While most actors might assume the colourful writing of Shakespeare or celebrated Cannes Film Festival flicks would ignite their inner thespian, Chioma Umeala caught the acting bug from the live-action adaptation of the Scooby-Doo movies. It was not long before the actress’ career to hit a pivotal moment playing the beloved Mami Nojiko in the live adaptation of the most-watched anime in history, One Piece.
The local star, who played lead roles in the thriller crime series Isono, has ascended into the limelight from a young age. Her musical talents have taken a back seat while her acting chops have been her bailiwick securing her roles on The Woman King.
Her most recent role on One Piece is one for the books, playing the adoptive sister of main cast member, Nami. Known as a “waifu” a Japanese loanword taken from the English wife, Nojiko has a cult following of salivating fans who follow her intently. Umeala was not aware of some of the sexualised reactions fans gave, including a YouTuber who wanted her to spit on him.
“I find it entertaining as f**k! It comes part and parcel with this role. I’m glad that I hit the nail on its head,” says Umeala.
Though Umeala has won over a couple of hearts, a number of fans have responded aggressively to her being cast as a character whose race is not black. The racism is nothing new to the world of anime and its literary counterpart, manga. This played out on social media, leaving Umeala disappointed in the reactions.
WARNING, SENSITIVE CONTENT:
“As a black woman, I can never just be cast in a production. There’s an added layer of baggage I have to navigate and deal with. I first have to defend my race before I defend my work. I would much rather defend and have conversations around my work rather than the conversations I am having around something I can’t control, which is my race.”
With no interest in detaching from her black identity, Umeala has found the painful conversations a sobering reality of what other black actresses often have to face. But when it comes to dealing with it, she has been staunch in voicing her opinion.
“I don’t find their views upsetting in a personal sense but in a structural sense. It’s the same mentality and rhetoric that reinforces racist systems,” says Umeala.
Luckily, most fans of the anime genre and comic books have responded by creating spaces or subcultures where they can freely express themselves without the fear of prejudice that can get quite violent. A particular group that has taken a staunch approach is blerd (black nerd) culture in an aim to create spaces to participate in media made for fans of comics and their adaptations. The backlash they have received is that they are exclusionary to the same people who discriminate against them though their work has allowed more fans of anime to freely participate in the culture.
As a black woman, I can never just be cast in a production. There’s an added layer of baggage I have to navigate and deal with. I first have to defend my race before I defend my work.
— Chioma Umeala
“With blerd culture, I don’t have to worry about all that other stuff that I mentioned earlier because I can just be myself,” says Umeala, “I’m not just a visitor in the anime space. Blerd culture was so welcoming as a presence that was so needed, not just for me but for anyone else who needs it.”
The backlash Umeala experienced was not limited to racism from white and East Asian groups who consume the content but also a number of South Africans who questioned her nationality as a South African with a Nigerian father and Xhosa mother.
“I knew from the jump that South Africa was always going to be a little tricky for me because I am both South African and Nigerian,” says Umeala. “I was not South African enough for certain people or even those who carry a lot of anti-black rhetoric. But it still becomes annoying and frustrating,” she shares, stressing how important it is to have healthier conversations on the internet where majority of the prejudice is experienced.
In the past few years, actors have been pressured to not be vocal about their political opinions or views on race which Umeala has been forced to express online. Her staunch take and expression on these issues have always been a part of her need to make her point of view clear.
“This is me 24/7 so if it weeds out the people who won’t want to work with me because I am speaking about things that are valid, then we were never going to work together,” she says, stressing how her ordeal with racist fans has made her feel she has not been vocal enough.
“The spirit of One Piece is anti-racist. We can all agree this thing is morally wrong, so I can’t see what’s wrong with speaking to the very spirit of what we are promoting, for whoever would cast me down the line. We are in a time where things are shifting and it’s more pertinent to say something than not. Like the strike overseas. I am absolutely for it. I wish we could unionise here in South Africa, whether it’s giving SAG-AFTRA more power to negotiate for crews and actors,” says Umeala who is concerned by the lack of royalties for South African actors despite the growing interest in the local film industry.
While she has no international roles in the next coming months, Umeala hopes to be scooped up by more local productions while focusing and growing her craft. And while she may have shifted her focus to acting, she still has an interest in music and hopes to be cast in a musical, with Chicago a favourite.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.