It has been a long time coming for an African Netflix original series.
If you are looking to Netflix and chill this weekend, you should check out the new African spy thriller dubbed ‘Queen Sono’ which premieres on Friday (28.02.2020).
‘Queen Sono’ stars popular South African actress Pearl Thusi who brings her A-game with her spycraft, ass-kicking and her afro.
The series is a mix of international espionage, family drama, and a brilliantly unapologetic lead who makes you wish there was a female Bond character.
Here are four reasons why you should click on and enjoy ‘Queen Sono’.
1.First African Netflix Original.
The first African original series by American streaming giant Netflix is no mean fete, this is a big step forward in the African film industry.
At the end of 2018, The Sauce reported that South African Quantico star Pearl Thusi would star in Queen Sono.
The six-part series is an action-packed spy thriller Thusi playing the title role working for an undercover South African agency devoted to protecting African people.
Eric Narmack, Netflix’s VP of International Originals, said the network would be partnering with more creators on the continent, The Sauce.
2. Soundtrack by Sauti Sol, Sho Madjozi and Black Motion
It is only befitting that an African series gets an African soundtrack. ‘Queen Sono’s main soundtrack top Afro-pop band Sauti Sol from Kenya, South African award-winning singer Sho Madjozi and South African House duo Black Motion.
The upbeat song is titled ‘Disco Matanga’ and has Sauti Sol showing off their musical prowess as well as Sho Madjozi’s Swahili lyrics.
The elated Kenyan boy band took to Twitter to announce this major move after recently being signed to Universal Music.
Listen to the snippet of the song from when Sho Madjozi performed it during her most recent show in Kenya below.
3. Beautiful African female spy
Pearl Thusi burst into the international scene when she appeared in the hit FBI series ‘Quantico’ alongside former Miss World and actress Priyanka Chopra-Jonas.
There has not been a lot of female spy leads on TV save for Annie Walker (Piper Perabo) in Covert Affairs, Peggy Carter in Agent Carter and Nikita (Maggie Q) in the American adaptation of the French series Nikita just to mention a few.
Now, here is an all-new female spy lead whom many can relate to, Thusi is a beautiful African woman with curves, big hair and can hold her own in a fight.
4. African spy thriller
Queen Sono has an African crew and a mostly African cast, which allows for the people of the continent to tell their own story.
“Controlling the narrative is really important because we’re tired of seeing, particularly, just struggle stories,” Thusi shared.
Queen Sono tells a spy story from a South African point of view and it features a fictional South African spy agency.
Viewers can see and hear, the narrative controlled through the songs that play during scenes, the clothing worn by the characters, the various languages (including Zulu, Afrikaans, and Swahili) that the characters speak and showcases places like Zanzibar, Johannesburg, and Lagos.
Bonus: Kenyan actor Raymond Ofula featured
Kenyan acting legend Raymond Ofula who makes an appearance in Queen Sono Episode 3: The Devil’s Toys.
Ofula plays the former President of Tanzania – President Magoro, an ally of Mandela during the struggle for liberation of Africa.
In an attempt to uncover the truth about the death of her mother the freedom fighter Safiya Sono, Queen, while on an undercover mission as a journalist at the Nairobi Security Summit enquires about President Magoro’s involvement in the transition period in South Africa after apartheid.
Ofula’s character is certainly moulded from Mwalimu Julius Nyerere who speaks with wisdom and conviction only reserved for Africa’s founding fathers. “We fought so that our children could have a better life. The struggle and our children were mutually linked. Now that the whole thing is spoilt, we have to find a way to make it right again for the people of this continent.”
Pearl Thusi is a 31-year-old seasoned South African actress, model, TV, and radio personality. She is also a mother to her 12-year-old daughter Thandolwethu Mokoena.
Queen Sono’s official premiere on Thursday (27.02.2020) in Johannesburg, South Africa was full of pomp and color with celebrities such as Pearl Thusi, Cassper Nyovest, Sauti Sol, Nasty C and Sho Madjozi in attendance. Queen Sono is streaming on Netflix from February 28th, 2020.
