Actress Lupita Nyong'o’s New Book ‘Sulwe’ Will Acknowledge The Beauty Of Girls Of Colour

Saturday, October 5, 2019, 10:58

36-year-old Lupita Nyong'o, the famous Hollywood actress is all set to become a published author with her first children's book titled Sulwe. The book narrates the story of a girl named 'Sulwe', meaning 'star' in the Lupita's native language.

This book is intended to give strong and powerful messages to girls of colour. The 48-page book is scheduled to release on 15 October 2019.

Though we are developed and are enjoying various technological advancements around us, there are some girls who still feel inferior because of their dark complexion. The same can be inferred from the summary of the book.

Sulwe is darker than everyone in her family and school but she wants to look beautiful just like her mother and sister. This is when something magical happens that changes everything.

On 1 October 2019, Lupita shared her picture of her 5-year-old self. Through this picture, she has tried to reflect on how she looked and what she thought about herself when she was young.

"As a little girl reading, I had all of these windows into the lives of people who looked nothing like me, chances to look into their worlds, but I didn't have any mirrors. While windows help us develop empathy and an understanding of the wider world, mirrors help us develop our sense of self, and our understanding of our own world," the caption read.

She says she wants to make the children acknowledge themselves and accept the way they are.
"#Sulwe holds up a mirror for dark-skinned children especially, to see themselves reflected immediately, and it is a window for all the others to cherish peering into," she mentioned.

She also talked about how society is still stigmatised for having fairer skin and the way people feel privileged for having a fairer skin tone.
"Colorism, society's preference for lighter skin, is alive and well. It's not just a prejudice reserved for places with a largely white population," she wrote further.

Lupita believes that the book will help people with dark skin to develop a love for themselves rather than feeling inferior. Through this book children, especially girls of colour will be able to consider themselves to be equally beautiful.

We are too excited for the book to release and inspire people, especially women. We hope this book helps them to feel beautiful inside and out.