As Women's Month comes to a close, one strong-willed woman who is rapidly climbing the ladder of success deserves recognition, and that woman is local musician and comedian Cyria Tshipetane, popularly known as Cyria The Community.
Cyria hails from a very poor and humble background where she had limited access to life's luxuries. Her father passed away when she was still very young, and her mother was not employed, relying on government grants to support the family. This challenging upbringing in Hamutsha, outside Louis Trichardt, taught the 29-year-old Cyria to come up with ideas to fend for herself and improve her family's quality of life.
Cyria faced academic challenges, failing Grades 9 and 10 three times, but she did not give up until she had completed her Grade 12. She even attempted an engineering course at Vhembe TVET College but faced failure there too. She had to leave her mother, who lived in Miluwani, and return to the family home in Hamutsha, where they had no door. She started by selling snacks at the local primary school. From the proceeds of the snacks sales, she managed to purchase a door for her house, which she had to carry home on her head from the hardware store. Her determination to succeed in life was unwavering.
She recalls how her life changed by pure chance in 2019 when she misinterpreted her pastor's words in church one day. The pastor said something in Tshivenda, which she did not interpret correctly in English, leading to her saying something entirely unrelated and causing the whole church to laugh. This marked the beginning of her career as a comedian. In 2020, she ventured into music, composing songs such as "Madekudeku" and "Covid 19," which became very popular.
Cyria has released two albums so far and has been signed by the Primetainment Record Label. She acknowledges that this has significantly improved her music career and opened up many opportunities for her. "I have many gigs lined up, but the biggest one is the Phalaphala Royal Gardens Heritage Festival. It's an honour for me to perform at such a major festival," she said.
For the youth, she shares this message: "Life is a journey with its ups and downs. There are many obstacles to overcome, as I did. Hold onto your self-confidence and never give up."