By Doreen Mokgolo
In an industry where very few actors have disabilities, Calvin Ratladi is determined to break boundaries.
The 32-year-old’s big break to fame was on Shaka iLembe, a popular drama series where he plays a role of a sangoma, Goloza.
Ratladi lives with kyphoscoliosis, an abnormal curve of the spine on two planes, the coronal plane, or side to side, and the sagittal plane, or back to front.
Speaking to Scrolla.Africa the actor said that his disability is not an inability, deterring him from going after his dreams.
“From a young age, my parents never treated me as disabled and encouraged me to live my life as any other child with full abilities.
“They refused to enrol me at a special school, arguing that I am fully capable and that the only limitation was in the form of a hunchback,” he said.
This is where he gained his fighting power to reach for all his dreams.
After completing his matric he enrolled at the Tshwane University of Technology towards a degree in drama and film, specialising in directing and scriptwriting.
“The industry has very few disabled actors, so I decided to be behind the scenes writing scripts and directing.
“The college only offered writing as a subject in the first year. I also had to be on stage to complete the qualification,” he added.
This is where his acting talent was unleashed.
One of the challenges that he faces as an actor is that most scripts do not include roles for disabled people.
“I have over the years attended many casting events where I was told though I am a good actor; the script is not written for someone like me.
“This is demotivating and heartbreaking because in 2023 the disabled community is still marginalised,” he said.
Calvin is hoping that this opportunity will inspire other people living with disabilities to fight for their spot in the industry.
And to help to bring that about, he’s planning to move into filmmaking, using his writing and directing talent to tell stories of people living with disabilities.
Pictured above: Actor Calvin Ratladi
Image source: Supplied
