Media personality and trailblazer Refilwe Modiselle is breaking barriers once again—this time through a children’s book that celebrates diversity and self-love.
Modiselle, who lives with albinism, has faced a lifetime of judgment and misconceptions, especially growing up in African communities where harmful myths about albinism still exist. But despite the challenges, she’s always led with grace and confidence.
“I don’t believe in aggression,” she told The Citizen. “I think that’s how I conducted myself generally. I’m a very outspoken person, a lot of people know that I say what I say and I mean what I say. But I do it with a respect.”
Now, she’s using her voice in a new way—through storytelling. Her debut children’s book, Zizi’s World: Through Her Vanilla Eyes, was released on June 28. The book follows a bright and confident young girl named Zizi, who, like Modiselle, lives with albinism.
The book aims to teach children to embrace who they are and treat others with kindness and compassion.
“It took me about two or three weeks straight, as in locking myself up and writing the book,” she said. “I could’ve chosen any angle. For me, the most important thing was like ‘oh, I’ve never seen a child with albinism in a book’.”
Zizi’s story is deeply personal. While the book is not entirely Modiselle’s life, parts of it reflect her journey, including the love and support she received from her parents.
“This was an honour for my parents and the love they instilled in me. Unfortunately, my dad is late, but this book honours the role that he played,” she shared. “It’s so key for parents to understand the role that they play in who their kids become.”
She added, “When you’re born into a home that doesn’t really note the differences of who you are, you don’t feel the pinch of the pain. You only recognise those things when you’re much older. Because I came from a loving home, I did not see those things.”
Modiselle was approached in January by Lingua Franca Publishers, known for their work in children’s literature. Though surprised at first, she embraced the opportunity and started writing in March.
“I thought ‘yoh, a book’,” she said. “I’ve always said that yes I’m writing a children’s book but that book is not ‘a,e,i,o,u’, it’s not.”
She wanted the story to speak to both children and adults in a way that’s simple but meaningful. “It comes down to the level of explaining to a child but allowing an uneducated person to also be able to understand at a basic level, so that they feel it.”
Modiselle knows the weight of her identity: being Black, a woman, and living with albinism in a society that often overlooks those at the margins.
“It became slightly easier because people learn who you are, your essence. They kind of almost forget, but they don’t. They don’t forget what you come with,” she said. “Because you’re ‘Refilwe’, you’ve made people kind of forget this thing, but they don’t forget it. It doesn’t mean that clients gravitate to me easily; they still have a sense of resistance.”
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