Yaya is currently in South Africa for the grand opening of the Koki Kamara store…
I Chicago MedSo you can imagine my excitement when I received an invitation to accompany Yaya D'Acosta on his first ever tour of Gauteng.
DaCosta is best known for her role as April Sexton on the hit medical drama. Chicago Med She played the legendary Whitney Houston in a Lifetime movie Whitney.
The 41-year-old actress and model is currently in South Africa for the grand opening of the Koki Kamara store in Johannesburg, scheduled for Monday evening.
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Explore South Africa's Heritage and Historic Sites
Ahead of the store's opening on Sunday, DaCosta had the opportunity to explore South Africa's rich history and heritage, courtesy of the Gauteng Tourism Board.
The first stop was Constitution Hill, where the actress explored the former women's prison.
Reflecting on his experience at the Constitutional Court, DaCosta said: The Citizen“There is a heavy energy in these places and it's hard to be there. It reminds me of my visit to the slave castles in Ghana last year.”
“The history of these places will not disappear, but will remain with you. I am grateful for the thorough instruction and for answering my many questions. It was a beautiful yet painful experience. I have a deep respect for those who fought for our freedom.”
From Constitution Hill, DaCosta's tour continued to Soweto, one of South Africa's most historically significant towns.
The visit included stops at several landmark locations including Vilakazi Street, Mandela House and the Hector Pieterson Memorial.
We ended the day with a delicious lunch at the popular Sakhumji Restaurant on Vilakazi Street.
“The food was great and I'm looking forward to trying some of the more traditional dishes. The dancing was great too. It's interesting to drive around town and see the different neighborhoods and notice the quality of life and notice the disparities or lack of wealth.”
“It's the same all over the world, but what's really interesting is, as we're driving around, the tour guide says, 'These are rich people's houses, nice houses,' and then we turn a corner and boom, it changes dramatically.
“It's always interesting. It's been a really good day, packed with information and history. I'm really happy to be here and proud to have been able to stop at this place that I've been familiar with all my life,” she said.
DaCosta played Whitney Houston in the film Whitney (2015)
DaCosta also spoke briefly about her experience playing Whitney Houston in the legendary 2015 biopic, Whitney.
“It was a very powerful experience because it really put me in a state of focus and allowed me to drown out the noise,” DaCosta said.
She added, “There was a lot of noise around at the time, but in order for us to do our job with integrity, we couldn't listen to what people were saying. This was difficult because the film was made quite early on, shortly after Whitney's gender transition, but I was truly honoured to play such an icon and she will be missed forever.”
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