Oscar-winner Lupita Nyongo has opened up about her past and current fears while talking to singer Akothee about her book, Sulwe.
Akothee in an Instagram Live hosted last night, told Lupita,
“I tried to change my skin colour. We were living in Nairobi. I was still married and I used to go to church and see all these lightskin mothers. I didn’t know they were bantus, its adaptation features of surviving on this planet earth. That’s why most Nilotes are dark because of too much sun.”
Shakila will face the music – Victor Wanyama confirms
Lupita responded to Akothee’s tale on the live saying,
“That is why I wrote it, When I was growing up, I got teased for my skin but I also had a sister who was born after me and her skin was lighter than mine. It was from relatives and friends going like, ‘Ohhh, she is so brown and beautiful and never hearing that said about me.”
She added,
“The first time when I was five when I felt that there is something wrong with my dark skin, I’m surrounded by dark-skinned people but how come it is not associated with beauty? so I started doing a lot of things that Sulwe was doing in the book.”
Lupita continued,
“I never really got to see dark skin in children’s book, that is why I wrote Sulwe to help children learn that they are beautiful before the world tells them anything else. because when you are young at that time before the world tells you what you are worth, your parents and yourself, you have an opportunity to build yourself up. so yeah that was the inspiration.
Akothee asked her what inspired her to write a book for kids yet she doesn’t have any, as a star she had the option of writing her own story in an autobiography?
‘I haven’t spoken to Esther Arunga for 11 years,’ – Joseph Hellon
Lupita explained,
“I mean, I love children and I hope my window for having them has not passed but because I was hurt as a child by my skin I felt that a way to write this book would make my wound my weapon and so that was almost to heal the wound inside myself but also to provide for kids today
She added,
I just love the idea to be able to influence how a child sees themselves. It was a gift to my past self and also to the present children.
Read more
