Toast to Lupita and Barkhad

                  Barkhad Abdi and Lupita Nyong'o       Photo: Courtesy

Despite missing out on the opportunity to watch the The 86th Annual Academy Awards from the lovely Intercontinental Hotel in downtown Nairobi during the wee hours of the morning, it is clear I was meant to catch the broadcast nonetheless.

A choice between subscribing to DSTV premium channels and high speed Internet, Internet wins. However, in reality I have neither. 

So when I had to travel out of the country for work that same weekend, I found myself in a hotel room with M-Net Premium Channel, I felt the gods smiling upon me. Of course, along with a country full of Kenyans, I wanted to witness Lupita’s presence at the Oscars, and ideally, the moment of her win!  We now know she did not disappoint.

I did get the glimpse of Lupita when she arrived at the venue with her whimsical powder blue gown and cute headband, that I imagine will be copied around Nairobi in days to come.

I got a peep of her parents who must have been beside themselves with the bookend moments of first giving birth to a beautiful baby girl and now accompanying her to the Academy Awards.

We know her brother and declared ‘best friend’ was transported inter terrestrially in his spirit as he leaped over Lupita nearly knocking her over and stomping that pretty blue gown when the show’s host Ellen Degenere’s invited Lupita for a selfie.

 By the time Lupita recovered from the mishap, her bro was front and center, squeezing up next to the likes of Brad Pitt while Lupita languished in the back with only the top of that pretty head band, if that, in the infamous pic that allegedly crashed Twitter. 

The show started in earnest at 4.30 am. I was looking forward to the opening ceremony that is usually nice, but in my sleepy haze I hardly remember it.  I use to be an avid watcher of the Academy Awards when I lived in the US. I ensured I watched all the nominated films and be the informed viewer to applaud or curse the Academy.

I guess I still could do that, as the DVD sellers on the street seem to carry the Best Film picks, but my interest has waned from this childhood exercise. It was waning this night too as we all waited until 6:20am to share that an amazing moment with her.

My biggest surprise of the moment was Lupita’s Hollywood darling moment had completely obliterated the fact for me that there were two Africans nominated for awards that evening.  I had heard Barkhad Abdi interview on getting the role of the head Somali pirate in Captain Phillips, but I had no idea until that night that he was up for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

I guess Hollywood has space for only one African at a time/century and Lupita was the most sellable, though Abdi’s story is the most incredible, against all odds, up from under, underdog wins story, ever!

A Mandela-esque story, minus the obvious stature and history.  Not to steal Lupita’s thunder but when she left her home country, she was already advanced in her journey to become a serious actor and was seeking formal training at one of the most prestigious institutions to seal the deal.

Her getting an Oscar is somehow plausible despite the incredible leaps and bounds made.  Barkhad left his home country under dire circumstances and languished in a refugee camp for years before getting a golden resettlement ticket to the US in search of a new life. Him being nominated for an Oscar is not at all plausible.  And if Hollywood gets it right, the film about Barkhad Abdi’s life story may find him seated in the Great Hall again, but fortunately with Nollywood, Riverwood, Hollywood, we no longer have to wait for Hollywood to tell our stories.

Congratulation to Africa’s Academy Award nominee and winner.

Denise is an Afro Soul singer and a musical performance coach. [email protected]