“I am not crazy, I am unique”

There is this show on Netflix called “Orange is the New Black” which I'm sure some of you reading this have already taken the time to binge watch. I was watching this series but... my mother found out, and well, that was the end of that! If you’ve seen the show then you know that it is highly explicit and the themes are  inappropriate and the characters are quite crazy “unique” but that is all part of what makes the show pure genius, right?!

You know how some shows require that you to sit through the first few boring episodes in order to truly start enjoying it? Well, “Orange is the New Black” is NOT one of these shows. I knew it was going to be good within the first five minutes, when a jail inmate named Taystee says to another inmate named Piper, “Gurl, you got those TV titties!

The whole show is about women (one of my favorite themes) – REAL women, of all types. Smart, dumb, pretty, ugly, lesbian, strait, old, young, CRAZY, unique, confident, shy, vulnerable, and strong. I think it's the first show I have ever watched where women are depicted in their five dimensional glory. These women have depth! And I almost forgot to mention that these women are all inmates - in a jail (the title orange comes form their orange jump suits) - but doesn’t that fact make the show all the more interesting!?

This week "Orange is the New Black" took home 3 Emmy wins having had 12 nominations.

My favorite character from the show (from which the quote “I am not crazy, I am unique” comes from) is this wacky, large eyed, rough, yet vulnerable inmate named Suzanne ‘Crazy Eyes’. ‘Crazy Eyes’ is played by an up and coming actress named Uzo Aduba who took home the Emmy for "Outstanding Best Actress in a Comedy Series" for her performance in this role.

Uzo Aduba

To my pleasant surprise Aduba, like me, is an America-born Nigerian actress (I knewww I liked her!). Being a fellow Najia Girl in the African Diaspora I am a true fan! I now follow Aduba on Instagram and Facebook.
 

In an interview with NPR she talks about the struggle of growing up as the only Nigerian in her town, she also tells the story of the time when she asked her mom if she could be called Zoe; her mom "without skipping a beat, said, 'If they can learn to say Tchaikovsky, and Michelangelo and Dostoyevsky, then they can learn to say Uzoamaka.' "

Listen to the amazingly captivating interview here: http://n.pr/1p9TRtW

…and remember you are unique…

Uzo Aduba as Crazy Eyes in “Orange is the New Black"

 Photos courtesy of: tv.msnbc.com & Tumblr