Africa is one of the most beautiful continents in the world. It boasts warm weather, exotic waters, lush mountains and welcoming people.
Mexican-Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o #started the year with a refreshing trip to South Africa’s neighbouring country, Mozambique.
With the help of the friendly locals, the “Black Panther" star explored Maputo, where she learnt more about its culture, people and food.
One of her the highlights of the trip was getting a giant mural of herself from artist Mateus Sithole.
“This is Mateus Sithole, a muralist who surprised me with this incredible portrait. During the pandemic, he developed a collage technique using strips of African print fabrics, extrapolating their dye to make artwork.
“The result is this textured tapestry. Its inspired expression so moved me that it brought me to tears. Obrigado (thank you), Mateus!” she wrote.
Being the fashionista she is, Nyong’o also visited the market to meet one of Mozambique’s renowned fashion designers, Witnei Shamusso, fashion designer and creative director of Wumburi.
The brand specialises in Wumburis and aims to celebrate Mozambican women. A Wumburi is a Mozambican national headwrap usually worn by women.
It is made of kapulana, an African printed fabric in vibrant colours.
After enjoying Maputo’s beauty, architecture, art and people, Nyong’o’s next stop was Accra, Ghana.
There, she visited the Freedom Skatepark, Accra’s first skatepark developed with the help of fashion designer Virgil Abloh. She also met interesting people like the Biker Girls GH, attended wine tasting, learnt how to hand-dye a piece of fabric and tasted delicate Ghanaian street dishes.
Her highlight was seeing women dominate in the business field.
“I visited Makola Market with Esther Armah, an author, radio host and political commentator. It doesn’t get much busier than Accra's largest and most vibrant market, and the best part? It’s predominantly run by women,” Nyong’o said proudly.
In December, the multi-award-winning actress visited Zanzibar and Tanzania. We hope to see her in South Africa soon.