Sulwe by Lupita Nyong'O

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Sulwe is a children's fiction picture book by actress Lupita Nyong'o. It follows the story of a young girl who wishes for her dark skin to be lighter. The story is ultimately about colorism and learning to love oneself, no matter one's skin tone. [1]

Sulwe.jpg


Summary

Sulwe, which means “star” in the Kenyan language Luo, introduces readers to a young girl named Sulwe who is the darkest person in her familySulwe wished she had light skin like her sister Mich who is the color of high noon. In an effort to try and lighten her skin, Sulwe uses a big eraser to try and rub off layers of her skin and she only eats the lightest, brightest foods like: bananas, white bread, and crackers. As a last effort, Sulwe decides to turn to God and pray for a miracle. She prays to wake up and have light skin and lots of friends just like her sister. When she wakes up the next morning and sees her prayer wasn’t answered she breaks down and tells her mother everything. Her mother gives her sage advice and reassures her she’s beautiful just the way she is. Later that night, Sulwe is visited by a shooting star who takes her on a quest which helps her learn to love and appreciate herself. [2]

Pros

Nyong’o’s book is a sweet take on ways young children can be helped to confront colorism; it’s an issue we often have to educate kids about––they may be fine around their loved ones but will need to be able to deal with a European-values obsessed society. Nyong’o, who was born in Mexico––an extremely Eurocentric nation––but raised in Kenya, has explained that she not only has had to counter colorism among Mexicans (who rarely acknowledge their African-descendant populations) but also in Kenya. When Lupita was five years old and her younger, lighter-skinned sister was born: “With that came the cooing and the cawing and her being called pretty. And just––there was a obvious preference for her skin color. So that was the first time that I started to feel unrelated to the word beauty,” Nyong’o told NPR’s Noel King in Oct. 2019. [3]

Luita.jpg

Patricia Campbell Carlson gave her review on one of online sites, she said When we hold Sulwe in your hands, we can shift its angle to see a single star appear in each of the eyes of this young girl, Sulwe, in addition to the more readily visible one on her necklace. These bright adornments echo the meaning of her name: Star. Sulwe parts the fabric of prejudice, colorism in particular. Kenyan actress and producer Lupita Noyong'o and New York Times bestselling illustrator Vashti Harrison could not have done a finer job of convincing four to eight year olds that they have a bright beauty all their own. [4] 


References