Arséma Adeoluwayemi Hamera Thomas, who played the young Agatha Danbury in Netflix’s popular series “Queen Charlotte,” has expressed her love for Nigerian culture and shared her favorite things about it. In an interview with the Naija Netflix team, the half-Ethiopian half-Nigerian American actress revealed her favorite Nigerian dish, music, and authors.
Favorite Nigerian Things
Arséma shared that her favorite Nigerian dish is moin-moin, a steamed bean pudding. She loves the spiciness and seasoning that comes with it, and enjoys eating it anytime of the day. When it comes to music, she immediately thought of Fela Kuti and his song “Water.” She admires the jazz and rock n roll elements in his music, and considers him her favorite type of artistic revolutionary. Finally, when asked about her favorite Nigerian authors, she mentioned Abiola Bello and Eloghosa Osunde.
Unique Answers
The actress’s unique answers impressed many of her fans on Instagram, who appreciated her depth of knowledge and understanding of Nigerian culture. She did not give the answers that one might expect, but instead showed a deep appreciation for the country’s music, cuisine, and literature. Her responses were seen as refreshing and authentic, and demonstrated a genuine interest in Nigerian culture.
‘Hmmmm… my favourite Naija music is, I mean there is a photo of Fela Kuti right there. I’m thinking WATER. I just listened to it as I was getting ready today. There is something about the jazz, the rock n roll. And Fela Kuti is like my favourite type of artistic revolutionary’, the actress said.
The comments on instagram are like this:
“Really love how intentional her answers are. they’re not the conventional type of answers you’d readily hear. I mean, we all want to say Chimmamanda or Burna or Davido but it’s obvious she knows her things”.
“I was waiting for her answer particularly for what’s currently happening now here and I was really hoping it won’t be a regular answer. Didn’t disappoint at all”
“Couldn’t predict her responses. There’s something refreshing about that”.
In the interview, Arséma also expressed her desire to be included in the Nigerian entertainment space. Her positive portrayal of Nigerian culture and her interest in becoming a part of it is a great example of how art and culture can bring people together across borders and cultures.
