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Beauty queen has passion for film

Saturday December 16 2017
Rolland

Former beauty queen and filmmaker Sonia Rolland. She was the first Africa born winner of Miss France when she was crowned in 2000. PHOTO | CYRIL NDEGEYA | NATION

By JEAN-PIERRE AFADHALI

Sonia Rolland was born in Kigali in 1981. In 1990, her family moved to Bujumbura in Burundi, because the political situation was increasingly rendering the country unsafe.

They were then forced to leave Burundi too in 1994 following civil war and unrest and migrated to France, the country of her father.

Sonia recalls that she was sad that she was leaving all her friends behind and going to yet another country. She left Rwanda when she was 10 years old and Burundi when she was 14.

She became Miss France in 2000 when she entered the beauty pageant to represent her hometown of Burgundy (Bourgogne in French). She also took part in the Miss Universe contest and was 9th overall. Bourgogne had very few black people and she says she never got used to this fact.

When she turned 20, and after a number of years of acting lessons with renowned actor Alain Delon, Rolland embarked on her career as an actress.

She is currently in a relationship and has two children with boyfriend actor and director Jalil Lesper.

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She lives and works in Paris, France, which she considers her permanent home. She however visits Rwanda thrice annually and is considering building a house in future so that she feels at home.

She was the first Africa born winner of Miss France when she was crowned in 2000.

She now divides her time being an actress, producer, filmmaker, and child rights advocate, supporting orphans in Rwanda though her Maisha Africa Foundation. She was was recently in Kigali to premiere her documentary on Rwanda titled From Chaos to Miracles.

Rolland is currently working on a documentary about portraits of women who are involved in professions that are traditionally dominated by men. She wants to show the role of women in Rwanda’s progress.

During her free time, she can read three books at the same time and watch movies. She never spends a lot of time on shopping and travels a lot in Africa.

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What’s your off-duty passion?

I write. I choose a very quiet place, with slow music in the background and write for three to four hours.

If you hadn’t turned into who you are today, what would you have become?

I would be working in communication. I was also very interested in being a publicist or a marketer. My profession is acting and directing.

What signifies your personal style?

I prefer casual clothes. I am not a sophisticated woman, so I really like relaxed stuff, a pair of jeans, T-shirt. But I really like details and when I have to do a red carpet or at gala dinner, I try to be the best dressed one.

I like dressing like ordinary people even when it is not easy to be ordinary because of my past life and social life.

How do you manage your wardrobe?

I like basic but classic things. I am lucky to have a lot of sponsors because of my social life; they give me fine clothes.

So I tend to choose a good pair of trousers, and pair them with a beautiful vest

When in East Africa, where are you most likely to be whiling away your time on a Saturday afternoon?

I like this quiet hotel called Ubuki in Kigali. It is a little boutique hotel, very beautiful and discreet. But I move a lot, so sometimes I go to a friend’s house.

I have a friend who is like a father to me and he also lets me stay in his beautiful home. Since I like quiet places, I also like Pili Pili restaurant in Kigali, especially for slow quiet afternoons.

Describe your best destination yet in East Africa?

I would love to go to Zanzibar and do a bit of discovering in Djibouti. I have been all over East Africa except these two place. But I like all East African countries because they each have a different positive energy.

What do you see as East Africa’s greatest appeal?

Because I am French, I used to travel a lot in West Africa because it’s Francophone. I had friends and did films there. Also because I was Miss France, many countries in West Africa wanted me to be involved in the organisation of their beauty pageants, so I discovered this part of Africa.

But I was very curious about East Africa, and Rwanda, formerly Francophone, changed to an English speaking country and there were a lot of Rwandans from Uganda, Tanzania and other English-speaking countries that changed the vision here and the mentality.

It brought positive things also. A sort of modernity. But what is interesting in Rwanda, is that it is a laboratory of languages. Today, when you walk on the streets you can hear French, English, Kinyarwanda and all the people are bringing something so it is very interesting.

What’s your best collection?

I am not sure I collect anything but I have many shoes, from high heels to tennis shoes. I also like pure leather shoes and I must have like 10 pairs of different colours and styles. Leather makes one feel chic.

What’s the best gift you’ve given?

I don’t know! Maybe the last one was a beautiful book to my friend Raoul Peck, the director of the 1994 genocide movie Sometime in April. I I gave him a coffee table photography book by one of my best photographers for his birthday.

What was your last great read?

Petit Pays by Gael Faye, one of my friends. There is an English translation and I recommend it to all East African readers.

Which movie had an impact on you?

I prefer to talk about the last movie because I watch a lot of movies. The last movie I watched is the Oscar-winning Moonlight.

I am not sure if many East Africans will appreciate it because it talks about homosexuality. The movie explores how to be liberated from any condition or situation that is weighing you down in life.

What’s your favourite music?

I love rap, R&B, and Afro-pop, especially Fally Ipupa’s music. I find him very modern and cool.

What’s a constant in your fridge?

I don’t eat meat, so I have plenty of vegetables. I buy them for my children too, because I am trying to save them from future ill-health although they do eat meat.

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