Her family comes from a small town in the region of Gao —near the Sahara desert—and her father is of the Songhay people. She moved to France when she was 4 years old to live with her aunt and uncle. She was the lead female character—Agnes Kamkwamba—and the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was added to Netflix on March 1, Once the filming was over, she dedicated herself to the book and contacted a group of performers to bring many perspectives to the project.
The book details the inequity and racism black women face in the French film industry and outlines personal stories and casting experiences specific to black actresses, [ 16 ] [ 18 ] and came to fruition amid the MeToo movement and the Cannes festival that had a wave of calls for inclusion.
The book was a success in France and has sparked debate about minority representation. We are living in a world where we are trying to break from the past and define what we want from the future. I believe in the power of women, I have since I was a little boy, and this moment means a lot to me.
The clear message of the protest, combined with the recently released book to back it up, was met positively—the consequent media reports talked of their beauty, style and courage. The intention of the open letter was to shed light on the absence of Black, Arab, and Asian performers and filmmakers in the nominations for the event. The speech was unexpected and contrasted with the congratulatory speeches that had taken place throughout the evening, the predominantly white audience of the "French Oscars " were all frozen in silent surprise and discomfort.
Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item. French actress. Dakar , Senegal. Early life [ edit ]. Career [ edit ]. Career beginnings — [ edit ]. Bamako and career breakthrough — [ edit ]. Rise to stardom and international career —present [ edit ]. Political activism [ edit ]. DiasporAct collective [ edit ]. DiasporAct red carpet anti-racism protest at Cannes [ edit ].
