Lupita Nyong’o – Sulwe

Lupita Nyong’o is a multi-award-winning Kenyan-Mexican actress who won her first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 12 Years a Slave. She is a vocal activist for women and children’s health through the creation of birthing centers in Uganda, and elephants and anti-poaching initiatives worldwide. Her latest project was the New York Times Bestseller book, Sulwe, a story raising awareness of colorism, an offshoot of racism.

Lupita Nyong’o’s Sulwe: Brightness is Who You Are

 

 

From Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o comes a powerful, moving picture book about colorism, self-esteem, and learning that true beauty comes from within.

Sulwe’s skin is the color of midnight. She’s darker than everyone in her family, and everyone at school.

All she wants is to be beautiful and bright, like her mother and sister.

Then a magical journey through the night sky opens Sulwe’s eyes and changes everything.

In this stunning debut picture book, Lupita Nyong’o creates a whimsical and heartwarming story to inspire children to see their own unique beauty.

What is colorism and why does actress Lupita Nyong’o say it is an offspring of “racism “

“I grew up feeling uncomfortable with my skin color because I felt that the world around me had clear skin,” said Mexican-Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o.

Lupita, who was the Oscar winner for her role in the film “12 Years a Slave”, addressed “colorism,” ensuring that she is one of the many facets of racism.

The term — coined by Afro-American and feminist writer Alice Walker — refers to a type of discrimination that privileges people with lighter skin within a group for that reason.

When I was in the second grade, one of my teachers said, “Where are you going to find a husband? How are you going to find someone darker than you?” I was mortified. I remember seeing a commercial where a woman goes for an interview and doesn’t get the job.

Then she puts a cream on her face to lighten her skin, and she gets the job! This is the message: that dark skin is unacceptable. I definitely wasn’t hearing this from my immediate family – my mother never said anything to that effect – but the voices from the television are usually much louder than the voices of your parents. ~ Lupita Nyong’o

Sulwe is part of Lupita, who said she completely identifies with the little girl in the book: “She is myself when I was 5”.

When I decided to write my book for children called #Sulwe inspires me in the feelings and fantasies of this little girl. With this book, I want to show it as a mirror. And these are my reasons.

“It makes me feel uncomfortable with my own hair and wanting to have a different hair,” She said.

Before moving to the United States, the actress was raised in Kenya, where, according to her, she was a victim of “colorism.”

“You can experience colorism in a world that does not necessarily confront racism directly. This was my experience in Kenya. We were a predominantly black society, but still the same as obeying the Eurocentric standards of beauty. And it affects how we see ourselves and others.”

European standards of beauty are something that plague the entire world – the idea that darker skin is not beautiful, that light skin is the key to success and love. Africa is no exception. Lupita Nyong’o

Lupita Amondi Nyong’o was born in Mexico City on March 1, 1983. She is a Kenyan-Mexican actress. The daughter of Kenyan politician Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o. She was raised in Kenya from the age of one. Later in life, she attended college in the United States, earning a bachelor’s degree in film and theater studies from Hampshire College.

Lupita Nyong’o began her career in Hollywood as a production assistant. In 2008, she made her acting debut with the short film East River and subsequently returned to Kenya to star in the television series Shuga (2009–2012). Also in 2009, she wrote, produced and directed the documentary In My Genes.

Lupita Nyong’o said that in Kenya she was not aware that she belonged to the black race. “It’s a complete idea, but the relationship with my color was separate from my relationship with my race,” she says.

However, that changed when she moved to the United States: “Suddenly, the Black ” terminology started to mean things and behaviors I was not aware existed.”

But this is the reality of Lupita Nyong’o: A daughter of a prominent opposing political leader of Kenya,  she grew up in Nairobi without ever knowing if her father would come home at night or be sent to jail without a trial or judgment. After graduating from a film school in the United States, she returned to Africa to work as a production assistant in the ranks of The Constant Gardener, whose protagonist Ralph Fiennes urged her to perform.

Some years later, she claimed an Oscar as the best actress in her first serious role, in 12 years as a Slave and prepared to play the computerized persona Maz Kanata in Star Wars. This was a meteoric rise. As a vocal activist for the campaign #OscarsSoWhite – She was one of the few black women to win the golden statuette.

Lupita Nyong’o is the indispensable person to introduce and keep the debate about the diversity in the cinema. In this context, her film Queen of Katwe feels very timely: Yes,  and despite being produced by Walt Disney Pictures, don’t expect fairy tales and singing frogs on this one. The film is based on the true story of Phiona Mutesi, a girl from a poor neighborhood in Kampala, Uganda, who stands for her vocation as a prodigal teacher. Queen of Katwe is the colorful true story of a young girl selling corn on the streets of rural Uganda and her journey of discovery of her talents and abilities.

The Beauty and Message of Sulwe

We don’t get to pick the genes we want. There’s room in this world for beauty to be diverse. Lupita Nyong’o

“Sulwe,” tells the story of a girl in East Africa and her feeling of discomfort over dark skin.

In an article in The New York Times, Lupita said the book’s main character, a “dark-skinned girl,” embarks on an adventure that “awakens her sense of beauty.” Lupita had spoken a few times about her racism and the difficulty she had when she was younger in accepting the color of her skin.

“I was very teased about my night-colored skin, and my only request to God was to wake up with lighter skin. I would wake up and get so excited to see the new skin that I refused to look at myself until I was. in front of a mirror because I wanted to see my face first. Each morning, I experienced the same disappointment of staying as dark as the day before, “Lupita reported in the article.

Therefore, the protagonist of the book will learn that beauty can come in all colors. “She learns things we learn as children and spend our whole lives trying to unlearn. This is a story for little ones, but no matter how old you are, I hope it serves as an inspiration for everyone to walk happily on their own. Skin, ” She wrote. She wants children reading her book to rethink “what it means to be beautiful.”

Sulwe, whose name means star, has a midnight skin darker than anyone in his family or school. With this, the girl wants to look more like her mother and sister. Then a magical journey in the night sky opens your eyes and changes everything.

The work is inspired by the actress’s own experience and brings a reflection on patterns and the importance of recognizing value and beauty in itself since childhood. Despite being elected the most beautiful woman in the world, Lupita revealed in interviews that she was not always accepted. This is precisely why she decided to write a book full of representativeness, an essential element for her to be able to transform the look on her body and color.

The intention of the actress with the publication is to bring black representation to this type of material, which usually uses the figure of white girls for the narrative.

Continue to Page 2 of the Interview with Lupita Nyong’o – Sulwe