In a statement, Jada added: “There are so many stories to be told in regard to the Black experience globally. I think that it’s important to tell the stories now because we can and haven’t always been able to. Even though there’s a lot more work to do, we’re at a place now where we have the ability and the opportunity to tell stories that have been forgotten as well as the stories that are part of our everyday lives and what a gift that is.
“It’s a testament to standing on the shoulders of all of those that came before us that didn’t have the opportunities that we have but were part of carving out the path for all of us to get to where we are today. African Queens is in honor of that,” she concluded.
In a separate interview with Tudum, 51-year-old Jada explained that she wanted to highlight these queens’ stories for personal reasons, which stem from her daughter. “This particular project went through many different machinations, but it started with Willow… I really wanted to represent Black women,” she said. “We don’t often get to see or hear stories about Black queens, and that was really important for me, as well as for my daughter, and just for my community to be able to know those stories because there are tons of them! The sad part is that we don’t have ready access to these historical women who were so powerful and were the backbones of African nations.”
Joe Alblas/Netflix
The story of Queen Njinga is re-created by actor Adesuwa Oni, while Jada narrates the story. She also executive-produces alongside Westbrook Studios’ Miguel Melendez, Terence Carter and Sahara Bushue, as well as Nutopia’s Jane Root, Maxine Watson and Ben Goold.
African Queens: Njinga will premiere on 15 February 2023 on Netflix.