This has already been the blackest Black History Month in all of history, but 2018 may very well turn out to be the blackest year ever, because black people everywhere are flourishing, shining and creating magic everywhere they go. It’s a beautiful thing.
An example of that is Lupita Nyong’o, who already has everyone buzzing over her performance in Black Panther. The actress announced Wednesday via her personal Instagram account that she will be producing and starring in a film adaptation of Trevor Noah’s memoir, Born a Crime.
“When I read @TrevorNoah’s ‘Born a Crime,’ I could not put the book down. Excited to announce that I will be be starring in and producing its feature film adaption!” the she wrote.
Born a Crime is Noah’s reflection on his family and growing up in South Africa during apartheid. Noah’s father is a white Swiss man, and his mother is a black Xhosa woman. Their union was forbidden by law and punishable by five years in prison. Noah’s mother kept him hidden as much as possible so that the government would not take him away from her.
Michiko Kakutani, when she was book critic of the New York Times, described the book as “not just an unnerving account of growing up in South Africa under apartheid, but a love letter to the author’s remarkable mother.”
Nyong’o would ostensibly play Noah’s mother in the film adaptation, and we can’t think of anyone better for the role.
Looking forward to seeing this happen.