Author | Lupita Nyong'o |
---|---|
Illustrator | Vashti Harrison |
Cover artist | Vashti Harrison |
Genre | Children's literature |
Published | 2019 |
Publisher | Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers |
Publication date | October 15, 2019 |
Pages | 48 pages |
ISBN | 1534425365 |
Website | Official Website |
Sulwe is a children's New York Times bestselling picture book by actress Lupita Nyong'o. It follows the story of a young girl who wishes for her dark skin to be lighter. The story is ultimately about colorism and learning to love oneself, no matter one's skin tone.
In 2020, the Kiswahili and Dholuo translations were made available in East Africa through Kenyan publishing firm Bunk Books. [1] [2]
Sulwe has the darkest skin in her family and in her school. She wishes for her skin to be lighter, but through a supernatural experience, she comes to love her dark skin color. [3] [4] [5]
Year | Outlet | Episode |
---|---|---|
October 8, 2019 | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | "Lupita Nyong'o Captures Her Struggle with Colorism in a Children's Book" |
October 8, 2019 | Newsnight | "Lupita Nyong’o on Racism, Colourism, and Justin Trudeau" |
October 15, 2019 | Live with Kelly and Ryan | "Lupita Nyong'o Talks About Her Children's Book, Sulwe" |
October 15, 2019 | Good Morning America | "Lupita Nyong'o shares powerful story behind new children's book, Sulwe" |
September 1, 2020 | Netflix Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices | "Lupita Nyong'o Reads Sulwe" |
In February 2021, Netflix announced an animated musical film adaptation based on the book, with Nyong'o attached as a producer on the film. [6]
Kisumu is the third-largest city in Kenya after the capital, Nairobi, and Mombasa. It is the second-largest city after Kampala in the Lake Victoria Basin. The city has a population of slightly over 600,000. The metro region, including Maseno and Ahero, has a population of 1,155,574 people according to the 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census which was conducted by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.
The Luo of Kenya and Tanzania are a Nilotic ethnic group native to western Kenya and the Mara Region of northern Tanzania in East Africa. The Luo are the fourth-largest ethnic group (10.65%) in Kenya, after the Kikuyu (17.13%), the Luhya (14.35%) and the Kalenjin (13.37%). The Tanzanian Luo population was estimated at 1.1 million in 2001 and 3.4 million in 2020. They are part of a larger group of related Luo peoples who inhabit an area ranging from South Sudan, southwestern Ethiopia, northern and eastern Uganda, southwestern Kenya, and northern Tanzania, making them the largest ethnic group in East Africa.
Tavia Nyong'o is a critic and scholar of art and performance. He is William Lampson professor of African American studies, American studies and theater and performance studies at Yale University where he teaches courses on black diaspora performance, cultural studies, and critical and aesthetic theory.
Kenyan Americans are an ethnic group of Americans of Kenyan descent and ancestry. As of the 2021 census, there were an estimated 94,623 Kenyan-born persons living in the United States. Most Kenyan Americans are concentrated in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Seattle, Texas, Maryland, Georgia, New York, North Carolina, and the greater Washington, D.C. area.
Kit-Mikayi — also spelled Kit Mikayi, Kitmikayi, and Kitmikaye — is a rock formation, a tor, around 120 m high situated about 29 km west of the town of Kisumu in western Kenya. It is about 1 km from the Kisumu-Bondo road. The sign board is on the gate of Kit Mikayi primary school and entrance is via N’gop-Ngeso primary school.
Peter Anyang' Nyong'o, politically known simply as Anyang' Nyong'o, is a Kenyan politician and author who is the Governor of Kisumu County. He is a former Secretary-General of Orange Democratic Movement. Professor Nyong'o was the acting party leader from March 11 until late May when Raila Odinga was in the United States and was elected to the National Assembly of Kenya in the December 2007 parliamentary election, representing the Kisumu Rural Constituency. He was the Minister for Medical Services and previously the Minister for Planning & National Development. He previously served as the Senator of Kisumu from 2013 to 2017.
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Maz Kanata is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. Introduced in the 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens, she is a computer-generated character voiced and performed through motion capture by Lupita Nyong'o. Maz, a former pirate and smuggler, is more than 1,000 years old and manages an interstellar tavern in a castle on the fictional planet Takodana. While Maz's small role in the trilogy has been criticized, Nyong'o's performance and the technical aspects of the character have been praised by critics. For her performance in The Force Awakens, Nyong'o was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress.
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