Boitumelo “Boity” Thulo’s Youth Village Interview

In the interview “Boity”(21) tells us more about her modelling and TV career, her achievements, future aspirations and what being a young woman in modern South Africa means to her.

YV: Who is Boitumelo ‘Boity’ Thulo?

 

Boity: Boity is a young, ambitious, God-fearing, extremely loving lady who understands her worth and knows exactly where she is going. A faithful believer and a legend in the making.

 

YV:How did your love for Modelling and TV come about?

 

Boity: Since I was probably 5 years of age I would daydream about being on TV from an extremely young age. I am so blessed that I have been able to hold on to this dream for THIS long and have it happen faster than my wildest, most faithful thoughts could have ever imagined. As for modelling – that seemed to have come with the package of dreams coming true. Every girl…or rather most, dream of one day gracing the pages of magazines and being portrayed as a goddess. Hehehe! It all seems to be coming together perfectly.

 

YV: Did you face any difficulties when getting into the Entertainment industry?

 

Boity:I wouldn’t call them difficulties. Or at least I didn’t see them in that way. By the grace of God, my first casting ever was the beginning of it all for me. I auditioned for the very first time for an advert I was certain I wouldn’t get and when I got the call that I got the ad, that opened doors to amazing opportunities that till this day are flooding in because of that very ad. So I haven’t had any difficulties thus far BUT I have experienced the power of rejection of which I appreciate more than anything. It makes me want it even more. I always say that it is very unsafe travelling through life without ever having experienced the power of ‘NO’, the power of a closed door & the power of rejection. It all carves you into something stronger than those who have only ever gone breezed through a life of ‘yes’.

 

YV: What are some of the challenges you face in the Entertainment industry?

 

Boity:Unfortunately, it doesn’t get any easier. But the harder it gets, the more worthy it is. The toughest part has been having to pretend to be much stronger than you are, to act tougher by the day and to basically just pretend that you’re not human – all this invoked by the hate that you receive from strangers who refuse to grasp the concept that you too are human & that their words cause more harm than they think. But you know, as they say “it’s the life we chose”. And from time to time, there is the intense pressure of having to prove yourself worthy of your own dream. It’s a tough, weird & creepy concept but yeah. *shrugs*. Apart from that – it has. Just been a beautiful journey.

YV: How would you describe your style?

 

Boity:Uhm…gimme a second… I have no idea! I genuinely wear what I feel and look good in. I don’t religiously follow the latest trends. Yes, I will try my hand at one or 2 of the latest trends and even then, I consider it a huge risk. If it’s from 2 seasons ago and still looks amazing on me, I have NO reason not to wear it anymore. So comfortable, a touch of sexy and fun – that’s “my style”. Oh, and colour! love colour! 😀

 

YV: And what makes you unique?

 

Boity:The fact that I am who I am is what makes me unique. There is not another human being who has walked my path, dreamt my dreams, laughed my laugh, loved with my heart or seen the world as I see it – that alone is a legitimate stamp of uniqueness. :Dheheheh!

 

YV: Who is your favourite local and international model and why?

 

Boity:Joelle Kayembe (duh) LOL! That lady is like the perfect combination of what makes for a Goddess. She is humble, annoyingly sweet, smart, ridiculously beautiful, hardworking ÀÑÐ she’s African. What more can I say?

 

And locally it would definitely be the beautiful, flawless, strong, inspiring African lady -LeratoMoloi. She’s the first black woman to become the face of Elizabeth Arden. You genuinely don’t get any better. I love her.

 

YV: The shows you present are very informative and are youth orientated. Do you choose the shows you want to present regarding that fact?

 

Boity:Not necessarily based precisely on being informative, etc but I do stand my ground on the kind of show I know suits my personality and I wouldn’t jeopardise that for the sake of being on a show because I would genuinely end up doing a bad job and ultimately cutting my career in half.

YV: What was the mission of the The Media Career Guide show you ARE presenting? And what did you learn from the experience?

 

Boity:Media Career Guide is an educational show aimed at giving viewers key insight on media careers. My role includes interviewing industry experts on how they got into the media industry, going behind the scenes and providing insightful advice on how to make it in the world of film, television, radio and music industry.

 

Presenting on MCG, I met all kinds of people – from the greats to those who were doing an amazing job at making their dreams come true. I learned about careers that I didn’t know existed and even sparked some interest. I interviewed phenomenal people who are doing what I long to be doing in the industry and I learned a whole lot from speaking to them about the best ways on moving closer to one’s dream and maintaining being on that path. It has been an incredible experience

 

YV: Which one is your favourite between modelling, presenting and acting?

 

Boity:It would definitely be ACTING. That will forever be my first love.

YV: Which career would you have pursued if you were not in the entertainment industry?

 

Boity:Criminal Psychology, a serial killer profiler to be exact. The idea fascinates the sanity out of me. *laughing*

 

YV: What does being a black young woman in this country mean to you?

 

Boity:It means endless opportunities. It means respect. It means having to work the hardest. It means constantly having to prove you are worthy of a lot of things. But all in all – in genuinely just means being one of the most beautiful creations on this earth.

 

YV: Do you think young people are actively involved in youth development?

 

Boity:I’m not too sure. From what I have seen in that regard, I meet more and more responsible young people who are determined and focused. In terms of individual development, I think a lot of the youth is making informed choices on building themselves but I’m not too sure if they are assisting in building one another.

 

YV: Any projects you’re involved with at the moment? If so, tell us about it?

 

Boity:I am currently busy assisting with a non-profit project called “Thusa a girl child” which is basically an initiative to help disadvantaged girls in rural areas who do not have enough money to buy sanitary towels. We go to schools in rural areas and give them a year’s supply of sanitary pads for these girls because most of these girls do not have the money to buy pads and end up missing school or even going as far as having sex for money to buy pads. So yeah, I’m excited about this and I’m very excited about the growth of the project.

 

Apart from that, in terms of my television career, there are a few things in the pipeline which I’m very sure you will hear about soon but I’m not at liberty to talk about it just yet. (I know, party pooper) hahahah.

 

YV: What is your biggest achievement so far?

 

Boity:My biggest achievement thus far is actually having worked my way to being where I am today. Having held on to a dream and worked (still working) to achieve it and believing in my ability to turn the dream into a reality – that has to be my biggest achievement thus far.

 

YV: Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?

 

Boity:LOL! I can never answer these questions. I am not a long term planner but I know where I would like to be in those years to come – A brilliant, international actress with a happy, satisfied heart and enough love to get me through every day.

YV: What do you do for fun?

 

Boity:Hmmmm…. Being in the presence of my best friends ALWAYS gets me in the right mood – no matter what it is that we’re doing and in any case we’re always bound to do something fun. So I’d say “hanging with my best friends is all the fun I need” 🙂

 

YV: What is your dream car?

 

Boity:I think that is going to change with time and with the growth of my career… LOL… But at the moment, my dream car is just having a car to begin with. Hahahaha!!

 

YV: What kind of music are you listening to at the moment?

 

Boity:I listen to anything/anyone to sounds amazing. Kind of like… feeding the soul. I listen to Donny Hathaway religiously. He is the love of my life. And then there is the powerful Donnie McClurkin, the blessed Tonex, Jigga the great, and I have this undying love for Drake too. I’ve been a fan since 2008 and I aint going nowhere. Oh yes – how dare I forget the incredible Adele! Yeah, that’s where I’m at, musically. All over the place!Hahahaha.

 

YV: What book are you reading at the moment?

 

Boity:I’m reading 2 books – Paulo Coelho’ “The Winner Stands Alone” (my favourite author of ALL time. Have almost all his books. And the other book I’m reading is by Richard Lawrence titled “Prayer energy”. It’s an amazing book which teaches you about positive thinking, about the power of positive prayer, about compassion and basically just about changing your mind and soul for the best.

 

YV: Who and what inspires you?

 

Boity:God’s love, grace & kindness. My mother – The strongest, most beautiful woman I know. My best friends. And the idea of having my dreams come true inspires me to keep on keeping on.

 

YV: What advice do you have for other aspiring young models?

 

Boity:Well, this is the advice I give to everyone for whatever it is they wish to achieve: do not allow anyone to convince you that your dream is not worth chasing. Only you, God and your heart know and understand the worth & importance of that dream. Surround yourself with people who believe in your dream and are willing to do whatever it takes to assist in making that dream for you. Do not confuse the universe – don’t pray for something and then act like u don’t believe that its going to happen. Assist God and the universe and take the necessary steps to making it happen. Don’t underestimate the power of your thoughts and words. Speak your hopes and dreams into the world. And lastly – recognize, understand, appreciate your worth. 🙂