Africa(n movie roles) for Africans

Now, let’s start by saying that Jennifer Hudson is a capable actress. She blew Beyoncé out the water in Dreamgirls and by all accounts she did her thing in The Secret Life of Bees. But like all outfits aren’t for all weather conditions, all parts aren’t for all people. It was an outright shock to learn she had been picked to play Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. Good luck to her, hope she does the part justice, but it just seems a little, well, opportunistic. It’s like getting Salma Hayek to play Benazir Bhutto because they are both olive-skinned.

AfriPOP magazine offers up this criticism and gives Hollywood some advice in case it wants to cast black Americans in African roles.