Peres Owino wrote two episodes of African Queens: Njinga, which is streaming on Netflix. The docu-drama was nominated in twelve different categories at the Daytime Emmys, making it the most of any show nominated this year.
African Queens: Njinga is a new documentary series exploring the lives of prominent and iconic African Queens. The first season will cover the life of Njinga, the complex, captivating, and fearless 17th century warrior queen of Ndongo and Matamba, in modern day Angola. The nation’s first female ruler, Njinga earned a reputation for her blend of political and diplomatic skill with military prowess and became an icon of resistance.
I had the opportunity to ask the writer about the moment she received her nomination, her best piece of advice for those interested in a similar career, how the audience has responded to the series, her greatest takeaway from Njinga, and much more. Keep reading for what she shared!
Can you share your reaction and how you felt when you received your Daytime Emmy nomination? I understand the show was nominated in 12 different categories, which is the most of any show nominated this year. That’s huge, congratulations!
Peres Owino: Thank you! I found out via an email from Nutopia, one of the Production Companies. At first, all I saw was the 12 nominations, which was very impressive. Then I saw the writing nomination and went into a laughing shock. I stepped out of the car and just started laughing… with the flies, the birds, and the wind. It was all very emotionally overwhelming. Then I spoke with my co-writer, NneNne, and we had a grateful moment because there are so many people to thank for this moment, from Njinga to Jada, to the Bens at Nutopia, to Ethosheia and Adesuwa, to Netflix and Westbrook, the list is endless.
You are also the first East African-born woman to be nominated for a Daytime Emmy and were recently nominated for a NAACP Image Award for writing. What does this recognition mean to you and what do you hope it shows those who look up to you?
Honestly, it is both exciting and scary to be recognized. Exciting in that you feel validated when it is well-received because writing is such an intimate craft, done in isolation. Ironically, the moment the audience grows beyond yourself, you start to feel too exposed and that’s scary. Like that dream of delivering a speech before an audience only to realize that you are naked. But there is strength in facing that fear, in being bold in your nakedness.
First thing I’ll say to anyone looking up is I’m right beside you. Looking up denotes a pedestal and the only thing that belongs on a pedestal is a statue. I like living with my feet on the ground, sinking in the muck and the mire. It’s where all the juicy characters dwell. Up there is nothing but hot air. I hope people see in my body of work my deep love for storytelling, Africa, and humanity. I am curious about us. Who are we? What have we been through? What draws us together? What pulls us apart? I deliberately use my African/Kenyan/Luo perspective to answer these questions in the hope of giving the world an alternative point of view. The African point of view. Watching the world embrace this warms my heart.
Do you have any advice for other WOC who want to write for television, film, or theater?
Write what moves you. Read other scripts and write. Read books and write. Spend time outside and write. Write. Write. Write. Control what you can, which is writing, and the rest will meet you along the way.
How did you want African Queens: Njinga to challenge the docu-drama genre?
Humanity is in constant dialogue about itself and the only way for us to understand our whole story is to hear all the stories. African Queens: Njinga was not written to challenge, but to add to the ongoing conversation. No human story is complete without African history. At first glance, African Queens: Njinga is the inspirational story of one woman’s fight to stave off a devastating fire that’s burning the world around her. Without any water, I might add. But upon deeper inspection, African Queens: Njinga is also the story of Angolans, Africans, Afro-Caribbeans, Afro-Americans, the entire African Diaspora, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas. Her story is a lynchpin moment in our collective history.
What has it been like to see all of the success and praise that it has received?
To see audiences receive African Queens: Njinga with curiosity, praise, and pride is both humbling and satisfying because that is how the team; Nutopia, Westbrook, Netflix, and all the creatives received Njinga and hoped to pass her story on.
What do you hope the show speaks to in terms of the underrepresented narratives of Queens and African historical figures?
Njinga’s road to the throne was both inspiring and heartbreaking. She’s trying to make sense of a world that is upside down while suffering deep, personal losses. She’s forced to make hard choices and loses more than she gains. I don’t judge her because I have the privilege of a 21st-century lens. Instead, I mourn what she and Africa lost, and intentionally look at the African Diaspora in a purposeful way. That is how the history of our ancestors changes me. Their stories help me move forward with grace while giving me a sense of duty. I hope others who watch this have the same experience.
Sadly, the story of the lion is often hidden because it rarely depicts the hunter in a good light but the only healthy way forward is to look back. America is currently struggling with looking at her past, and I sympathize with that but we don’t maintain our morality because we don’t look back — we become moral because we do. Furthermore, history can’t hurt you because it has already happened. Its job is to guide you forward. The wisdom you need for the future is waiting there. The Akan of Ghana has a saying, “It is not a taboo to go back and fetch what you forgot.” I hope shows like this give us the courage to keep looking back.
What is it about Njinga’s impressive rise, diplomatic prowess, military strategy, and reign that interested you personally?
Njinga was a woman who took the helm of a kingdom that up until her, was run by men. And she did this while her world was being brutalized and most of the leaders around her were acquiesces to Portuguese might. She fought back using every tool in her kit. Few people can muster up the courage when staring at defeat. She did that! She’s an inspiration, reminding us that when it is darkest, we must be at our bravest. But my greatest takeaway from her is that leadership is not about power, it is about service. It asks for your courage, not your greed.
What did you learn from the project?
It’s always important to me that we represent our ancestors right. Give them their nobility back. I learned that you can do that, while still telling a story that resonates with the world. And the reception of African Queens: Njinga, Woman King, Black Panther, etc. goes to show that humanity is curious about Africa and her stories. Therefore it benefits both the audience’s heart and the studio’s pocketbook to keep telling diverse stories.