By Prudence Minayo
Sultana has been a hit among millions of viewers in the county. The lead actress, Sultana, is played by Johari Mwanaasha. In the series, she plays the blind girl who, though born in a rich family, is forced to endure hardships due to a culture that favours male heirs. Johari’s dream is to become an air hostess .
Here is her story as told by WoK.
Background
Born in Tanga,Tanzania in the late 90s, she lost her parents while she was seven months old. The actress was left under the care of her loving aunt and uncle who raised her in Msambweni. She walked to school barefoot and lacked a bag to carry her books. The aunt would wake up early in the morning to sell mangoes in order to sustain them. Every evening, her aunt would bring her a snack.
In 2008, they were separated as she had to go to Furaha Girls orphanage in Utange inorder to continue with her studies. During this period, she barely saw her aunt and uncle who were struggling to put food on the table.
Nurturing of her talent
Noticing her talent, the foreigner manning the orphanage found a way for her to join St. Anne’s Academy, currently St. Elizabeth. Having fallen in love with the arts, she enjoyed music festivals and it was here that the desire to become an actress began to take root.
Between 2018 and 2019, she attended Hassan Joho Secondary school where her talent was nurtured. She represented her school in various competitions and built both her skills and confidence.
Acting Career
She got her first acting job as an extra at Nyanya Rukia comedy. When the first scene was over, other extras went away but Rukia was unwilling to do so. Her passion for acting was so much that she felt one scene was not enough, she wanted more action. The determined actress told the director she was would stick around in case they needed extras. She was willing to take on a role even if it meant no payment. At the end of it, she was able to secure five roles. The 23-year-old also pursued other interests like modelling and working as a video vixen. This was not just a way to earn the extra coin but it was also a confident booster.
Sultana
Mwanaasha Johari was featured on Pete on Maisha Magic with her big break coming when she got casted for Sultana. When she attended the auditions and saw the script, she gave it her all leveraging on her humble background and the things she had endured, she poured her passion into it. While her role on Sultana brought her a lot of fame, she remains humble. Rashid and Lulu Hassan had advised her on what will come with the fame and encouraged her to stay humble. Her aunt and uncle had also done the same while telling her to also focus on madrasa and continuing her education.
One proud moment was when she took her uncle on set and he was amazed with everyone referring to her as the star of the show.
