In recent times, there have been changes in the lens and portrayal of African stories. Earlier, there was a heavy focus on the slavery part, which was an essential part of the storytelling. However, due to the constant trope other significant narratives were left untold. But, ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ and ‘The Woman King’ were two of the pioneering cinemas that changed the narrative. Now, ‘African Queens’ on Netflix has joined the brigade.
Undoubtedly, the two above-mentioned films set the path for the new Netflix docuseries. The former has done a box office collection of more than $800 million. Viola Davis delivered a stellar performance in ‘The Woman King’. ‘African Queens’ comes on the heels of Black History Month. It will tell the stories of the African women who shaped the history of the continent. The first part, of the series, will cover the story of Queen Njinga. Let’s take a look at the plot, release date, and the cast and crew involved with it.
Related: Top 10 Most Beautiful African Women
‘African Queens’: Plot, Crew, And Release Date
In a plethora of the stories yet to come, the inception of ‘African Queens’ will be with the story of Queen Njinga. She was a 17th Century ruler of the Ndongo and Matamba, which is situated in present-day Angola in Central Africa. The queen was known to take the reins of the kingdom after her brother’s death, Ngola. She was excellent in diplomacy and warfare. Njinga protected the kingdom till her last breath in 80 to save her kingdom from the Portuguese settlers.
Jada Pinkett Smith is involved with the project as an executive producer and narrator. Jada and Will Smith’s production house ‘Westbrook Studios’ is also involved in the production of the series. NneNne Iwuji and Peres Owino, a Kenyan-born writer have taken care of the material. Nutopia, an independent studio and Westbrook Studios are responsible for the distribution. The docuseries will be released on February 15th, 2023.
In Case You Missed: New Shows And Films To Watch On Netflix, Disney+ And Amazon Prime Video In January
Jada Pinkett Smith’s Daughter Willow Inspired Her To Be A Part Of It
The actress had a tough 2022 due to the Oscar Slapgate that happened. Will Smith went up on the stage and landed a slap on Chris Rock’s face when he joked about her alopecia condition. This sent ripples in the industry and put her condition in a spot. But, the actress is recovering from it and she has become a part of a noble attempt to deliver Black her-stories to the audience.
During an interview with Netflix, Jada said that her daughter inspired her to come on board for this project. She said, “This particular project went through many different machinations, but it started with Willow… I really wanted to represent Black women”.
Jada continued, “We don’t often get to see or hear stories about Black queens, and that was really important for me, as well as for my daughter, and just for my community to be able to know those stories because there are tons of them! The sad part is that we don’t have ready access to these historical women who were so powerful and were the backbones of African nations”.
You May Also Like To Read: Jada Pinkett Smith Is Ready With ‘No Holds Barred’ Memoir: Here’s Everything You Need To Know
