Kenya today woke up to the big moment, that her very own Lupita Nyongó had won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in ‘12 Years a Slave’.
[Read: Lupita Nyong’o wins an Oscar for best supporting actress]
Social media and world news broadcasts exploded with the buzz and if you did not know she is Kenyan, then by now you know!
The news came in when Kenya’s team from the tourism board (KTB) were on their way to the ITB Berlin, the world’s largest tourism trade fair, which officially kicks off in two days!
Kenya has in the past featured in Oscar winning movies, due to shot on locations like ‘Out of Africa’ but never before has a Kenyan actress or actor won the film world’s most coveted prize nor as many awards as Lupita! Kenya is also one of the best destinations for wildlife location shots with popular documentaries such as ‘BBC’s the big cat diary’.
Kenya has in the recent past struggled as a travel destination but this significant occasion will undoubtedly give a huge confidence boost to the country’s tourism and the Kenyan team presently en route to promote the country at the ITB in Berlin.
Kenya has in the past gained great publicity from her athletics team, who have always excelled in the Olympics and World Championships, but in the wake of Lupita’s win, she and Kenya are now enjoying mentions from all over the world, ranging from news broadcasts to social media and even word of mouth! Kenya’s hopefully that in the near future, she may regain the position of not only being East Africa’s number one destination but Africa’s number one.
Congratulations Lupita, we are proud of you and good luck to the Kenyan team at the ITB Berlin,2014.