There are two new shows, all about Africa, that are coming to streaming services near you: Netflix’s Young, Famous, and African, featuring South African black elite, and Showmax Naija’s The Real Housewives of Lagos, which takes a peek into the lives of wealthy women of Nigeria.
The excitement over these shows, particularly on Fashion Bomb Daily, has been palpable. Over 8,000 followers liked the trailer of Young, Famous, and African, with reader @Leev_282 writing, “Yes about time they show how the mother land is instead of dirt roads and the villages with sick and poor people.” Our post about the Real Housewives of Lagos garnered over 19,000 likes. Bombshell @KittyLaSue typed, “Idk who any of these people are but I love watching black excellence so I’ll tune in !”
The overwhelming sentiment as that we’re here for this, and ready for our motherland to be portrayed in an elevated way. Growing up in the 80’s, the ideas of Africa we saw in media were either famine filled or fantastical. Either we were watching Eddie Murphy as Prince Akeem in the fictional land of Zamunda or crying over late night commercials of “Feed the Children,” with poverty stricken children begging for nourishment.
Though I’ve traveled to Africa and known for quite some time that it’s popping and not what we have typically seen, it seems that now the world is able to see it in living color, and in a medium we can all easily reference. How many Real Housewives franchises have we followed over the years? And now we get to see women who look like us, running businesses and living the Bomb Life in our true homeland.
We were forcefully separated from our cousins over 400 years ago. And so while we may look similar, many things are different, from culture, to our language, to even style. I personally can’t wait to see what both shows bring. And it’s humbling to know that our cousins in Africa love us as well. Many of the cast members reposted or commented on our posts about them, or dipped into our DMS to offer insight, background, and commentary. The realm of entertainment is helping to facilitate one of the biggest virtual family reunions in centuries.
It’s about time.
What say you?
Love & Light,
