Lupita Nyong'o Visits Nigeria Ahead Of Her Upcoming Role in 'Americanah'

Kenyan actress and singer  Lupita Nyong'o is currently in the country as part of her preparations for her role  in the upcoming mini-series adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's 2013 novel, Americanah. Lupita, who bought the film rights, is excited about playing Americanah's main character, Ifemelu- a young Nigerian woman who goes to American to attend college and becomes a successful blogger, while her boyfriend Obinze ( who will be played by British Nigerian Zackary  Momoh) struggles as an illegal immigrant in England. According to the actress, she was captured by Americanah and Adichie's previous book, Half of A Yellow Sun. Her first film role was Patsey, an abused slave in 2013's Twelve Years A Slave, which earned her various awards, including a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Her other films include the horror film Us, Queen of Katwe and Marvel's  Black Panther.

Lupita was hosted by Americah's author Chimamanda Adichie at a private reception in Lagos last Saturday,  where she got to meet various veterans of the Nollywood and Nigerian music industry and expressed her eagerness at playing Ifemelu and has already begun learning Igbo and Igbo culture. 

'I'm here to immense myself and learn as much as I can in order to do the story justice.'

Lupita's upcoming role has brought about mixed reactions among Nigerians, but the versatile actress is known for her dedication and talent, hence should be given a chance. 

The mini series adaptation is set to have 10 episodes and will air on HBO Max.