Audio By Vocalize
Actress Lupita Nyong'o arrives at the New York Premiere of 'The Odyssey' held at AMC Lincoln Square 13 on July 14, 2026 in Manhattan. [AFP]
This week we take a break from Kenya’s eerily predictable politics to an important “going on” that should be permeating Kenyan discourse with more fervour than it currently is.
It involves the controversy arising from the casting by Christopher Nolan of our very own Oscar-winning Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy in the epic movie, The Odyssey. Lupita’s casting has ignited a global firestorm and unveiled the reality of racial prejudice that still reigns in the 21st century.
The controversy erupted almost immediately after Lupita’s role was confirmed. At its core, the backlash hinges on a simple but revealing premise: that the “most beautiful woman in the world” cannot be Black. Critics, led by South African-born tech billionaire Elon Musk, have argued that casting a Black actress as Helen, a figure traditionally depicted as white in Western art, is “historically inaccurate” and a capitulation to “DEI lies”.
