International choreographer and performer Okwui Okpokwasili has joined several female Nigerians like Chimamanda Adichie and Njideka Akunyili Crosby as she becomes one of the recipients of the 2018 MacArthur Genius Award.
The 46-year-old choreographer was recognized for making the lives of women who have been left out of dominant culture narratives and their stories visible. The prestigious award comes with a whopping sum of $625,000 (N226 million).
The 2018 class of the “MacArthur Fellows” program was announced on Thursday, the 4th of October, 2018, where 25 individuals from various fields were given a no-strings $625,000 award to encourage them to continue to innovate, take risks, and pursue their creative vision.
Born and raised in the Bronx, Okpokwasili’s work focuses on the interior lives of women of color, especially those of African descent, whose stories have been overlooked and deemed invisible.
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Watch videos of her choreography below.
