9 beautiful photos of Sarafina actress Leleti Khumalo who's living with vitiligo
- Iconic South African actress Leleti Khumalo became a household name in Ghana courtesy of her role in the movie Sarafina
- Khumalo is living with vitiligo and sensitises the public about the skin condition
- The actress said it took a while to accept herself and credited her husband for his support
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One of the most popular movies in Ghana during the 90s was South Africa's Sarafina highlighting the struggle for freedom during the apartheid.
Source: UGC
The character Sarafina was played by actress Leleti Khumalo, who featured in other renowned films, including Hotel Rwanda and Invictus.
Unknown to many Ghanaians, Khumalo is living with vitiligo.
Speaking about the condition in 2019, the actress who doubles as an MC said she initially desperate for a cure for the condition.
However, as time went by, her attitude changed, and she is out to show people that vitiligo does not change a person.
“So many people with vitiligo are belittled, humiliated and mocked because of their pigmentation. I want to send people the message that this disease doesn’t change who you are as a person,” she said.
YEN.com.gh compiled beautiful photos of Khumalo as she fearlessly flaunts her beautiful skin:
1. Khumalo said some people do not understand the condition, and she tries to engage and inform them about it.
2. Khumalo divulged that some believed her ancestors were punishing her.
I explain to them that my blotchy skin is not as a result of punishment from my ancestors but from an auto-immune disease," she said.
3. Recounting the beginning of the condition, Khumalo said she first noticed signs of vitiligo aged 18 when spots appeared on her upper leg. She shrugged them off as they were not painful.
4. The spots kept growing, and with little information about what the cause might be, she spent hours a day trying to hide them with makeup.
5. Given that appearance is everything in the film industry, Khumalo said she desperately sought a remedy, including using herbs and capsules.
6. However, despite six years of trying to get rid of the spots, they never went away.
7. After delivering triplets in 2012 and sadly losing one of them, Khumalo was thrust into deep despair, which prompted her to rethink her priorities.
8. The actress credited her husband for helping her come to terms with vitiligo.
9. Her hubby's assurance that she is beautiful kept her going.
“At the height of my grief and sadness, I asked my husband if he felt differently about me because I looked so different. He said I was still as beautiful to him as I was the first day he saw me,” she said.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
Nathaniel Crabbe (Human-Interest editor) Nathaniel Crabbe is a journalist and editor with a degree in Journalism from the Ghana Institute of Journalism, where he graduated in 2015. He earned his master's from UPSA in December 2023. Before becoming an editor/writer of political/entertainment and human interest stories at Asaase Radio, Crabbe was a news reporter at TV3 Ghana. With experience spanning over ten years, he now works at YEN.com.gh as a human interest editor. You can reach him via nathaniel.crabbe@yen.com.gh.
Aba Afful (Copyeditor) Maame Aba serves as a copy editor at YEN.com.gh. She naturally enjoys working with words and has an eye for quality content. She has a keen interest in cyberspace and wants to see YEN.com.gh produce more impactful, thought-provoking, and error-free content. Aba has five years of experience as a content writer, blogger, author, and proofreader. She graduated from the Ghana Institute of Journalism in 2017. She joined the team in 2021.
