Nigeria is falling in love with Star Wars.
There are two reasons. There’s a growing nerd culture in the country — young people who love science fiction and see it as a way to imagine our own futures as something better than our present. We also have an annual Comic Con in Lagos. And last year a friend and I started an online “speculative fiction” magazine, Omenana.com, which has helped promote a new generation of sci-fi writers and artists.
The other reason: John Boyega.
Boyega is the son of Nigerians who settled in Britain. He plays Finn, a disillusioned Stormtrooper in the new movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens. And he’s proud of his heritage.
“I’m grounded in who I am and I am a confident black man, a confident, Nigerian, black, chocolate man,” he has posted on Instagram.
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