Lupita Amondi Nyong’o, born on March 1, 1983, in Mexico to Kenyan parents is Motivating Africa’s personality of the month.
Lupita Nyong’o, who is a theater actress and television actress is also an international filmmaker known for her Academy Award-winning role as Patsey in Steve McQueen’s ’12 Years a Slave’. She started acting as a teen in Kenya and went on to work behind the scenes of the film The Constant Gardener. She has since gone on to co-star in the films Non-Stop and Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, as well as the Off-Broadway play, Eclipsed.
Her parents, Dorothy and Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, were in political exile at the time of her birth but were able to return to their homeland of Kenya during their daughter’s childhood. Her father later became part of the country’s Senate while her mother, who worked in family planning, took a leadership position with the Africa Cancer Foundation.
Lupita Nyong’o went to college in the United States, studying at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, and earning her degree in film in 2003.
She honed her craft as a filmmaker by directing, editing and producing the 2009 documentary In My Genes, which followed the stories of several Kenyans who are living with albinism. And she became a star of Kenyan television in Shuga, an MTV/UNICEF-backed series that looked at sexual relationships among youth in Nairobi, aiming to promote HIV awareness and safe sex via storytelling.
Did you know – Lupita Nyong’o shares the same ethnic identity as President Barack Obama, whose father was a prominent member of the Luo community?
Lupita Nyong’o can claim both African and Latin American nationalities, as she was born in Mexico while her family is of Kenyan heritage. She is also the first Mexican and first Kenyan actress to win an Academy Award.
Lupita Nyong’o has received an array of accolades and she has become a majestic fashion icon.
Two of her favourite quotes are;
“It’s only when you risk failure that you discover things. When you play it safe, you’re not expressing the utmost of your human experience.”
“No matter where you’re from, your dreams are valid.”
What inspires you about Lupita Nyong’o, share with us in the comment section.
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