Female-led popular art on the continent is playing a vital role in women’s liberation/feminist movements especially in conservative African societies. The very existence of such shows with characters that subvert the idea of the “good African woman,” while embracing different ways of being a modern African woman living on the continent in this day and age, is revolutionary in and of itself.

With Netflix increasingly building up its Africa presence and sourcing more African content in local languages, Kalista’s hope could become a reality in the next few years. With luck, perhaps we could see Netflix commissioning a Senegalese series soon and extending its viewership beyond the Francophone or Wolof speaking world.

In the meantime, the producers should really think about rolling out Maitresse with English subtitles for Africa’s huge Anglophone audience and perhaps even Portuguese. The pan-African universality of its stories and characters will win audiences everywhere and could even inspire the next wave of female African filmmakers.

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