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Jada Pinkett-Smith will be bringing us a show about Black queens.
The Red Table Talk host has been summoned to executive produce a Netflix docu-series about African Queens, Deadline reported. Pinkett-Smith will be onboard for two seasons for the untitled show. It’s reported that it will be a mix of scripted re-enactments and expert interviews.
“As the mother of a young Black woman, it is immensely important to me that she learns the lessons of the African Queens who paved the way for our success and the success of generations of Black women,” Pinkett Smith said in a statement. “I am very passionate and excited about bringing the stories and lessons of these powerful women to light in order to showcase their strength, leadership, and undeniable influence on history.”
The first season will focus on Cleopatra and the second season will be about Njinga. Cleopatra VII ruled ancient Egypt for three decades. During her reign, she ruled alongside her father, brothers and finally her son. The story of Cleopatra has been mostly researched and told by scholars, but her the accounts told focus on her romantic life mostly. In Pinkett-Smith’s docu-series, they will zoom in on her intellect.
Njinga Mbandi was the queen of Ndongo and Matamba. When her brother Ngola Mbandi died in 1624, she became queen. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization stated that Njinga was praised for her “tactics in warfare and espionage, her diplomatic skills, her ability to forge numerous strategic alliances, and her knowledge of trade and religious issues served her well in tenaciously resisting Portugal’s colonialist aspirations until her death in 1663.” Njinga was also the first female ruler in Ndongo and Matamba, which is in modern day Angola.
Pinkett-Smith will be executive producing on behalf on her production company, Westbrook Entertainment, that she owns with her hubby Will Smith.
