December 2021 Covergirl: Actress Siphesihle Nbada
Siphesihle (CeeCee) Ndaba is an established actress, voiceover artist, theater director, and, most importantly, storyteller. In addition to a BSS in Psychology, Economics, and Drama and an Honours Degree in Dramatic Arts, CeeCee is qualified at the Grade 6 Theory and Grade 5 Practical levels of the Royal School of Music (ABRSM) exams, all of which bring power and perspective to her storytelling.
CeeCee has starred in numerous theater productions, even writing and directing her own theater play production, “Skinned,” which was shown at the 2018 National Arts Festival. In 2020, CeeCee was cast to play the role of Mazet on Mzansi Magic’s telenovela, “Gomora,” which attracts 2.3 million viewers every day.
Creating and stimulating social discourse is at the heart of CeeCee’s storytelling. “Storytelling is a means of expression. It’s a means of stimulating socio-political discourse. It also acts as a means of amplifying marginalised voices.”
CeeCee was inspired to write “Skinned” as a Rhodes University student. As Rhodes students called for change in response to the campus’s rape culture, CeeCee came to the realization that many of her peers could not physically or mentally engage in the protests. CeeCee decided to use theater as a medium in which to give these students a voice, highlighting survivors of sexual assault and engaging each audience with a question and answer session at the end of the play. According to CeeCee, she loves storytelling because “it fashions connections between people, ideas, and cultures.” Her vision behind “Skinned” is to facilitate conversations surrounding safety and mental health on college campuses and the effect it has on academic performance.
Growing up in a musical household, CeeCee’s initial dream was to become a composer… until she auditioned for the school musical in eleventh grade. After discovering a passion for performing, CeeCee pursued drama at Rhodes and continued to receive an honors degree in Physical Theatre and Applied Theatre. CeeCee’s educational background has shaped her into an extremely well rounded artist.
Keep up with CeeCee’s creative journey by following her on Instagram and Twitter @ceecee_ndaba ! You can also get a glimpse into her past roles on her website: www.siphesihlendaba.com.
Tell us about yourself and your career as a storyteller.
I grew up in a musical family; I played in the church band, jazz band and inter schools orchestra. I completed my grade 6 music theory and practicals through ABRSM. I genuinely thought that I would pursue a career in music and, hopefully, end up being a composer. However, when I was in 11th grade, I auditioned for the annual school musical. I was cast as one of the leads. From the moment that I stepped into the first rehearsal, I knew that this would be something I would really enjoy doing, so I auditioned for the school musical the following year as well.
This led me to pursue Drama as one of my majors at Rhodes University.
What does "storytelling" mean to you?
Stories allow us to share information in a way that creates an emotional connection. Storytelling is a means of expression. It’s a means of stimulating socio-political discourse. It also acts as a means of amplifying marginalised voices. Storytelling is a form of healing. I am able to find and heal parts of myself through the characters that I write and play. What I love most about storytelling is that it fashions connections between people, ideas, and cultures.
Tell us about your theater play, "Skinned," and what your process was in creating this play. What message did you want the audience to take from it?
“Skinned” is a theatre play that I wrote and directed in 2018 at the National Arts Festival.
I first started working on the piece during a protest that occurred on Rhodes’ campus, called the #RUReferenceList. This protest was aimed at calling out the rape culture that was perpetuated on the university campus. I realized that there were people who wanted to partake in the conversations but could not “put their bodies on the line” and engage in the protest due to physical and mental health issues.
I wanted to create a space in which active yet amicable discourse could take place between the students and university management to find solutions to the matter.
I later wrote a piece explaining the feelings of survivors as well as the effects of feeling unsafe in learning environments. The play had a question and answer session at the end where people could share their inputs/ thoughts/ concerns and be heard.
Creating this piece was very important to me, as it served as a medium to amplify the voices of those who could not partake in conventional methods of protest.
Conversations regarding safety on university campuses are important; safety and security play an active role in how well people are able perform academically and mentally. No one should have to navigate their university experience through trauma.
What piece of advice would you give your younger self?
Trust yourself. Believe that you deserve to experience good things.
Imposter syndrome does nothing but dampen your productivity and creative expression. You are important. □
