Netflix Partners With Mo Abudu; To Adapt Books By Shoneyin And Soyinka

Uchenna Emelife reports,

Nigerian award-winning producer, Mo Abudu in partnership with Netflix will produce adaptations of Wole Soyinka’s 1986 classic play Death And The King’s Horseman as well as Lola Shoneyin’s debut novel The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives.

This was revealed by a tweet thread by Netflix on Friday, the 12th of June, 2020.

It reads: “📣We’ve got MAJOR news for you today! Netflix has partnered with acclaimed producer @MoAbudu to bring you two of Nigeria’s most beloved literary classics to screens around the world! 📚🎥”

The tweet revealed that Shoneyin’s debut will be adapted into a series, while Soyinka’s play a film.

In addition to producing these adaptations, Mo will further produce two new Nigerian Originals plus licensed films and a series for Netflix, the tweet goes on to say.

In reaction to this, Wole Soyinka shared: “In a creative industry which, even in pioneering countries, is so male dominated, it is always a delight to see robust challenges offered by the female gender, and of attestable quality.

"Mo Abudu’s incursion into this arena as film and television producer has been especially stimulating. It becomes part of one’s sense of achievement, if one has contributed, however minutely, to the creation of an enabling environment.” He concluded.

Lola Shoneyin on the other hand says: “I was thrilled when Mo contacted me about making a show out of my novel The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives. I’d turned down so many offers but this one felt right. It was an opportunity to see my work in the hands of a woman who pursued excellence in Africa in the same way that I did. I grew to trust her very quickly, so when she told me about the possibility of working with Netflix, I was overjoyed. Soon, people everywhere will have access to the story of Baba Segi. And that is more that I could have asked for as a writer.”

The media mogul, Mo Abudu had this to say: “As a Nigerian storyteller, my biggest motivator has always been to tell authentic and untold stories that resonate with every person, regardless of where they’re from in the world while showcasing our culture, heritage and creativity.

“This unprecedented partnership is testament to the Netflix’s investment in African storytelling and we at EbonyLife are grateful and excited about the opportunity to work together with the Netflix teams led by Dorothy and Ben to deliver a slate of unique and riveting stories from Nigeria over the next few years for Netflix audiences around the world.”

Specific details as to when both adaptations will premiere are unknown but one will be out before the year wounds up, Netflix reveals.

Mo Abudu via a tweet further reveals that the first on her studio’s (Ebonylife Studio) list is Shoneyin’s debut, so it is most likely we will see this first before the feature film adaptation of Soyinka’s play.

This is major news for African literature.