Kenyan-born actress, Lupita Nyong’o, is on a roll. In addition to starring in the box office hit Black Panther, the Kenyan star has announced books, films, and countless interviews for the year and beyond. Still, despite her busy schedule, Nyong’o is making the time to give back.
Nyong’o has raised money for children who can not afford to watch Black Panther to see it in her native country of Kenya. Nyong’o joins celebrities and other activists who have raised funds to help children to see the film, in what has been called the #BlackPantherChallenge.
The money Nyong’o raised will sponsor 1,200 school children from the Kenyan county of Kisumu to watch the movie. According to reports, the children are primary and secondary school students in a drama program which operates across the county.
Lupita’s home county, Kisumu, was where the film first premiered in Africa, and the actress’s mother, also the county’s first lady, Dorothy Nyong’o, will grace the children’s event.
Black Panther has shed a positive light on the continent, and in the film, Nyong’o plays the role of the freedom-fighter, counselor, ex-girlfriend and love interest to the new King, T’Challa, a young African man who assumes power in the magical fictional African country of Wakanda after the death of his father .
Many have noted the importance of the movie for children, especially Black children. Some of the most notable voices in this area are former U.S. first lady, Michelle Obama, and award-winning film director and producer, Ava DuVernay who had the following to say on Twitter:
Congrats to the entire #blackpanther team! Because of you, young people will finally see superheroes that look like them on the big screen. I loved this movie and I know it will inspire people of all backgrounds to dig deep and find the courage to be heroes of their own stories.
— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) February 19, 2018
I’ve loved the Black Panther reaction videos, read the reviews/think pieces, swooned over folks lining theaters, tried to teach myself Panther flash mob dance moves, admired all the African threads. But this. This broke me. Our babies. Our young ones. Imagine the seeds planted… pic.twitter.com/rEbsjm5gld
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) February 19, 2018
The school children are set to see the film today.
