Actress Lupita Nyong’o on the spot for controversial ambassador role
Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o is facing criticism for accepting the role of global ambassador at De Beers Group.
Critics say the actress with Kenyan roots should not have accepted the role in a company in the spotlight reportedly for exploiting African minerals.
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But Lupita, daughter of Kisumu governor Anyang Nyong’o, argues the new responsibility will aid her to reach out and empower women.
“Even more importantly, my partnership with De Beers allows me to extend my advocacy for women and girls around the world,” she explained.
De Beers Group deals with diamond mining with a strong presence in Botswana, Canada, Namibia, and South Africa.
De Beers says Lupita is the ultimate representative of the firm’s Building Forever commitment to people and the planet.
“As a brand that is part-owned by the citizens of Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa, De Beers thinks differently about what value is and how it is created. To this end, through its Building Forever approach, De Beers will work with Nyong’o in pursuit of the brand’s public goals to engage 10,000 girls in STEM, support 10,000 women entrepreneurs and invest at least $10 million across southern Africa to achieve these goals by 2030.”
Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi said that Lupita’s ambassadorship disturbed him deeply.
“His dad is a revolutionary, a hero of the second liberation and then the daughter goes to bed with De Beers? I’m lost for words.”
This ambassadorship has disturbed me deeply. His dad is a revolutionary, a hero of the second liberation and then the daughter goes to bed with De Beers? I’m lost for words. https://t.co/CSZkpENvUb
— The People’s Watchman (@bonifacemwangi) October 31, 2022
I've spent so much of my morning trying to understand this. Lupita is partnering with a diamond company with deep roots in colonial extraction across Africa to "empower" African women?? pic.twitter.com/WJ3XPBBA7d
— Marius Kothor (@MariusKothor) October 29, 2022
I find that ppl are so eager to tie themselves to anything that will be seen as empowerment that they don’t research the implications. They have access to this info, they have a team that can access this info yet non of the work was done to uncover how non empowering this is!
— Norah-Frida Tebid (@nfridatebidjr) October 29, 2022
Yes and from what I understand she has critical African scholars in her family so I'm not understanding this at all. It's like if you're make money off colonialism just do it without saying you're helping people.
— Marius Kothor (@MariusKothor) October 29, 2022
But she's willing to associate herself to an organization that keeps on draining South Africa dry and poor, we have a very rich country but we have nothing to show.
— @Buhle_ndlangamandla (@Buhlendlangama1) October 30, 2022
The way the World works: DeBeers buys Lupita to "blackwash" ( give a black face) to its mining activities and violent appropriation and mistreatments of South Africa Land and Black Population.
— Franciska E. BONIN (@FranciskaB) October 29, 2022