She is the first female ruler recognized by European powers
The Netflix series African Queens: Njinga is narrated by African writers: Njinga tells of Queen Njinga, who lived in what is now modern Angola in 1583. She was a politician, a warrior, a daughter, a sister and a mother, and above all, very skilled in diplomatic relations.
When her brother Mbandi became king after the death of their father, the kingdom was attacked by the Portuguese, and Mbandi recognized Njinga’s negotiating skills and asked her to negotiate with the Portuguese leaders. When her brother died, she became the new queen.
Source: TV Insider
The fact-based series shows all sides, the good and the bad. Njinga, played by actress Adesuwa Oni, encouraged slaves to flee the Portuguese, but she also enslaved African people.
Stories have always been passed down to us humans, but the stories we were taught were usually very selective and exclusively the stories of the conquerors. In the process, many important stories have been lost or forgotten, even though they are of great importance. Through the Netflix docu-series, produced by Jada Pinkett Smith, the goal is to create a medium where stories like Queen Njinga’s are retold across generations and to understand what it is like to feel pressure from the outside and witness your country being emptied. The world should become the audience: Because this kind of story speaks for the entire diaspora, showing people left behind and taken away, in Africa, in the Caribbean, in the United States, and in Latin America.
Njinga is the story of the beginning of the African diaspora.
To those who have not heard of Queen Njinga befor or even to those who know the story, this series is a must to watch on Netflix.
Source: Glamour UK
