Thando Hopa (born 1989 in

Sebokeng Sebokeng () locally called Zweni by residents, is a middle-class township in the Emfuleni Local Municipality in southern Gauteng, South Africa near the industrial cities of Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging. Other neighboring townships include Ev ...

) is a South African model, activist, and lawyer. She is the first woman with

albinism Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and reddish pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albinos. Varied use and interpretation of ...

to be on the cover of ''Vogue''.

Life

While working as a prosecutor, she was scouted by Gert-Johan Coetzee to work as a model. Hopa aims to portray albinism in a positive way. She was cast as the Princess of Hearts in the 2018

Pirelli Calendar The Pirelli Calendar, known and trade-marked as "The Cal", is an annual trade calendar which has been published by the UK subsidiary of the Italian tyre manufacturing company Pirelli since 1964. The calendar has a reputation for its choice of p ...

, becoming the first South African

person of color The term "person of color" (: people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is associated with, the United States. From th ...

to appear in it. In 2018, Hopa was recognized with the 100 Women award from

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

for her diversity and inclusion advocacy. Thando was cast as Artemis in the British-American miniseries, '' Troy: Fall of a City''. As a child, she was a cast member in the early seasons of ''Takalani Sesame'' (the South African co-production of Sesame Street). Her mother, Seipati Bulane-Hopa, was the executive producer of the show. She formed part of the panel of judges for

Miss South Africa Miss South Africa is a national beauty pageant in South Africa that selects South African representatives to compete in one of the Big Four international beauty pageants Miss Universe. The Miss South Africa organisation resorted to a contempo ...

, which culminated in the win of Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi. In 2020, she became a fellow at the

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental organization, international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German ...

, narratives lab and she was mentored by singer-songwriter, actress and activist

Angélique Kidjo Angélique Kpasseloko Hinto Hounsinou Kandjo Manta Zogbin Kidjo (; born July 14, 1960) is a Beninese- French singer-songwriter, actress and activist noted for her diverse musical influences and creative music videos. Kidjo has won five Grammy A ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hopa, Thando Living people 1989 births South African female models 21st-century South African lawyers 21st-century South African women lawyers South African women activists South African activists Lawyers with disabilities South African activists with disabilities Models with disabilities Actors with albinism

Life

See also

References