…The most powerful thing about America is that it has immigrants. We’re more than just our cultural contributions. One thing immigrants have is the immigrant story, especially in a time like this with political unrest everywhere. People talk about civil war, dictatorship, and so on.
I’ve been calling all my immigrant friends to say, “We’ve lived through this. It’s time to find your nearest American and tell them why they don’t want this.” A dictatorship has no end. Once you have it, you don’t know who will come next. The only thing that saves you from a dictatorship is death. We’ve lived through civil wars that fracture nations permanently.
Americans sometimes don’t see themselves clearly. They’ve been warped about why we come here and why America is an idea that hasn’t been fully realized. We’re working towards something unique and beautiful.
We do have problems, but what country doesn’t? We shouldn’t let emotions get us so riled up that we’re not thinking clearly. As an immigrant from a kleptocracy, I’ve seen what tribalism does, and there’s no good end to it. Breaking something and putting it back together always leaves scars.
Immigrants shouldn’t sit quietly and watch. We’re also Americans now. We need to do something. This is our greatest call: to help Americans see their strengths and avoid making the same mistakes other countries have made…
I had the pleasure of talking with Peres Owino. Peres, a Kenyan-born writer, has become a prominent figure in Hollywood, known for her work uplifting underrepresented stories. Her recent project, the docu-drama “African Queens: Njinga” on Netflix, has garnered significant acclaim, earning nominations in twelve Daytime Emmy categories, the highest for any show this year. This milestone marks Owino as the first East African-born woman to receive such a nomination.
Born and raised in Kenya, Owino’s journey to Hollywood was anything but conventional. She grew up in a family that valued traditional professions with prestigious titles. Despite societal expectations, Owino harbored a passion for writing. She often wrote in secret, determined to pursue her dream even against familial pressures. “I believed if you really want to live your dream, you have to fight for it, even against your family,” she recalls.
After completing high school, Owino moved to the United States for higher education. While she initially studied law to appease her family, she secretly pursued a scholarship in theater and performing arts. This dual pursuit culminated in a degree in Social Children Development and another in Theater and Performing Arts, which she revealed to her father only upon graduation. Her determination led her to Los Angeles, where she navigated the challenges of an immigrant in a new city, learning the intricacies of the entertainment industry over a decade.
Owino’s directorial debut came in 2014 with the docu-drama “BOUND: Africans vs African-Americans,” which won the Women In Film Lena Sharpe Award at the Seattle International Film Festival and the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Pan African Film & Arts Festival. This success set the stage for her subsequent works, including co-writing the critically acclaimed series “African Queens: Njinga,” which explores the life of Queen Njinga of Ndongo and Matamba. The series has not only been a critical success but also a groundbreaking one, setting a new standard for factual limited series and earning recognition from the World Congress of Science and Factual Producers with multiple Buzzies nominations.
In addition to “African Queens: Njinga,” Owino co-wrote “Queen Cleopatra,” another historical series that was nominated for the 2023 National Film Awards. Her versatility as a writer extends beyond historical dramas. She developed the half-hour comedy “Inherited” for Warner Bros TV and is currently working on a drama with Gaumont TV US. Owino’s narrative features in pre-production include “The Boy and The Elephant” and “The Basket Weaver,” the latter of which was a finalist in the Universal Studios GTDI Writing Competition and winner of the NYWIFT Writers Lab, supported by Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman.
Owino’s impact on the industry is not confined to television and film. Her short film “Stray,” produced by 20th Century Fox Digital as part of Hulu’s Best of Huluween, showcases her ability to engage audiences across different formats. Her screenplay “Seasons of Love,” produced by Taraji P. Henson for Lifetime TV, earned an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Writing of a Television Movie in 2015.
Her contributions to theater include original works like “CUT,” which premiered at The Walt Disney Concert Hall, REDCAT, and her one-woman show “BEAUTY FOR ASHES.” As a classically trained actor, Owino has been an LA Ovation nominee and has appeared in numerous stage productions in New York and Los Angeles. Her notable roles include Hamlet in the LATC presentation of “HAMLET: PRINCESS OF NUBIA” and Lady Macbeth in the Coleman and Smith Artistic Company’s “MOCBET.”
Owino’s talents also extend to voice acting, with roles in films like Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” and Sasha Baron Cohen’s “The Brothers Grimsby,” as well as Hulu’s “The Looming Tower.” Her background in improv, studied at the Groundlings School, and stand-up comedy under Judy Carter, has further diversified her skill set, allowing her to perform across Los Angeles.
Her literary talents are showcased in her debut novel, “On The Verge,” published by Underground Voices. Owino is represented by Creative Artist Agency, RMG, and Morris, Yorn, Levine et. al, reflecting her established and growing influence in the industry.
Peres Owino’s journey from Kenya to Hollywood underscores the power of resilience and the importance of telling diverse stories. Her work continues to pave the way for underrepresented voices in the entertainment industry, making her a significant figure in the ongoing transformation of Hollywood.
Yitzi: Peres, it’s such an honor to meet you. Before we dive in, our readers love to learn about your personal origin story. Can you share a story of your childhood and how you grew up? Feel free to be as elaborate and as long as you’d like.
Peres: As elaborate and as long as I like? Well, I was born and raised in Kenya. My dad, who really wanted a son, ended up with not one daughter, but two, then three, one after the other. In Africa, and I think in the Jewish faith too, you get your name from an ancestor who has passed. I was named for my grandmother, who was alive, and my aunt, who was dead. Peres is a Hebrew name that’s only found among the Luo tribe in Kenya. It’s so bizarre — they’re the only ones with that name, and it’s only girls. You’ll never find a male named Peres.
Growing up in Africa, my parents, part of the Luo tribe like Barack Obama’s father, valued titles. They wanted you to be a doctor, a lawyer — something with a title so people refer to you as Engineer or Doctor, not just by your name. When I said I wanted to be a writer, everyone thought I was crazy. I spent a lot of my life writing in secret. I used to write at night by candlelight after everyone went to bed. One night, I fell asleep and the candle burned my dad’s boombox. He was so upset, but it didn’t deter me. I believed if you really want to live your dream, you have to fight for it, even against your family.
I graduated high school and was sent to the United States for university. Supposed to study law, I studied it and sent my dad the law results. Then I got a scholarship to study theater and the performing arts, which I kept to myself. I was in university for four years. My dad kept asking why I hadn’t graduated yet, and I said I was double majoring. I never told him what the second major was until the day I graduated. I gave him my degree in Social Children Development and kept mine in Theater and the Performing Arts. Then I hitched a ride to LA and disappeared for a year.
Living in Los Angeles without telling my parents what I was doing was tough. They would have freaked out. I didn’t know anyone and it was incredibly difficult trying to figure everything out as an immigrant. It was 10 to 15 years of figuring out the industry, getting into the studio space, and learning marketing at Paramount Pictures. That was one of the best lessons I ever learned because I began to understand the business of show business. While doing plays in LA, like setting Macbeth in Uganda, I learned both the craft and the business.
These experiences built my confidence and allowed me to speak differently when discussing film. I could approach it from both a creative and a business perspective. My mom once called and told me to pack up and go to Philadelphia where my sister was. I told her, “This city will not defeat me,” and didn’t talk to them for a year until I had my own car, apartment, and was stable. Then I called them. Now, it’s all pride from them — “Oh, my daughter did this and that.” But before, it was all criticism and concern.
Fast forward, I’m now writing. I always knew I was supposed to do this, but the path wasn’t straight. Some people have it easier, but I wouldn’t change my journey. If it had happened 10 years sooner, that would have been great, but I accept the road for what it was. I hope that answers your question. I’m the one who breaks through.
My name, Peres, has helped me through so much. When I didn’t know what I was doing, I’d stand in front of a mirror and say, “Your name is Peres. You’re the one who breaks through.” I believe in it so much that when someone says I can’t do something, I think, “Do you know what my name is? My name is Peres. I’m the one who breaks through.” It became a self-fulfilling prophecy because I believed in myself so much. When people tell me no, I get excited. I moved to this city with ten dollars to my name and no connections. Do you know?
That’s great. I love it. And a fundamental lesson I’ve learned is that for anyone else to believe in your dream, you have to be the first to believe in it. You can’t stop believing in it because then you’re asking too much of someone else. You have to do it.
Yitzi: So wise. That’s very wise. You probably have so many amazing stories. Can you share with our readers one or two of your favorite stories that typify your work as a filmmaker and writer?
Peres: I always tell people that it’s very hard for me — I always want to experience something before I write it. There are three things that have been so important to me, and I’ve delved into them deeply. History is one of them. I love history extensively because I feel like it’s the best way for us to understand who we are. Some of the answers you’re looking for are literally waiting for you there.
I’ve been reading history extensively for years. My friends from high school joke that I went to school for theater and history. You can’t ask me anything about math, chemistry, or biology, but I will talk to you extensively about history. And not just African history — I spend a lot of time studying Jewish history, World War II, and the history of religion. Those are fascinating to me. These are the tent poles of society. I’m always wondering, why do we do this?
What’s fascinating to me is how we are almost living blueprints of the same history. It doesn’t matter if you’re African, Jewish, or white — there’s a point in time where all our stories converge. We’ve had the same experiences at different points in time. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle. For example, I spent a lot of time in a church, and I was really devout. I was ministering in a church. But once I finished reading the Bible, I was done. It was like that period was over. But I learned so much and gained so much material from it.
What I love about curiosity is that it drives you to talk to people. The joy of living is in being curious about each other. You don’t have all the answers, so go talk to a stranger. They may have the answers you’re looking for. I’m a people person because humanity is what I’m most curious about. I love human beings — what makes them tick, what causes them pain. To fix the world, we have to fix humanity. And you can only do that by being curious and giving people grace, trying to understand why they’re making the choices they make.
One of my favorite realizations came from studying both Jewish and African-American histories. I was reading extensively about the Holocaust and went to Auschwitz and Schindler’s factory. Then I worked on a documentary about African and African-American history. I started to see parallels between the experiences of African-Americans after the Civil War and Jewish people after 1945. The experiences were so similar — you could place the accounts on top of each other.
It’s a part of the human experience that may be separated by time, but it’s the same experience. The offenders and oppressed might change, but the core human experience remains. We’re not as different as we think. We’ve been made to believe we are, but we’re not. I hope my work can create conversations between people on opposite sides of history to see their commonalities.
Yitzi: That’s an amazing point. I think if you look at major conflicts in the world today, it’s often between groups of people who have so much in common.
Peres: Exactly. Someone once told me about a moment in the Middle East. I said, what’s happening there is less about the Middle East and more about us. It’s about the roots of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia — traumatized groups told to live together. From an African perspective, it’s like watching and thinking, does this make sense?
People often say, “Them, them, them,” but it’s about us. When I hear people saying they don’t want to study history because it will make kids feel bad, I wonder if it’s really about that. Maybe they don’t want people, especially poor white people, to realize what rich white people did to them. It’s a different perspective. It’s not just about race; it’s also about class — who has the most to lose.
The African perspective teaches you to switch how you think. My father used to tell me to use my head and fix things. It triggers you to think and figure out what others aren’t seeing. Stand-up comedy also helps with that — flipping perspectives. You start to look at human experiences differently.
Yitzi: Before, you mentioned your ancestors. Most Americans don’t know their ancestry. Can you trace yours?
Peres: I wish I was as good as the Bible at tracing ancestry. I can go far back, but colonialism erased a lot. I was reading a book called “African Religions and Philosophy,” which explained so much to me. People joke about “colored people time,” but this book said African people don’t have the concept of time like one o’clock or two o’clock. Eternity for us is behind, not in front. An African might say they’ll see you in the morning, meaning anytime between six a.m. and noon. This helped me understand myself better because our concept of time and planning is different.
My grandparents, who could have given me more information, have passed. They weren’t fond of talking about the past, especially about colonialism. Reading and studying history fills in those gaps and helps me understand myself and my culture better.
Yitzi: I never fully appreciated that. In a certain way, the legacy of colonialism has parallels to the legacy of slavery. I always imagined that Africans, instead of African Americans, had a different trajectory because they didn’t experience slavery. But you’re saying that there’s a commonality, actually.
Peres: Yeah, it’s a commonality. The thing that breaks my heart sometimes, especially when I’m in spaces where I’m talking to the African diaspora, is the call of, “Why didn’t you come for us?” And you have to sit down and explain that we couldn’t because there was a barricade around the continent. They said it was to stop the slave trade, but it was also about keeping Africans inside and using their manpower to extract resources. When history and people are taken, there’s a fracturing of connectivity.
Now, it’s our generation’s responsibility to reach out and figure out where everyone ended up. One of my biggest dreams was to give Africa back to African Americans and those in the diaspora. I wanted to find ways to share our home with them. It’s not like the Mayflower, where people left to find something better. For us, it was a forced displacement. There was a fracturing, a lot of displacement of children. It’s a daunting task to see where all those children went because there are millions of us.
Yitzi: I could talk a lot about this because there are many parallels in my tradition. We’ve been colonized, enslaved, and displaced by the Romans and others.
Peres: Exactly, being enslaved, killed, pulled here and there, kicked out. But thank God, it made us stronger. What frustrates me is the ignorance of history. People need to read and understand where others are coming from. I’m not saying the choices people make now are right or wrong, but to help, you need to understand the problem first. I blame the British.
Yitzi: There’s a lot of parallels between India and Pakistan, too. It’s the same story — divide and conquer. Even in America, with Native Americans and other groups, it’s all about creating division to keep people weak.
Peres: The human experience is so dual. Colonialism was brutal, but it also brought some positive changes. It’s a wrestling match — you hate what it took, but you can’t ignore what it gave. It’s complex. Do we throw out the baby with the bathwater? That’s where grace comes in. You have to be willing to acknowledge the good while lamenting the bad. Humans are incredibly complex.
Yitzi: Please tell us about these amazing projects you’re working on.
Peres: The film BOUND: Africans vs African-Americans, came out from conversations with many of my African American friends. I realized there was a discussion that needed to happen. Then, talking to my African friends, I saw there was really a conversation needed here too. That’s how we created this movie.
Initially, I wondered what this movie would be about. It was going to be Africans and African Americans in dialogue. But first, I had to figure out what the big issue was. I realized it was the lack of information about our individual experiences. What were Africans going through? What were African Americans going through? We come into the United States and confront each other with no clear understanding of what happened.
For example, some Africans don’t even know the slave trade happened. They arrive here and don’t understand who African Americans are, but they still have opinions about them. And vice versa, African Americans have opinions about Africans without knowing them, their traumas, or their agenda. That’s why we created Bound, and that’s why it looks the way it does.
The Njinga story [“African Queens: Njinga”] is pivotal because it starts the story of the diaspora. When you look at Njinga, you learn that it’s not just the story of Angola; it’s the story of African Americans, Afro-Caribbeans, Jamaicans, Haitians. It’s the story of Black people. You see the dispersion from the continent and understand what that was like on the ground.
I always try not to judge Njinga because I have 21st-century privilege. Imagine today, if France, Britain, the US, China, and Russia decided to recolonize Africa, what would Africa do? We don’t have weapons of mass destruction or nuclear bombs. Now imagine telling me what they should have done in the 1700s. My ethnic group, the Luo, believes it’s taboo to shed human blood. How do you fight someone with cannons when your culture tells you not to spill blood?
So, we are talking about cultures and how people show up in the world, confronted by others with different expectations. It’s important to figure out who these individuals are, what motivates them, and what’s actually happening.
The African American experience includes slavery, sharecropping, PNH, and redlining. When people ask why African Americans haven’t advanced further, I tell them not to judge an African American by me. I come from a place where everything I saw was black excellence. My president was Black, my doctor was Black, everyone around me was Black and encouraging me to be better.
When I come here, I have to learn from African Americans how to navigate this space. I can’t just swagger in with my African self. Sometimes, you have to sit down and listen, learn from those who have been here longer.
We have a lot to give and learn from each other, and we can help each other heal. Bridging this 500-plus-year-old gap has to be intentional. Africa needs the help of the diaspora to survive. For instance, if the US sends ambassadors to Africa, let them be African Americans. This would bring someone from the continent back in service to it, fostering healing in a diplomatic sense.
There are smart ways to do reparations, like this one. It seems obvious to me, and I wonder why it’s not being done. For example, the US ambassador to Israel is often Jewish because it’s insisted upon. We need to do something similar, bringing African Americans to Africa to build bridges. It’s not just political and diplomatic; there’s also an emotional aspect.
There are 51 countries in Africa, so imagine 51 ambassadors working to build these bridges. Social media is helping us come together. We’re seeing and celebrating each other. For example, during the World Cup, when France played Argentina, no matter who you asked, they were supporting the African team, France.
Growing up in Kenya, we loved the NBA. We’d pick players we thought were from our tribe and argue over them. We found ways to be proud of each other, and now it’s spreading. We’re looking out for each other after being apart for so long. Our ideas of each other were skewed, but now we’re seeing each other’s excellence.
It’s taking time to erase old ideas, but we’re getting there. Seeing this progress gives me so much joy.
Yitzi: That’s beautiful. So, this is our signature question. You’ve been blessed with a lot of success now. Based on your experience, can you share five things you need to be a successful screenwriter or filmmaker? What does someone need to emulate your success as a filmmaker?
Peres: I think the first thing you need in life, just in general, is passion. Passion, because if you’re not passionate about this, you’ll find yourself wondering what happened to your life. You need passion. First and foremost, persistence. You have to fight for everything like your life depends on it. Then, you have to realize what things you shouldn’t fight too hard for — prioritize.
So, passion, persistence, priorities. Next, grace. You’ve got to be able to forgive yourself when you don’t show up for yourself. It’s okay. Tomorrow is another day with endless possibilities. Lastly, I believe you have to have a love for humanity. You’re writing for humans, so you have to be curious about them, understand them.
And I think the other thing you need is boldness. Creating anything is such a vulnerable thing, so you have to be willing to be seen naked. Critics can be harsh, so you have to grow that thick skin and keep doing what you’re doing.
Yitzi: Can you share with our readers some of the self-care routines that you do to help your body, mind, and heart thrive?
Peres: My husband always reminds me to engage in better self-care. What do I do? Well, if I say I read, my husband says, “But you’re reading history books, so that doesn’t count.”
One thing I do, believe it or not, is spend time with my husband. I also compartmentalize my entertainment. I separate what I’m watching for fun from what I’m watching for work. When I’m watching for fun, it could be the most ridiculous things because I want my brain to rest. When I’m watching for work, it’s usually intense with a notepad and pen.
But when I decide to enjoy myself and someone else’s creativity, I go for fluff — fluff from around the world. I watch shows from Thailand, Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Nigeria. Of course, my husband will say I’m still working because I’m always looking at what different places are doing, but that’s my way of relaxing.
Yitzi: So Peres, you’re a person of enormous influence. If you could spread an idea or inspire a movement that would bring the most good to the most people, what would that be?
Peres: That’s a perfect question. Right now, as an immigrant living in the United States, I’ve always said the most powerful thing about America is that it has immigrants. We’re more than just our cultural contributions. One thing immigrants have is the immigrant story, especially in a time like this with political unrest everywhere. People talk about civil war, dictatorship, and so on.
I’ve been calling all my immigrant friends to say, “We’ve lived through this. It’s time to find your nearest American and tell them why they don’t want this.” A dictatorship has no end. Once you have it, you don’t know who will come next. The only thing that saves you from a dictatorship is death. We’ve lived through civil wars that fracture nations permanently.
There are things Americans don’t have to experience because others have gone through them. Immigrants from Cambodia, Vietnam, Sierra Leone, and other places should speak up and be heard. Tell people, “You don’t want this. We’ve lived through it. That’s why we’re here.”
Americans sometimes don’t see themselves clearly. They’ve been warped about why we come here and why America is an idea that hasn’t been fully realized. We’re working towards something unique and beautiful. Each person holds up a part of the Constitution. For example, I’m holding the First Amendment for the person holding the Second Amendment for me. We need to understand the value of each other and lean into the nation’s strengths.
We do have problems, but what country doesn’t? We shouldn’t let emotions get us so riled up that we’re not thinking clearly. As an immigrant from a kleptocracy, I’ve seen what tribalism does, and there’s no good end to it. Breaking something and putting it back together always leaves scars.
Immigrants shouldn’t sit quietly and watch. We’re also Americans now. We need to do something. This is our greatest call: to help Americans see their strengths and avoid making the same mistakes other countries have made.
Yitzi: You’re like a modern-day Alexis de Tocqueville. You need to be a bit of an outsider to appreciate the greatness.
Peres: Exactly. Everyone’s looking for a pure, perfect utopia, but humans are involved. We have this duality within us, constantly wrestling with ourselves. A utopia isn’t realistic, and I don’t think we want one either. The idea that the solution is outside of you is a problem.
In many African cultures, there’s no concept of falling from grace or returning to heaven. It’s about restoration. For example, if you kill someone’s child, you give them your child to restore them, not just go to jail.
We need to go back and look at history. Our ancestors figured out some things along the way. For example, in some African cultures, boys between 6 and 17 go through ceremonies to transition from boys to warriors. This age group naturally inclines to group up, similar to why black boys end up in gangs. The reason for grouping up is gone, but the inclination remains.
Imagine if America took all boys of a specific age, regardless of race, and put them together for a transitioning process. It could change the country. Some might compare it to the military, boy scouts, or apprenticeships. But it’s about moving them forward with a collective purpose.
Nowadays, we have the opposite problem. People are lonely because we’re not in groups enough. We’re social creatures, hardwired to be with a group and have a sense of purpose. When hanging out with friends, someone always asks, “What are we doing?” We need collective purpose and pride in accomplishing something.
This is how I spend my days, musing about history with my feet up, reading.
Yitzi: This has been such a fruitful conversation. How can our readers watch your shows and movies? How can they purchase any of your material? How can they support you in any way?
Peres: “African Queens: Njinga” and “African Queens: Cleopatra” are both available to stream on Netflix.
The film Bound, which I think is really popular for people wanting to understand the parallel history of Africans and African Americans, is available on iTunes and Google Play. I’m hoping more people will explore parallel histories in their own lives, comparing their stories with others and finding similarities.
Yitzi: Peres, it’s been such an honor to meet you. This was an amazing conversation. I learned a tremendous amount from you, and I’m excited to dive deeper into your work.
Peres: Truly my pleasure.
Filmmakers Making A Social Impact: Why & How Filmmaker Peres Owino Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.