Born in Joburg, based in Cape Town, and rarely standing still, Sydelle Willow Smith is a storyteller with a mission. Her career has taken her from the darkroom at The Market Photo Workshop to a master’s in African Studies at Oxford, with plenty of gigs for big brands like the New York Times and Le Monde in-between.
As co-founder of Sunshine Cinema – Africa’s first solar-powered mobile cinema network – she’s part activist, part creative, and a force to be reckoned with, at whatever she turns her hand to. She was also a 2025 Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Award finalist.
What’s the best book you’ve read in the past year, and why?
Elif Shafak’s The Island of the Missing Trees. It’s a hauntingly beautiful novel that explores intergenerational trauma, love and exile through both human and non-human voices, including a protagonist who is a fig tree. The fig tree narrator was unexpectedly profound – it made me think about memory, migration and belonging in such a visceral way. Can’t wait to read more of her work.
How do you keep fit?
Trail and road running. Spinning on my new spinner bike called Sally, walking my dog, and being a mother to a four-year-old daughter.
Week night, low-key restaurant go-to?
Maria’s on Dunkley Square in Cape Town, followed by a nightcap at new spot Nkula Cocktail & Wine Boutique if I’m feeling adventurous enough to drive all the way to town. Alternatively, you can’t go wrong with the Happy Rooster in Muizenberg Train Station, followed by the eclectic local spot The Commons.
What is the one artwork you’ll always love?
William Kentridge’s The Refusal of Time. It’s haunting and kinetic – an installation that makes you feel the pressure of time as a colonial construct, a personal weight and a political trap. I saw it years ago in Johannesburg and still carry the sound of those pulsing metronomes!
Do you have a hobby? What is it?
Film photography portraiture on my beloved Mamiya 645 camera. You can see my work at @sydellewillowsmith on Instagram or at www.willowphoto.co.za.
The one unusual item you can’t live without?
I always have to sleep with a scarf over my eyes to really fall asleep. It’s become a kind of ritual – part comfort, part sensory boundary – and I feel strangely untethered without it, especially when travelling.
Who was your high school celeb crush?
Gael García Bernal (post Amores Perros), and then I saw him once in a bar in London and almost fell over. He was gorgeous and very short.
Three songs that you’d take to a desert island?
Make it Happen – 340ml; Shaka Bundu – Penny Penny; and Talkin Bout a Revolution – Tracy Chapman.
Top image: Supplied.
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