Africa-Press – Eswatini. Tomorrow is a much anticipated day for many and it will, without a doubt, be considered a day of joy and excitement for many.
This period is sometimes marked by an excessive celebration of consumerism, fictional characters such as Santa Claus (also known as Father Christmas in these parts of the world), and also the thrilling task of giving gifts to loved ones.
On television screens as well as big screens, Christmas movies pumped out by Hollywood are rife. These movies place heightened emphasis on the ‘white and snowy Christmas’ that portrays a magical and ethereal world. Sleighs, flying deers, and magical elves play a great role in instilling the sense that Christmas is an ‘otherworldly’ time which offers one a brief window of escape from the mundane and repetitive normal life.
For others, however, this period accentuates scars that they would prefer hidden. These scars may be emotional, psychological or even financial scars that make Christmas difficult – if not impossible – to enjoy.
The truth of the matter is that not everybody will be experiencing this day the same way. Christmas, with its complicated history, has been celebrated differently in different parts of African society for as long as it has been introduced to us. In some families, feasts and drinks are the norm – whilst others consciously choose to avoid the festivities in their entirety.
For Didie Mxengu, a young actress with a big heart, the festive season is the perfect time to focus on giving back to those who are less fortunate. The actress states that seeing other children suffer with hunger instilled in her a generous and gifting heart – one that inspired a deep desire to help the poor and the downtrodden.
As a result, the young actress has been an advocate for helping those less fortunate and for donating to those in need during this season. She reminisces on her upbringing and how it created in her a sense of compassion and empathy for those less fortunate.
“I grew up in the rural areas, so I know the struggle of hunger. I wouldn’t say that we were poor at home – but seeing other children who were in need really touched me. And I’ve always loved giving – hence, I made it a point to always help the poor.
The dream is too big and with God by my side I’ll go an extra mile in helping the less privileged,” she says.
She further elaborates that the festive season, for her, was a time to spend with the less privileged in often neglected places in the country.
This year, however, offered a different prospect for her as she will be spending her Christmas at home. Usually, she receives donations around this time – but with this season, she was unfortunately unable to receive the usual aid.
“This festive season means family time to me – and personally, I prefer spending it with the less privileged in the outskirts of the country. This year, I’ll be home and I can’t go out there because I wasn’t able to get donations so that I can do Christmas parties as usual,” she states.
Didie shares her hopes for the future regarding her philanthropy work. She states that, for the following year, she was hoping to get her foundations back on their feet. For her personal growth, however, she stated that she would love to get more gigs and opportunities. Regarding the latter, the artist has had a fruitful year in her acting career.
She reached certain milestones such as signing under a South African agency and she equally reached impressive numbers on social media platforms such as Tik Tok for her work with poet and actor, Christian Maz.
“I am definitely looking forward to God doing the most and myself working hard to get more gigs. And as a philanthropist, next year I have to get ‘Saving A Girl Child’ and ‘Skip Lunch Fight Hunger’ back on their feet as I believe then I’ll be able to sponsor the foundations,” she says.
Didie maintains that, for her, helping the less privileged in this time does not require a lot of effort. She dispels the misconception that, in order to be considered helpful, one had to give from a place of excessive wealth.
Instead, she argues that even buying ‘mealie meal’ for those less fortunate would go a long way. She added a message of encouragement to the nation at large to give the little that they had and were able to.
“Personally, I think even if it is a matter of purchasing a mealie meal package, it can really go a long way – trust me. I plead with the nation that, the little that they have – they must not forget their neighbours who may not be as privileged. It is painful to visit the elderly and see their struggles,” she says.
Despite her charitable work shining the most during Christmas, the artist states that it was not solely reserved for the Christmas season. Indeed, throughout the year, the young actress has been seen helping those who are less fortunate and donating whatever they need. Donating the likes of sanitary pads as well as food for the elderly, she has proven her concern for those in need of aid.
She highlights that the main drive behind the ambitions she has is to one day build an orphanage and to create an environment where the less fortunate always have someone they can look up to.
“I don’t do it only on Christmas. So, my dream is to have an orphanage where I can be able to shelter everyone and bring those in need together – even on Christmas. This would be so that they celebrate together and be happy. And it is a wish that they have someone that they will know is their provider at all times,” she says.
As previously mentioned, the year has been filled with various highlights and accomplishments for the actor. Apart from being signed to an Acting Agency, Didie Mxengu celebrates her completion of university.
The actor previously disclosed to this publication that she was signed by Mehlareng Actors and Performers Agency in June. She also previously highlighted that she got this opportunity after the casting agent saw her viral video with Christian Maz on Tik Tok. With this accomplishment, she stated her hopes and dreams for how it would positively influence her career. She expressed a hope to get more acting roles in the future.
“My highlight this year was definitely getting myself signed under an agent and it really meant a lot to me. I completed varsity – hence I’m waiting for graduation,” she says.
This year’s festive season, though, has proved particularly difficult for the young actress in sourcing funds for donations. Usually, she receives donations from the public and only after that does she take those donations and give to those less fortunate. She reflects on this difficulty but maintains hope that the following year will be much better in rewarding her.
“This year has really been one my hardest years, honestly less donations but then I want to believe God will provide next year and the coming years,” she maintains. By Ntsika Ngcamphalala
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