Last month, Nigerian-American artist Amarachi Nwosu succeeded in bringing the true meaning of multidimensional “Blackness” to the surface with her documentary Black in Tokyo.
The revealing ten-minute documentary caught the eyes of many, showing viewers what it meant to be a Black traveler.
Although this was the first installment of many videos to come through her platform, Melanin Unscripted, which is aimed to “dismantle stereotypes and blur the racial lines by exposing complex identities and cultures around the world,” it is just the beginning of a movement.
A melanin movement that is going to be integral to the advancement, and better understanding, of racial attitudes.
Due to her brilliant representation of culture in Black in Tokyo, you already know Kulture Hub had to reach out. We caught up with Nwosu via email to find out what’s next for her and Melanin Unscripted.
Overflowing with creativity, Nwosu has already made quite a name for herself. The self-taught photographer, filmmaker, and writer has had her work featured on CNN Africa, Amuse, i-D, MTV, and VICE.
From a young age, Nwosu dedicated herself “to bridging understanding between different cultures and identities all over the world.” Her journey started as a young philanthropist when she was selected for the Princeton Prize for Race Relations in high school.
Through the Princeton program, she was able to speak to a group of dignitaries about the social justice club she founded at her school and the importance of investing in these initiatives.
Her experience working with Princeton as a racial relations ambassador has turned into a creative project that is both visual and physical. Nwosu said her platform has allowed her to,
“Spread information and inspire people to embody their best self. I want to really work with under developed communities and provide vital resources that don’t always exist in those areas.”
In fact, besides being a race relations ambassador for Princeton University, Nwosu shot social campaigns for Adidas Tokyo. That Adidas Tokyo campaign went on to be the first one to ever feature a Black woman.
Peep the melanin influence.
As you can see, Nwosu has a rare eye. She’s able to capture the Black culture and grasp a worldwide audience.
When reproducing someone else’s story through her creative lens, it’s important for her “to try and dig deeper and uncover both the positive and negative experiences that exist to create a well-rounded view.”
She spent nine months in Japan while studying abroad before her doc, Black in Tokyo, was born. Nwosu loves to see her vision manifest and come alive. It was through the virtue of patience where she found the importance of creating the best product possible.
In regards to capturing the lives of Black people in unique places like Tokyo, Nwosu told us,
“Although Black Culture is unique and diverse, there are not many stories on black expats around the world and when there are stories, they are often deemed as ‘immigrants’ rather than ‘travelers’ which shows the level of prejudice that often exists for black people compared to their white counterparts. When capturing these stories I think it is important to try and dig deeper and uncover both the positive and negative experiences that exist to create well rounded view…”
With her visual depictions of Black culture, Nwosu seeks to break barriers with her creativity. But in these trying times, being a Black woman trying to make a name for yourself in media can be a difficult proposition.
What’s specifically interesting about Nwosu is that she doesn’t see her identity as a Black woman as a reason to prove herself. Instead, she sees her identity as an opportunity. In relation to becoming a Black empress in the creative industry, Nwosu flipped the script. She said,
“I don’t look at my identity as the reason why I have to prove myself, I see my identity as an opportunity since there are not many women who look like me in the industry or in top leadership positions. I am on a mission to bridge a gap rather than complain about the circumstances that exist. Yes, it is harder for Black women but the reward is also greater for Black women who break barriers because it is ultimately history that is being made.”
Let’s get it!
Nwosu is driven by a steadfast faith in her own abilities. Coming out of college, instead of taking the option and securing a 9 to 5 straight out of college she took her biggest risk. She invested in her entrepreneurial dreams.
Regarding the biggest risk taken thus far in her career, Nwosu told us,
“I think choosing not to get a 9-5 straight out of college and being an entrepreneur full time was my greatest risk. I could have easily worked for a big company but I wanted to develop my own brand and build it from the ground up. So far it has been very worth it.”
So how is she going to take herself and Malanin Unscripted to the tippy top? By inspiring people to pursue their passions, regardless of what background they come from.
Nwosu wants to push the culture forward and pave the way for the youth dem. We asked her where she sees Melanin Unscripted in the next decade. She said,
“Beyond creating representation I want to also curate experiences that can impact people directly and build community programs that help artist coming from undeveloped countries. I also want the brand to develop into a TV Channel one day and impact millions of people directly. Ultimately I want to create a community and empower people to push their own boundaries.”
Wouldn’t that be dope? To see Black culture and Black lives projected on our TV screens the correct way.
We will definitely be seeing more of Nwosu as she chases down greatness. We asked her what advice she’d give to young creatives. She told us,
“Don’t wait for greatness to come to you! Create greatness in your everyday life and actions. If you started two weeks ago, you would already be two weeks better at it.”
So go make your own lane. Do as Nwosu has – chase your dreams, don’t wait for success to be handed to you, and hunt down greatness like a wolf.