Alejandro Cooper (12) has been nominated for the Best Young African Actor award at the 2024 Sotigui Awards in Burkina Faso. 

The exciting news came on a Sunday afternoon while he was playing in the street.

He is a grade seven pupil at Moses van der Byl Primary School. 

This is the first time a Namibian actor got nominated in this category, and the only nomination Namibia got at the awards.

The annual Sotigui Awards take place in Burkina Faso, and recognise talents from the African continent and diaspora.

Cooper, who was born in Keetmanshoop and later relocated to Windhoek with his mother, was nominated for his fascinating portrayal of Lukas in the film ‘Lukas’. 

The role tells the story of a young street child who, after being chased away from home by his aunt, finds himself navigating the challenges of life on the streets of Windhoek.

“I am very proud of myself, and I would like to thank my mom for always being there for me and supporting me. Throughout the demanding process of auditions and filming, my mother was by my side, providing unwavering support,” he said. 

He stated that being on set was not easy. 

‘Lukas’ was the first Namibian film to enjoy a three-week cinema at SterKinekor in Windhoek and South Africa.

The film has since been nominated at festivals in Nigeria, Egypt, Italy and the United States.

Ingrid Cooper, Cooper’s mother, said her son dreamed of being a soccer player. 

“Wherever you find him, he’s just playing soccer. He is passionate about being a soccer player. I am so happy. Everything is possible. We are all excited, and we know that there is something special about him,” she said. 

She added: “Even though he had difficulties with reading, the only thing I could do was to help him read. He could read, but he could not voice out the words”. 

She was not sure whether he was nervous, so she stepped in to support her son. 

The proud mother said she shed tears of joy when she saw the film. 

“With this nomination, we are very excited. We all grew up in different situations. My son proved that everything is possible no matter what circumstances you find yourself in,” she said. 

Director Phillipe Talavere told VIBEZ! that Cooper has the talent and potential to succeed in the film industry, and hopes the nomination would open doors for them locally and abroad.

“We have so many incredible talents in the country. We need to learn to discover such talents at a young age – and more importantly, nurture those talents. If we can’t produce enough local content, actors such as Copper, who are incredibly promising, will not be able to grow in the industry. We need to support our local talents,” he said.

He added: “I am extremely humbled, to be honest. Putting together a film is a huge endeavour, and often a huge risk. Once we had selected him, he had to work extremely hard. For five weeks, he benefitted from intense training with me, Dawie Engelbrecht, Joshua Homateni and the other actors. It is really nice to see that the hard work everybody put in is being acknowledged. He may be the nominated one, but it reflects on the work of the whole team, cast and crew”. 

The budding director said it was important for him to give a voice to street children, and tell their stories sensitively. 

He wanted the audience to relate to Lukas so that they could think positively about the issue of street children. 

“I want everyone who sees the film to reflect on what their responsibilities are, and how they can help address the complex of children living and working in the streets. Cooper was fantastic. Thanks to him, people relate and even like Lukas, and therefore it makes our work a little easier. Everybody agrees that thanks to Cooper’s performance, Lukas should not be in the streets. So, it helps us initiate discussions on the issue,” he said. 

-priscillamukokobi@gmail.com