Azadi Ash: The Briton shaking Ugandan film industry

Azadi Ash, a newcomer in the Ugandan film industry, has created quite a stir in the local movie industry with her exceptional talent. Originally from a migrant family that settled in Britain, she proudly identifies herself as African and possesses a profound passion for acting.

After completing her legal studies in London, Azadi made the decision to return to Africa, specifically Uganda, where she fell in love with the art of acting.

Enrolling in acting lectures with the Kampala Amateur Dramatics, she later secured her first role in 2018, being cast for a stage production, where she played a Juror 3 for 12 Angry Women, staged by Kampala Amateur Dramatics after taking part in auditions.

Azadi has a natural performance energy which she learnt from being on stage and has grown into a more professional actress. She also featured in a documentary titled Bridge Back Home and later took on several other roles.

Challenges
Despite living in Uganda for many years now, Azadi’s fair complexion often leads people to label her as a mzungu (white person).

“It has not been an easy journey, since people will, no matter what, perceive you as a mzungu even if you have lived in Uganda for many years. And, also people want to put you in certain roles, so it is hard to be placed in interesting roles. Also, probably like in every country, some form of prejudices exist even though it is not obvious,” Ash narrated.

Nonetheless, she aspires to take on more intricate and challenging characters that leave a lasting impact on the audience.

Azadi asserted that she had developed a resilient mindset and had a penchant for pushing boundaries. Her unwavering commitment to pushing boundaries was fuelled by the desire to portray Uganda as a multicultural place through its films.

“I have developed a thick skin. I like breaking boundaries. Some years back, I would never have imagined being one of the only brown-skinned people in the industry. I like to keep pushing boundaries, so that when people watch Ugandan movies outside of Uganda, they can see that it is a multicultural place, where filmmakers can be open to diverse races,” Azadi said.

She emphasised the significance of filmmakers being receptive to diverse races, not just within Uganda but also internationally.

On what she thinks people perceive of her in those movies, she said mostly people thought she was crazy for trying the unbelievable, but being different could also have its advantages since people couldn’t forget her face, so she had to make sure her performance was the best. She found this to be a good thing. Everywhere in her life, she had faced challenges of not fitting in, so in some ways, she was used to it.

Despite facing discrimination from certain filmmakers who view her as non-Ugandan, Azadi remains resilient and steadfast in her pursuit of breaking through these barriers. Her ultimate aspiration is to make a global breakthrough and become an inspiring role model for future generations.

In the eyes of Azadi, the Ugandan film industry holds untapped potential for nurturing new talent. Although obstacles and challenges abound, she firmly believes that with time and determination, it can grow to become one of the world’s most prominent film industries.

The actress is widely known for her role in the movie Nkwanzi’s Slip in which she takes on a supporting role.