Kenyans, especially residents of Kisumu (the third largest city in the country), have something to smile about after it was confirmed that the town is set to host an early screening of the widely-hyped and anticipated Black Panther movie set to be officially released on Feb. 16 worldwide.
Lupita Nyong’o, who grew up in Kisumu, gave the chance for the local residents to watch it as an honour and also in a move to make her hometown a hub of creative arts.
“This is a great moment for film makers in Kisumu and beyond. We are happy Lupita has decided to launch the movie in Kisumu, the citadel of arts,” said an excited Obat Masira, the executive chairman of the Lake Victoria Basin Film Makers Guild in Kisumu.
With the help of Governor Anyang Nyong’o — who happens to be Lupita’s father and the governor of Kisumu who want this capital of jurisdiction to be a home of performing arts for the local talents to make a living out of their creativity — the movie is scheduled to have two premiere screenings: a private screening which will be an early special Valentine’s show for lovers and also a second one which will be for the general public. According to Sunday Nation — a leading newspaper media company in Nairobi — IMAX’s (the cinema company that will take care of the screening) Marketing executive Flora Njagi said they opted to choose Kisumu and not Nairobi for the advanced screenings because Lupita is “a girl from that soil.”
In an earlier February post, Lupita announced her trip to Kenya through a post on her Facebook page confirming that she will be flying home for the event. The post was accompanied by a photo of her with her father, Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o, her mother Dorothy and brother Peter Anyang Nyong’o Jr.
“Yesterday I graced ‘Black Panther’ premiere in Los Angeles. Kisumu has been chosen to host the same event on February 13, 2018. Come all and share some light moments,” read Lupita’s message on her Facebook.
This comes after months of political tension in Kisumu, which has been on many international media headlines for the chaos that has been happening after the announcement of the results of last year’s general election. The town — the stronghold of the opposition and also the hometown of Raila Odinga — was hit with frequent cases of police brutality. Hopefully the Black Panther screening will be a chance to show the better side of the city by the lake.
