Solaire Munyana is beautiful woman who leads with grace and authority.
When I met Solaire, she was one of the participants on a panel discussion with other women filmmakers. The contents of the other women panelists was intriguing but I couldn't wait to hear Solaire speak. I doodled in my notepad till she spoke and then my ears pricked up once it was her turn. I was going to know her by force.
Despite how much she has to do or if she is running late for the next appointment, you rarely get the sense of agitation or unease from Solaire. I met her at a time when I was just considering getting into producing; something that I still see as daunting and as such a massive feat. It was as if God was showing me through her that I could maintain who i was and still occupy large roles. By then, my observation of producers showed them as unstylish, rude, strong willed individuals who never had a rest day and were on the phone all the time. But here was Solaire, laughing, radiating beauty and yet still efficiently managing her affairs (Well at least looking like it.) Producing suddenly seemed sexy! I was like...okayyyy.
Every industry has their own unique kind of peer pressure. As a woman, there is an even greater pressure to come off as tough and mean in order to show authority amongst colleagues. There is pressure to always show that you're well read and have "studied these things" preferable in outside countries. And so it becomes easy to stop doing your job and spend your entire time trying to prove yourself rather than just being.That is what I love about Solaire, its that she just is herself. She doesn't dumb herself down like some women opt to doing when overwhelmed neither does she conduct her work with a forced air of importance. She works as a woman who knows her worth and is comfortable within her own shoes. Deal with it.
Listen to her Podcast: GIRLS LIKE ME UG.