Christine Wawira: Navigating Life in the US While Keeping My Kenyan Roots Alive
At the outset of her acting career, Christine Wawira Njagi chose to go by a stage name after she felt her name was too difficult to pronounce.
She decided to look up Arabic names and eventually decided on Naila, which means one who acquires and attains. The Kenyan actress and model was also influenced by her favourite actor Pierce Brosnan known for playing James Bond. As a result, she became Naila Pierce. When she moved to Los Angeles and was getting her headshots printed, the man doing it was Indian and he was surprised to learn that her name wasn't Kenyan.
At age 12, Wawira had already lived on three different continents. She was born in Kenya and spent the first seven years of her life growing up in Nairobi's Eastleigh. Her family then moved to London and eventually to the US. She has always wanted to be an actress, and now at 35, she is making her dreams a reality.
At North Cobb High School in the US, Wawira was drawn to drama and was able to pursue her love of acting. Her credits include an impressive 17 Hollywood movies including Hola America, Modern Family, Justice with Judge Mablean, Night Call, and Hacksaw. She was even awarded Best Actress at the 2016 Diaspora Entertainment Awards and Recognition (Dear) for her role in Night Call. Dear Awards recognizes outstanding people and organizations across various fields from all over the world.
In addition to acting, Christine is also a Hypnobabies instructor, a birth technique she hopes to roll out in Kenya. After she was fired from her corporate job, her best friend persuaded her to join the sales industry but she was hesitant to ditch her hourly employment for a commission-based one. Regarding her acting prospects, she reveals that she is in communication with a Kenyan filmmaker in the US and that they are framing captivating concepts for movies they will construct.
As a parting shot, Ms Wawira says, “Just know that in life, there must be duality. Ask yourself this, how will I ever experience bliss if I don’t go through the dark times? We appreciate the light because we know what it’s like to be in the dark. You have to have that contrast. Also, don’t be afraid to fail. Failure is part of success. You cannot have one without the other. So, the faster you’re willing to fail, the faster you’re able to get back up.”
Comments (8)
Who is this?
Change of name? You just subscribed to a slave script.
What is in a name?
According to the bible: 4 Kg 23:24
" To change a man's name was to show power and authority over him".
" A human beings name is a principal component in his person, perhaps a piece of his soul"
" The soul or essence of any human being is contained in his or her name"
The Africans who came to America came with their African names. Inorder to make the slaves, torture and pain had to be used to make sure they abandon their African names. This was to make sure they forget who they are.
The result of this change of name is that - They were no longer a proud people who hand long histories beyond the Middle Ages. They were no longer creative.
They no longer had names chosen by tradition and in Great ceremony. They would no longer be treated as human beings, but they were now listed as the assets, the property, the slaves of people with names like Thomas Jefferson and George Washington.
They not only lost their homeland their family, and their freedom, but they lost their names.
This once proud race of women and men were given names like George Brown, and Maggie, Robinson, Sue Smith and James Little.
WHAT IS YOUR NAME OR SHALL WE CALL YOU
ANYTHING?
She's a candidate for selling her soul. Hollywood is the scum of the earth. Full of spiritists and witchcraft. Beware. Hii imeenda kuzimu
Romeo and Juliet
What is in a name that smells a sweet...
that by any other name....bla bla bla
Hollywood Smokescreen Illusion
Confused molecule
Gosh good people, why are you so negative? Let the woman live her life. Shine Christine!
No one is stopping her from shining - but when you seek publicity then negative, positive, in between comes with the territory. Personally, I have never heard of her till this article, certainly never watched any of those films + or a TV series - modern family. I'm sure she is a strong woman and no criticism /negativity will stop her.