Few men will hold your hand and guide you. Some men will offer to guide you, yet they have a hidden agenda and that makes me emotional,” she said.
She urged women not to use sex to get into the industry.
