Country Queen, Kenya’s first homegrown Netflix show, hit the streaming platform on 15th July 2022. The family drama marks a significant development in Netflix’s attempt to expand its horizons to Africa. Country Queen was shot in English, Swahili and a mix of other traditional languages of the soil. It stars Melissa Kiplagat, Melvin Alusa, Nina Wacera, Raymond Ofula and Sheila Munyiva, among others. All 6 episodes span 60 minutes each, with subtitles available in multiple languages.
Summarising the show:
IN A BOUT OF LOSS, LOVE AND BETRAYAL, A 10-YEAR-OLD REVELATION MIGHT JUST BRING EVERYTHING TOGETHER.
-Country Queen Review Does Not Contain Spoilers-
The series features a head-strong woman living her city life in Nairobi when she gets a disturbing call back from her village. The village being a character in itself, is fighting all odds against a corporate power that is obsessed with owning and digging the land for gold. Through the storyline, we breathe in the urban and rural lives of Kenyans and not just the landscape or wildlife the country has to offer.
Dwelling into the show, the first episode will feel like a slap of fresh air about the rural life of Kenyans. The sounds of cows mooing or a goat’s tip-toeing grounds you into reality.
There are a million themes that Country Queen covers. Themes of forgiveness, redemption, betrayal, love, power hunger and obsession were covered extensively. Characters mostly had surface-level emotions, as their backstories weren’t heavily hinged. But artistic metaphors like a picture of Nelson Mandela hanging above a journalist’s desk while he contemplates which side of the coin he belongs to were absolutely brilliant.
The series overdid itself with exploring and showcasing the rich experiences of the people while living in poor conditions. You might think that the series is infused with tradition, but that’s your cultural shock speaking. The characters infused with their heritage just had to show up on the screen for us to feel the essence of their history.
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Country Queen had every ingredient of a classic American drama, be it a character with a moral compass, a conniving woman with too much power ready to wreak havoc on others, a woman with all the qualities of a goddess, a man who chooses to go against the current and an infiltrator. But where it chose to deflect was introducing a powerful climax. The show had the power to ask you daring questions, with answers you will take a long time to fathom.
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Special Mention: Episode 5 saw a discussion of two young boys, each defending and questioning child labour in their own way, in front of a man considered to be mad. He speaks about capitalism and Karl Marx, the last thing you would expect out of a person who is rejected by society. His phrase, “We won’t solve social imbalance today,” perfectly encapsulates the essence of the show. He is pragmatic yet hopeful about the future, a subtle message to the audience.
Final Verdict: Country Queen
The show will have a divided response. Some will prefer it for its sheer portrayal of the Kenyan people, a representation of whom the world has rarely seen, others will watch it due to its simplicity in discussing heavy themes that not most shows cover nowadays.
Country Queen is now streaming on Netflix.
Absolutely think you should complete the story, voices should be heard
I think it is a great series!