‘The Woman King’ Isn’t a Biopic. So What?
Notes from America with Kai Wright
WNYC Studios
4.4 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 28 September 2022
⏱️ 18 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
‘The Woman King’ sits somewhere between the cringe of 'Coming to America' and the fantasy of 'Black Panther' in Hollywood’s troubled history of stories about Africa.
Dr. Aje-Ori Agbese, professor in the Communication department of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, joins host Kai Wright to discuss Hollywood’s spotty history with stories about Africa and the cultural significance of the new blockbuster hit.
Companion listening for this episode:
Somebody, Sing a Black Girl’s Song (5/16/2022)
An intergenerational meditation on Ntozake Shange’s iconic Broadway play, "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf."
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome back to Notes from America with Kai Wright. |
| 0:23.7 | That's me and we're going to turn now to the new blockbuster film The Woman King. |
| 0:29.1 | We're hearing a little bit of the score right now. |
| 0:39.1 | The Woman King stars Viola Davis. |
| 0:41.3 | It's directed by Gina Prince, Bythwood, both behind the camera and in front of it. |
| 0:47.0 | This is a film driven by and about black women that opened last weekend to an impressive |
| 0:53.0 | box office to critical acclaim and excitement and to some criticism for the difficult |
| 0:58.5 | conversations. |
| 1:00.1 | It either fosters or avoids depending on your perspective. |
| 1:03.7 | I will tip my hand from the start here. |
| 1:05.9 | I love this film. |
| 1:09.2 | It is wildly entertaining, yes, for me, but also I have to say I appreciate the story |
| 1:14.8 | it imagines, but that's just a fans perspective. |
| 1:18.2 | We're going to think a little more deeply about it now with Ajay Ori Agabase. |
| 1:24.5 | She's a communication scholar at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. |
| 1:28.5 | She's a specialist in intercultural communication and in particular representation of African |
| 1:33.9 | women and their lives, Professor Agabase, welcome to the show. |
| 1:38.7 | Thank you for having me, Kai. |
| 1:40.9 | Am I getting your name right? |
| 1:42.3 | Agabase, right? |
| 1:43.3 | Yes, you are. |
| 1:44.3 | You haven't killed it. |
... |
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