Most Successful African Actresses in Hollywood

Rachel Mwanza

Rachel Mwanza is an actress from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Born in Mbuyi Mayi in the Kasai-Oriental Province of the DRC, the actress had to endure a tough childhood. In 2005, when Mwanza was only 8, her father sent the family to live in Kinshasa with the promise that he would join them later, something he failed to do.

Rachel Mwanza is mostly known for her roles in the Belgiam films Kinshasa Kids in 2012 and Troisièmes noces in 2018.
Creadit: Wikipedia
The next few years were tough on the family, and Mwanza and her siblings had to drop out of school to fend for themselves. Mwanza’s predicament got even worse when she was declared a witch and kicked to the streets, where she would spend the next few years trying to survive.

Mwanza’s acting break would come when Kim Ngunyen, a film director, saw her featured in a documentary about surviving the streets of Kinshasa. She was subsequently cast in the movie War Witch in 2012. Her performance brought about an avalanche of awards in the Berlin Film Festival, Vancouver Film Critics Circle, and the Tribeca Film Festival.