Netflix unveils first look at Jada Pinkett Smith's docu-drama about African warrior queens

African Queens: Njinga is released this month.

By Sam Warner

8 Feb 2023

Netflix

Netflix has dropped a first look at new docu-drama African Queens.

The new series, which is narrated and executive produced by Jada Pinkett Smith, focuses on prominent African female rulers, with the first season centred on Njinga.

The first clip gives a sense of her power, as we see dramatised footage interspliced with interviews on her fascinating life.

According to Netflix, Njinga was "the complex, captivating, and fearless 17th century warrior queen of Ndongo and Matamba, in modern-day Angola".

"The nation’s first female ruler, Njinga earned a reputation for her blend of political and diplomatic skill with military prowess and became an icon of resistance," the synopsis adds.

Pinkett Smith previously said of the show (via TVLine): “There are so many stories to be told in regard to the Black experience globally. I think that it’s important to tell the stories now because we can and haven’t always been able to.

jada pinkett smith wearing a gold strapless sequin dress and flesh coloured cape

Karwai TangGetty Images

"Even though there’s a lot more work to do, we’re at a place now where we have the ability and the opportunity to tell stories that have been forgotten as well as the stories that are part of our everyday lives, and what a gift that is.

"It’s a testament to standing on the shoulders of all of those that came before us that didn’t have the opportunities that we have but were part of carving out the path for all of us to get to where we are today. African Queens is in honor of that.”

Pinkett Smith is well known for her role as Niobe in The Matrix franchise, and in recent years has been prominent due to her talk show Red Table Talk alongside daughter Willow and mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris.

African Queens: Njinga will stream on Netflix from February 15.