Nomzamo Mbatha as Mirembe in Coming 2 America.
Nomzamo Mbatha first international movie appearance on the sequel to Coming to America has received wide praise but the movie reviews were mixed.
The star actress who moved to America to further her acting career, made her international debut on screen as Mirembe, a barber in the fictional country Zamunda which is still heavily patriarchal.
Coming 2 America premiered on Amazon and in selected theatres last Friday.
Mbatha acts alongside a star-studded cast that includes Eddie Murphy, John Amos, Wesley Snipes, Leslie Jones and Garcelle Beauvais.
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We unpack the reactions to Coming 2 America, Nomzamo’s big interview and an old tweet resurfaces.
The movie follows the same winning formula it did more than 30 years. Some of the audience enjoyed this slapstick comedy, a play on African stereotypes and surprising guests. Others thought it was dated, offensive in the climate of 2021, African accents that did not make sense and dance cameos for every scene were not appreciated.
The actress recently had a big interview on American talk show The Real hosted by Jeannie Mae, Loni Love, Adrienne Houghton and co-star Beauvais.
What took centre stage was her activism for young women and girls. Nomzamo said her passion for humanitarian work started at a young age as she was not afforded a privileged upbringing or a “good education”.
She wants to continue to advocate for women in refugee camps through her partnership with the UN as Goodwill Ambassador since January 2019.
In the past, controversial poet Ntsiki criticised the actress for her “lack of activism”, saying, “Nomzamo keeps being positioned as an activist when? When has she ever represented anything beyond her looks?”
Nomzamo Mbatha as Mirembe in Coming 2 America.
Twitter couldn’t help but bring up this comment from 2018.
The poet claimed that it was an insult to activists who “selflessly” committed themselves to making a difference.
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