To commemorate Black History Month, Netflix will broadcast African Queens: Njinga on February 15, 2023, at 3 a.m. ET. The four-part documentary series, which will focus on notable African warrior queens, will be narrated by Jada Pinkett Smith, who will also act as an executive producer.
According to the synopsis for African Queens: Njinga,
“A new documentary series chronicling the lives of notable and legendary African Queens is being produced by Jada Pinkett Smith. Njinga, the complicated, intriguing, and daring 17th-century warrior queen of Ndongo and Matamba in modern-day Angola, will be the focus of the first season.”
It goes on to say:
“As the country’s first female monarch, Njinga established a reputation for combining political and diplomatic acumen with military capability, and she became a symbol of resistance.”
African Queens: Njinga, a four-part documentary series, will be narrated by Jada Pinkett Smith.
Jada Pinkett Smith will go into the domain of renowned African warriors in the new Netflix documentary series, African Queens: Njinga. The first season of the show, which is set to premiere on the streaming site on February 15, will revolve around Queen Njinga. African Queens will tell the tale of Njinga, the ferocious warrior queen who reigned over Ndongo and Matamba in Angola in the 17th century. As the country’s first female monarch, Njinga was known for her military prowess as well as her political and diplomatic abilities. The four-part documentary will look into Queen Njinga’s amazing hardships.
Pinkett Smith may be heard narrating in the trailer:
“Born into a dark period – a warrior, a queen, destined to rule. She fought her realm fiercely against European strength… enslavement threatened to ruin a continent. Rising to become a lighthouse for her people.”
Jada Pinkett Smith discusses representation in relation to African Queens: Njinga.
In an interview with The Citizen, Pinkett Smith discussed her experience with the play and expressed her desire to “keep to the historical truths.”
She stated:
“The challenge with storytelling is that sometimes you want to take creative license and extend concepts a little bit, but I really wanted to keep to the actual realities of each individual. I simply thought it was necessary, especially because these aren’t well-known tales.”
The 51-year-old went on to say:
“There is a wealth of historical literature about all of England’s queens, so if you wish to extend their storylines in crafting a story, the purity of their life is at our fingers. That is not true of Black African queens.”
Smith expressed her desire to “represent Black women” and noted that the audience does not frequently get to “watch or hear tales about Black queens.” She emphasized the necessity of representation, particularly for the “community to know these experiences.” Along with Smith, Westbrook Studios’ Miguel Melendez, Terence Carter, Jane Root, Maxine Watson, Ben Goold, and Sahara Bushue serve as executive producers. The series is written by Nnene Iwuji and Seasons of Love’s Peres Owino.
