Lupita Nyong’o, mum feted by the Harlem School of Arts
By Faith Kyoumukama
Hollywood actress and Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o and her mum Dorothy Nyong’o were yesterday awarded by the Harlem School of Arts with an award called Visionary Lineage. This was during the Mask Ball in New York City, USA.
In her acceptance speech, the Black Panther star actress thanked her parents for fueling her passion for the arts as a child.
"I was thinking about (the Harlem School of Arts) and what it does for children and its students (and) I didn't have an institution where I'm in from in Nairobi, Kenya. And so, the only way my interest in the arts thrived was because I had parents who valued those interests. And my mother, in particular, she really nurtured my artistic spirit," she said.
Her mother said she noticed her daughter's interest in the arts as a child and so, she looked for "opportunities to nurture that."
"I really didn't do much. My job was really to facilitate it and I'd like to encourage parents to do it. Sometimes we make the mistake of trying to make our children what we think we want. I'm proud of her. She makes me shine," she said.
Popular South African comedian and The Daily Show host Trevor Noah presented the awards to the two.
Lupita recently released her debut children's book, Sulwe, which tackles the issue of skin pigmentation and its acceptance among children of colour.
She has appeared in other films such as Star Wars, 12 Years a Slave (with which she won the Oscar Best Supporting Actress Award in 2014), Queen Of Katwe andUs.
