--- title: Harry Potter Actress Noma Dumezweni Gives Olivier Speech description: She won Best Actress in a Supporting Role at the Olivier Awards on Sunday and took a moment onstage to acknowledge where she had come from canonical: https://time.com/4733155/noma-dumezweni-acceptance-speech-harry-potter/ author: Catherine Trautwein article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-04-10T16:29:27.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T08:45:03.152Z og:title: Noma Dumezweni Emphasizes Refugee Origins in Acceptance Speech og:description: The play won in a record-breaking nine categories og:url: https://time.com/4733155/noma-dumezweni-acceptance-speech-harry-potter/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5d6e5f2787e1adad/6988c21dfb4eac5689891723/gettyimages-666732900.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2000 og:image:height: 1125 og:image:alt: Noma Dumezweni at Olivier Awards 2017 on the Red Carpet og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Noma Dumezweni Emphasizes Refugee Origins in Acceptance Speech twitter:description: The play won in a record-breaking nine categories twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5d6e5f2787e1adad/6988c21dfb4eac5689891723/gettyimages-666732900.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'I Am a Refugee Child.' Watch Harry Potter Play's Hermione Granger Give a Powerful Speech > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=abdae60b-f013-4283-8ca5-6b7db534f603&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: 'Harry Potter' Actress Gives Powerful Speech: "I Am A Refugee Child" [Watch (HLS stream): 'Harry Potter' Actress Gives Powerful Speech: "I Am A Refugee Child"](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/xJS4DrKV.m3u8) (0:29)  _Published 2017-04-10. It was a truly magical Sunday night for the cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, as the play took home bronze statuettes at the Olivier Awards sweeping the ceremony, according to the BBC._ by [Catherine Trautwein](https://time.com/author/catherine-trautwein/) ## Catherine Trautwein Apr 10, 2017 4:29 PM UTC by [Catherine Trautwein](https://time.com/author/catherine-trautwein/) ## Catherine Trautwein Apr 10, 2017 4:29 PM UTC It was a truly magical Sunday night for the cast of [_Harry Potter and the Cursed Child_](http://time.com/tag/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child/), as the play took home bronze statuettes at the [Olivier Awards](http://time.com/4732528/harry-potter-cursed-child-olivier-awards/) sweeping the ceremony, according to the [BBC](http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-39491479). Noma Dumezweni who won Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her portrayal of Harry Potter’s bookish best friend, [Hermione Granger](http://time.com/4156583/harry-potter-hermione-granger-noma-dumezweni-theater/), delivered a powerful speech about her life as a refugee child. “I arrived in this country as a refugee child with my sister and my mother,” she said. “I suppose what I’m trying to say — this is my little political bit, if you don’t mind — I am a refugee child.” The actress, who the [_Guardian_](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/21/jk-rowling-loves-black-hermione-casting-noma-dumezweni) reports has South African parents and was born in Swaziland, joins the rank of performers using their platforms at awards ceremonies to touch on political issues. Dumezweni’s casting had attracted hostility from some fans who complained that the character, played by [Emma Watson](http://time.com/4397694/noma-dumezweni-emma-watson/) in the films, was white. Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling took to Twitter to announce her support of the casting choice. > [](https://twitter.com/jk%5Frowling/status/678888094339366914) ## Transcript I arrived in this country as a refugee child with my sister and my mother. [ APPLAUSE ] It's going to be 40 years that we're celebrating being in this country. Family it's all family if family is feeling safe and find a safe place I am so, so privileged to be an actor. To be able to make plays and tell stories, with the majority of people in this room. I suppose what I'm trying to say, this is my little political bit if you don't mind, I am a refugee child. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4733155/noma-dumezweni-acceptance-speech-harry-potter/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4733155/noma-dumezweni-acceptance-speech-harry-potter/"},"headline":"'I Am a Refugee Child.' 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