SuitabookSulwe
Lupita Nyong’o
- Reading
- Read it together rather than leaving the hurtful names or skin-lightening attempts unexplained. Pause to ask what Sulwe may be feeling, then discuss the Night-and-Day legend and whether its message changes how she sees herself.
- Themes
- Worth beyond appearance: Sulwe initially believes lighter skin would make her more beautiful, while her mother and the Night-and-Day story present brightness and beauty as more than skin colour. The narrative clearly supports valuing Sulwe’s complexion and inner qualities rather than changing her appearance.
- Colourism and belonging: Sulwe is treated differently from lighter-skinned family members and schoolmates and feels excluded because her skin is darker. The story presents this unequal treatment as hurtful and unjust, while the Night-and-Day legend stresses that both forms of darkness and light are needed.
- Story, myth and explanation: The book addresses story, myth and explanation; the detail of how it is developed remains unclear. The legend functions as a meaning-making story about the value of both Night and Day, rather than as a scientific account.
- Worth knowing
- The emotional centre is Sulwe’s distress: she is left out, called derogatory names, prays to become lighter and tries makeup, an eraser and light-coloured foods. The magical material includes personified Night and Day and a shooting star.