Americanah: Oscar Actress, Lupita Nyong’o To Star As Lead Actress, Ifemelu In Chimamanda Adichie’s Americanah
Before we dive right into the movie, americanah, a few things must first be mentioned. If you are in a city right now where the weather is hot, I guess it is not as hot as Nigeria has been for the past few weeks. This is not only acclaimed to the recent climatic change but as a virtue of the caliber of persons who have visited the country just recently.
The likes of such people are my all-time favorite Kenyan actress, Lupita Nyong’o on whose honor, bestselling author, Chimamanda Adichie hosted a dinner. What could be more exciting than these two powerful women having a collaboration together?
The wonderful dinner was hosted at the Ebony life place owned by the beautiful and creative entrepreneur, producer/director and recent grandmother, Mo Abudu. The dinner took place on the 22nd of February and it was strictly by invitation, having the timber and caliber of the Nigerian movie industry in attendance. In attendance were the likes of Olu Jacobs, Dakorea Egbosun, Onyeka Owenu, etc.
Both women (Lupita and Chimamanda) were seen twinning in the same outfits and they made the fashion statement of the year. Asides, their gorgeous outfits were their powerful speeches. In her speech, Lupita revealed how she had read Chimamanda’s Americanah and had fallen in love with it. At the time, the Oscar-winning actress had not made her first debut yet. She read the acknowledgments and saw they had a mutual friend of blessed memory and she emailed him.
… and I said if I could write an email, could you get it across to her?
Lupita Nyong’o.
The actress ended up sending Chimamanda an email of which there was no response but well, the universe has a way of bringing us together. Lupita acknowledged that Chimamanda’s Americanah was so actable and that was what she did, act. Years later, there you have it, Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o is to star as lead actress Ifemelu in Chimamanda Adichie’s Americanah. The actors and team that created the screenplay for Half a yellow sun, did a magnificent job, our expectations are high for Americanah with Lupita in It.
Lupita’s on-screen acting is superb and we have ‘12 years a slave’ and ‘Black Panther’ as proof. Her chemistry and ability to portray her character is out of this world. Let’s not forget she is black, beautiful, and bold.
Nothing is more beautiful to the sight than seeing Lupita trying to speak Nigerian Pidgin. She compares it to Mandarin. The actress is surely committed to bringing Ifemelu to life as she speaks of learning Igbo. We advise that the actress starts by learning the individual words first before the sentential constructions. Also, focus more on getting the accent correctly. The actress is also fluent in Spanish.
Where is the shooting for Americanah going to take place?
Well, your guess is right. The shooting for Americanah is going to take place in Nigeria and some other African countries which have their own cultures. Lead actress, Lupita Nyong’o confessed that Nigeria is really a beautiful place. We cannot wait until it enters the Cinemas.
Who is Chimamanda Adichie?
In case you missed it and do not know whom Chimamanda Adichie is, then you had better do some googling. Chimamanda is like the female Chinua Achebe in the literary world. She is a feminist who will not back down in her fight for the rights of women. She has written some wonderful and inspiring books which include; Purple Hibiscus, Half of a yellow sun – which is on the screenplay, and the belle of the ball AMERICANAH.
What you should know about the book- Americanah
Chimamanda’s Americanah is a love story about two teenagers, Ifemelu and Obinze who fell in love in a Lagos secondary school. Ifemelu moves to the United States to study and she struggles with racism. Obinze travels to London, has his own struggles, returns to Nigeria. They both become successful in their endeavors and reconsider a relationship after their years apart.
What you should know about Chimamanda Adichie’s writing
If it is not any young female writers’ dream to be as creative as Chimamanda’s is or even more, then we wonder what they are thinking. Chimamanda has a way of creating vivid mental images in her reader’s mind while their eyes are glued to the pages of her books. If there is anything consistent about it is her expository skills that are subtle yet noticeable. Also, her stance on the place of a woman. My favorite is ‘PURPLE HIBISCUS’, and I sure would like to see an actress like Adesuwa Etomi-Wellington bring Kambili to life.
Lupita starring in Chimamanda’s Americanah is proof that your dreams can come true if you work hard. In conclusion, when women hang out, they don’t always gossip. Sometimes a miracle is born.
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