Kenya Insights

Tag: Lupita Nyong’o

  • Lupita Nyong’o and Brother Junior Nyong’o To Appear On A New York Show As Twins

    Lupita Nyong’o and Brother Junior Nyong’o To Appear On A New York Show As Twins

    New York’s beloved Shakespeare in the Park is set to become a family affair this year, as Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o will star alongside her younger brother, Junior Nyong’o, in the upcoming production of Twelfth Night.

    The Public Theater announced the star-studded cast on Thursday, revealing that the siblings will play twins Viola and Sebastian in Saheem Ali’s revival of Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy.

    This marks the first time Lupita and Junior will share the stage together, adding a personal touch to the highly anticipated production. Lupita, who was announced last July as the lead for this year’s Free Shakespeare in the Park, will portray Viola, while Junior takes on the role of her twin brother, Sebastian. The casting choice is particularly fitting, as Junior previously starred in a college production of *Twelfth Night* during his time at UC San Diego.

    The production boasts an impressive ensemble, including Emmy Award winners Peter Dinklage and Sandra Oh, as well as Tony winner Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Broadway veterans Khris Davis, Daphne Rubin-Vega, and Bill Camp will also join the cast, making this revival one of the most talked-about theatrical events of the summer.

    Twelfth Night will serve as the centerpiece of the Delacorte Theater’s grand reopening in August, following two years of renovations. The production promises to bring Shakespeare’s tale of mistaken identities, love, and mischief to life with a fresh and dynamic interpretation.

    Junior Nyong’o, who sometimes goes by Peter, first gained widespread attention in 2014 when he photobombed a star-studded selfie taken by Ellen DeGeneres at the Academy Awards. The viral moment featured him alongside his sister and Hollywood heavyweights like Bradley Cooper, Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, and Angelina Jolie. Reflecting on her brother’s charismatic personality, Lupita once quipped The Ellen DeGeneres Show, “He lives life in an exclamation point… he upstaged me… he’s quite the performer.”

    The Nyong’o siblings’ collaboration in Twelfth Night is sure to draw audiences eager to see their onstage chemistry and individual talents shine. With a powerhouse cast, a timeless story, and the magic of Central Park’s outdoor theater, this production is poised to be a highlight of the summer theater season.

    Tickets for Free Shakespeare in the Park will be available to the public, so mark your calendars for August and prepare to witness a truly unforgettable theatrical experience.

  • Lupita Nyong’o Has Condemned Kenyan Authorities ‘Chilling’ Crackdown On Protesters, Speaks Of Family Ordeal

    Lupita Nyong’o Has Condemned Kenyan Authorities ‘Chilling’ Crackdown On Protesters, Speaks Of Family Ordeal

    Actress Lupita Nyong’o has condemned the Kenyan authorities’ crackdown on huge anti-tax protests that began in June.

    Demonstrators were met with police brutality, according to rights groups, with dozens of people killed and numerous others abducted.

    Nyong’o, whose father was jailed and tortured under a former president, Daniel arap Moi, told the BBC: “It is chilling to know that this government is resorting to tactics that I had thought had been left in the past.”

    In response, the government said it was not possible to compare two “very different” administrations and that it “regrets any death that occurred”.

    But Nyong’o, an Oscar winner who grew up in Kenya but now lives in the US, said the government’s handling of the protests was “upsetting”.

    “The more things change. the more they stay the same… I don’t know how this story ends,” said Nyong’o, who has starred in Hollywood hits like 12 Years a Slave and Black Panther, during an interview about her new podcast.

    Her father, Anyang’ Nyong’o, is currently a county governor in Kenya and acting leader of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), one of the country’s main political parties.

    The governing United Democratic Alliance (UDA) brought ODM politicians into the government in July, as part of a series of measures aimed at placating the protesters.

    In the 1980s, Anyang’ Nyong’o, a political science professor at the time, was among a group of academics who organised against Moi’s regime.

    Moi, in office from 1978 to 2002, ruled Kenya with an iron fist and ruthlessly suppressed his political opponents.

    After Lupita Nyong’o’s uncle, also an activist, disappeared, the family fled to Mexico. Her uncle’s body has never been found, but according to local reports, the family believes he was pushed off a boat.

    “I am deeply grateful for the younger people who are on the front lines fighting for a different Kenya,” Lupita Nyong’o said of this generation’s protesters.

    Isaac Mwaura, spokesperson for the current Kenyan government, told the BBC that the authorities were “very co-operative with the protesters and acceded to the demands, including the president not assenting to the finance bill”. It was controversial tax measures in that bill that sparked the trouble.

    As for reports that people were killed during the demonstrations, Mwaura said: “Only police statistics are official. The government regrets any death that occurred during the protests and anyone who may have caused such will be held responsible following the rule of law.”

    Lupita Nyong’o was born in Mexico after her father (pictured), mother and sister fled Kenya

    Nyong’o detailed her father’s ordeal in the latest episode of her storytelling podcast, Mind Your Own.

    In it, Nyong’o and other African contributors tell entertaining real-life tales in order to explore what it means to be from the continent.

    So far in the series, accounts have hailed from Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda and the diaspora.

    Nyong’o tells her dad’s story in an episode named The Freedom Fathers – the only one so far where politics and oppression are mentioned.

    This is intentional – the actress said she wanted to focus on “quirky”, “peculiar” tales rather than well-trodden subjects such as conflict, disaster and poverty.

    “I think that all too often we can be narrow about our idea of what is African… I wanted to stay away from the hot button issues that are in the news, that are making it across the globe, because those already exist,” she said.

    “What are the stories that we don’t know about – an ordinary person going through an extraordinary situation?”

    Although Mind Your Own was produced by American company Snap Studios, numerous African creatives were hired to work behind the scenes.

    For example, the podcast’s cover art was made by Mateus Sithole, an artist Nyong’o met in Mozambique, while Nigerian-American musician Sandra Lawson-Ndu did the theme song.

    “I really wanted to have as many African hands touch this project as possible. I wanted to send a message, a clear message… this is by and for Africans, without it being exclusionary of anybody else,” Nyong’o said.

    However, she acknowledges that it is not possible to encapsulate the entire continent, comprising 54 countries, in one podcast.

    “There’s absolutely no way that I would task myself in trying to give the ultimate or comprehensive thesis of Africa – that’s crazy!” she said.

    “Africa is going to be as as malleable and as changeable as the people who come from there.

    “So we’re never going to be done telling our own stories.”