Refilwe Modiselle Expresses "Tears of Gratitude" Following Her Children's Book Success
- Refilwe Modiselle is celebrating the success of her children's book, Zizi's World: Through Her Vanilla Eyes, after it was featured on two billboards in Joburg
- The actress, who published the book in June, also revealed that it will be turned into a short animation film
- Refilwe is passionate about raising awareness on albinism because she wants more representation in the mainstream media
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Source: Instagram
Growing up, she saw no characters that looked like her in her storybooks.
So years later, as an adult, Refilwe Modiselle decided to change this.
She set aside three weeks to focus on writing a children's book, and on 28 June 2025, she released Zizi's World: Through Her Vanilla Eyes.
With the book, which follows the story of a young girl living with albinism, Refilwe wants to inspire children to love who they are and show kindness to others.
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Her book is now making more of an impact than she expected.
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Taking to Instagram, the actress shared that the book was being displayed on two billboards in Johannesburg.
"This wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible people that jumped onto this with so much dedication and love 😭💃♥️🙆🏼♀️," she captioned the post.
Refilwe added that she's been emotional about the book's success.
"I’ve been crying a lot of tears of gratitude lately 🙏🏻 This goes beyond Black Excellence!"
She also shared that the book will come to life in a short animated movie.
Online users react to the news
Fans of the actress and celebrities alike were in awe of her achievement, congratulating her on her success.
@nthabisengmathole commented:
"Oh, this is so beautiful! Definitely want to get it for my 7-year-old daughter😍"
@theeammartian wrote:
"Thank you for advocating for us, Queen ❤️this is so beautiful and accurate ❤️I appreciate the work you’ve done, love love love ❤️"
Refilwe's sister, Bontle Modiselle, had nothing but praise:
"I’ve been crying since Sunday 😭❤️ I love you and I’m so proud of you, and our little Zizi."
Singer and actress Nandi Madida also showed some love:
"Everything! Thank you for doing this! So many kids will benefit from what you have just done ❤️❤️ Bless you, sis 🎉 Congrats!"
Refilwe Modiselle on breaking barriers
Source: Instagram
Refilwe Modiselle has always been passionate about raising awareness about people with albinism.
In a 2022 interview with TalkTV, a channel in the United Kingdom, Refilwe discussed making a name for herself in the industry despite her skin condition.
“I’m Africa’s first successful model with albinism, meaning I’m the first model on the continent to have successfully worked well within the modelling industry,” she told host Petrie Hosken.
Refilwe began modelling when she was 13 after being scouted by an agency. She soon landed her first five-page spread in a youth culture magazine.
She says that, at the time, there was no representation of albinism in the industry.
“Little did we know that would be history being made," she said.
She added that the modelling opened doors for her to venture into TV and radio.
Priddy Ugly details hijacking experience with Bontle Modiselle
In more entertainment news, Briefly News reported on Priddy Ugly and his wife, Bontle Modiselle's hijacking in 2015.
The rapper opened up about the frightening experience in a recent interview with DJ Fresh.
He revealed he was held at gunpoint and begged the four hijackers to leave Bontle unharmed.
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Source: Briefly News
