Comments on Romance Meets Life: Thandie Newton in Half of a Yellow Sun - I see Osc...

I need to go read my borrowed copy of the book asa...

2012-02-02T01:01:25.167-08:00

I need to go read my borrowed copy of the book asap o. so I can relate better to what/who would be my ideal Odenigbo/Olanna. Looking at Thandie though, i think if she adds some pounds to her frame, she'll do just fine.

This argument reminds me of 'the help'. Does it matter who tells the story so long as it is told? The Biafran genocide is one story that younger generations of Nigerians don't know much about, yet it's a very important part of our history.
Me, i trust Hollywood to do a good movie!

Wow, CCN, that's a long epistle. But to be hon...

2012-01-30T15:53:03.653-08:00

Wow, CCN, that's a long epistle. But to be honest, I couldn't relate much of it to be topic at hand.

I hear it's for a date in 2013. Too far away e...

2012-01-30T09:36:23.122-08:00

I hear it's for a date in 2013. Too far away eh?

Yes o, LOL....

2012-01-30T09:35:05.661-08:00

Yes o, LOL....

The same ideal was applied historically when Afric...

2012-01-29T22:13:32.148-08:00

The same ideal was applied historically when African-American slaves repatriated to African, namely Liberia and Sierra Leone - the Americo-Liberians and Krio. The white Europeans used the close proximity of physical traits between the Africans of Westernized lineage/admixture and the indigenous un-mixed Africans as a way to penetrate the indigenous people, as they were not able to successfully do prior, by putting the new breed blacks in positions of authority over the non-colonized/non-penetrated blacks. The close proximity in phenotypes allowed for more social influence between the two groups, and the white colonialists used this to their advantage.

We've, collectively, become passive in this continued genocide - the driving factors being commerce, industry and the all mighty dollar. Thus, people become blind to it in the name of social acceptance and mobility. The media is a major tool applied in conveying the social messages that influence the masses into these practices.

Sure, a non-Igbo woman could play the role. But why does she have to be half white?

Why is it that anytime Hollywood makes a movie about Africans they can't be more authentic in their casting?

What is wrong with the way non-mixed indigenous sub-Saharan African look that they can't cast them to portray these parts?

There are plenty of well trained, seasoned and talented un-mixed sub-Saharan Africans to choose from both in Black Hollywood, Nollywood, Gollywood, the Black Hollywood of South Africa...even in the Haitian movie industry. So, even among blacks WITH admixture, with European ancestry, and/or with Westernized lineages, why can't someone with broader features that are closer in proximity to what actually Igbo people look like play this role? Hell, Austria's movie and film industry has several season, trained and talent Aboriginal actors as well.

This genocide of SSA people has not ended. We need to start speaking out. People need to wake-up.

There is more to this issue than skin color and ra...

2012-01-29T22:12:24.383-08:00

There is more to this issue than skin color and race. This is also about white hegemony and phenotype genocide. Igbo women come in a range of colors, yes. But Igbo women also have a certain subset of features, aside from skin color, specific to their ethnic group.

I appreciate this protest because, the way things are socially engineered, the wide phenotype range of blacks, or blacks of European admixture/descent (non-sub-Saharan lineages), has evolved a people indifference to the fact that genocide traits specific to our sub-Saharan African ancestors continues via the social perpetuation of what/who is to be desired aesthetically - i.e, how they align/measure along the rule of white-ness or European-ness.

When certain physical traits specific to our indigenous unmixed sub-Saharan ancestors start being breed out of a population of SSA descent, people don't make an issue of it. This has happened several times among African descended populations, based on the influences that deemed sub-Saharan African features undesirable and unacceptable. This was applied in Puerto Rico where most of the population bred lighter, and were happy to see a mass exodus of afro-Puerto Ricans during the mid-1900s. This is currently happening in the Dominican Republic in regards to hair texture - any hair texture close in proximity to the hair textures of indigenous un-mixed sub-Saharan peoples is shunned, regarded as 'dirty'. This happens through the black world when people express that they wish to date non-Sub-Saharan descend people, or mixed people, because they desire a posterity with features that are less SSA - lighter skin color, 'softer' features, features more averaged between SSA and Nordic Caucasian bloodlines, silkier hair with looser curls, etc...

There's also the ideal, which spans across the entire aesthetic spectrum of the black race, that having European/Caucasian ancestry is more acceptable (desirable) than not having this ancestry. This can be seen in the minority, but prominent elite, European descended and identified mixed race population of Angola. While many individuals from this small ethnic group have physical traits close in proximity to the non-mixed sub-Saharan descended counterparts (brown/dark skin color, wide noses, curly and tightly coiled hair, etc...) it's the fact that they have European ancestry/identity that makes them elite over the rest of the indigenous population.

oh my goodness, this is supa exciting....when does...

2012-01-29T20:12:52.896-08:00

oh my goodness, this is supa exciting....when does it come out?

This is Exciting! "A Love Rekindled" is ...

2012-01-28T17:52:28.411-08:00

This is Exciting! "A Love Rekindled" is next.

I hope so too. It was my best book the year I read...

2012-01-28T13:08:34.547-08:00

I hope so too. It was my best book the year I read it.

You're welcome. And how you dey?

2012-01-28T12:39:46.502-08:00

You're welcome. And how you dey?

Indeed. As much as Nollywood is doing OK, I still ...

2012-01-28T12:37:03.008-08:00

Indeed. As much as Nollywood is doing OK, I still think Hollywood has a better standard. I also hope they come out with something we can all be proud of.

I think Chiwetel Ejiofor will be Odenigbo :)

2012-01-28T12:34:19.791-08:00

I think Chiwetel Ejiofor will be Odenigbo :)

I'm excited about this news!!! Right now I'...

2012-01-28T11:20:51.263-08:00

I'm excited about this news!!! Right now I'm reading the book and its amazing.

I wonder who is going to act as Odenigbo tho.

I loved this book and did not realize they were go...

2012-01-28T06:58:19.177-08:00

I loved this book and did not realize they were going to make it into a movie. I am so excited!!!! Thanks for sharing :)

Kudos to Chimamanda for the novel... I am surprise...

2012-01-28T02:20:06.353-08:00

Kudos to Chimamanda for the novel... I am surprised and happy that this will turn into a Hollywood movie for the world to see... Well, of course we want our stories to cast nollywood actors but we have to put that aside and project sophistication and standard to make it worth watching... Olanna's character was interesting and I hope Thandie will project her very well!!! goodluck to the producer!

http://nigeriantimes.blogspot.com/2011/11/there-wa...

2012-01-28T01:36:09.828-08:00

http://nigeriantimes.blogspot.com/2011/11/there-was-country-personal-history-of.html

There was a Country: A Personal History of Biafra by Chinua Achebe

I love this book so much. I cried. It was amazing....

2012-01-27T20:22:46.389-08:00

I love this book so much. I cried. It was amazing. Chimamanda is truly talented. I'm excited for the movie. I hope Bandele does justice to it!

I totally agree.

2012-01-27T19:52:12.712-08:00

I totally agree.

Thanks Chris, and happy new Year. I didn't kno...

2012-01-27T19:50:32.828-08:00

Thanks Chris, and happy new Year. I didn't know Achebe was writing a book set in Biafra too. That should be interesting.

I think Nollywood actors are doing their best, but...

2012-01-27T19:49:34.726-08:00

I think Nollywood actors are doing their best, but I don't think they can sell the big Hollywood production this is shaping up to be.

You'll certainly run a gamut of emotions but I...

2012-01-27T19:48:17.242-08:00

You'll certainly run a gamut of emotions but I didn't find it that depressing, more like thought provoking.

Thanks for the info, Myne. I've had that book ...

2012-01-27T18:10:57.502-08:00

Thanks for the info, Myne. I've had that book for more than a year and I've been scared to read it because Chimamanda said she almost went into a bout of depression and was so emotionally drained from writing it. But I'd planned on reading it next so I might as well get to it. :)

i didnt know chinua achebe is writing a book on th...

2012-01-27T16:58:09.014-08:00

i didnt know chinua achebe is writing a book on the war too... It seems you cant be a complete Nigerian writer if you haven't written about that war. On the movie i think using a lot of Hollywood actors would do it a lot of good. Nollywood actors can be distasteful sometimes (no offence meant). Kudos to Adichie.

Great, a really positive development

2012-01-27T14:58:56.663-08:00

Great, a really positive development

I am impatiently waiting to see this film when it ...

2012-01-27T14:52:04.684-08:00

I am impatiently waiting to see this film when it materializes. The book is one of the best I have ever read. Also looking forward to read Chinua Achebe's version of the Biafra story in his new book to be released this year.

Myne, I was proud to see you among the 50 most influential Nigerians of 2011. Keep up the good work!