From Beyoncé to the Oscars: Mary Twala, Africa's queen of cinema

From Beyoncé to the Oscars: Mary Twala, Africa's queen of cinema

By Nadia Neophytou

Striking impression ... Mary Twala in Beyoncé’s visual album Black Is King. Photograph: YouTube

Mary Twala died just a few weeks before Beyoncé’s Black Is King came out.

In the film, the 80-year-old embodied the story’s shaman figure, the last part she’d ever play in a six-decade career.

The deep lines of her face, white paint over her eyes and red beads covering her head, made a striking impression, introducing the actor to a whole new audience.

Among its other virtues, Black Is King opened a portal for western audiences to some of the best talent from the continent – some emerging, others, like Twala, already well established.

Full Story: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/nov/25/beyonce-oscars-mary-twala-black-is-king-this-is-not-a-burial-its-a-resurrection