Kenyans sigh no more, Lupita's coming home

Lupita Nyong’o on the red carpet ahead of the opening ceremony of the 68th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southeastern France, on May 13, 2015. Lupita will arrive in Kenya in a week’s time for a homecoming tour that includes raising awareness on elephant conservation efforts. PHOTO | FILE 

In Summary

• She will be lending her star power to the conservation efforts in a radical departure from her glamourous assignments.
• Lupita, whose stellar career began in Kenyan theatre, says she is delighted to be coming home.

By KEI
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Did you want to meet Lupita Nyong'o? Or have Dinner with the Oscar award winning actress?

That will only be Sh10,000 per person or Sh100,000 for a corporate table for an exclusive event to be held on Thursday, July 2 at the Villa Rosa Kempinski Nairobi.

It may have seemed that Lupita had given Nairobi and her Kenyan fans the snub but it appears she had a grand entrance planned.

The actress will arrive in Kenya in a week’s time to conduct a homecoming tour that includes activities that aim to uplift the Kenyan arts community as well as raise awareness on elephant conservation efforts in the country.

Lupita will be the chief guest at an exclusive dinner bringing together conservationists, artists as well as the general public for an arts and a fashion show by selected Kenyan designers and artists. 

Lupita Nyong'o will arrive in Kenya in a week’s time to conduct a homecoming tour that includes activities that aim to uplift the Kenyan arts community as well as raise awareness on elephant conservation efforts in the country. PHOTO | COURTESY

Besides her performances on the screen, the actress red-carpet favourite and has been on the covers of People, Vogue as well as numerous appearances in some of the world’s most glamourous magazines. She is also the ambassador of Lancôme, a luxury cosmetic brands as well as fronting campaigns for Miuccia Prada.

SAVING THE JUMBOS

She will be lending her star power to the conservation efforts in a radical departure from her glamourous assignments.

Lupita, whose stellar career began in Kenyan theatre, says she is delighted to be coming home.

“I am delighted to be returning home, especially with the added honour of being able to use this opportunity to help shine a global light on Kenya's conservancy efforts,” said Ms. Nyong’o.

Lupita began her reign as Hollywood's new fashion darling as she picked up her Best Supporting Actress award for her tear-jerking performance in '12 Years a Slave'. The actress stunned in a baby blue Prada gown whose colour she called "Nairobiblue" that became a  trending on Twitter after Lupita enthused, "It's a blue that reminds me of Nairobi, and so I wanted to have a little bit of home".

Lupita has consistently topped the best dressed lists culminating in her proclamation as People Magazine 2014’s most beautiful woman and Glamour Magazine’s second best dressed ahead of Duchess of Cambridge and established Hollywood stars.

While Lupita’s red-carpet looks have not reflected her Kenyan influences, her date to the 2014 BAFTA awards was her mother, Dorothy Nyong’o, who wore an outfit by a Kenyan designer.

Lupita’s homecoming tour is being supported by a number of local brands including Safaricom, Kenya Airways, Simba Colt Motors, African Heritage, Villa Rosa Kempinski and luxury bag manufacturer Lulea.

Lupita will partner with WildAid, whose mission is to end the sale of illegal wildlife artefacts such as elephant tusks or rhino horn. 

In a statement, the actress said the elephants were facing numerous threats.

“Our country's elephants are a critical piece of the heart of Kenya and we need to take action now to save their population from the threats that continue to endanger their existence.”

SUCCESS IN ARTS

WildAid works to reduce global consumption of wildlife products by persuading consumers and strengthening enforcement unlike most wildlife conservation groups that focus on protecting animals from poaching. 

Ms Nyong’o, who will be in the country starting June 29^th, will have a busy itinerary that will include an immersive mentorship session with young Kenyan students and artists on June 30^th, where she will discuss her acting career and provide tips on how to succeed in the arts.

Since her Oscar win, Lupita has gone on to star in “Non-stop” an action movie alongside Liam Neeson and landed a role in the uber secret Star Wars: Episode VII to be released later this year.

The actress has also taken a role in “The Queen of Katwe”, a movie about a chess prodigy in Uganda.