Noughts + Crosses sisterhood extends beyond the screen

Stars of the show, Masali Baduza and Kiké Brimah talk being black and proud, challenging stereotypes and inspiring black girls

CLASS: From left to right; Kiké Brimah, Bonnie Mbuli and Masali Baduza

MASALI BADUZA and Kiké Brimah play sisters Sephy and Minerva Hadley on screen in BBC One’s adaptation of Malorie Blackman’s Noughts & Crosses novel and in real life the sisterhood they’ve developed is both striking and genuine.

If you’re not familiar with the books or the series they follow star-crossed lovers Sephy and Callum in a world where conventions on race are flipped. Sephy is a Cross, a member of the dark-skinned ruling class, and Callum is a Nought – a ‘colourless’ member of the underclass who were once slaves to the Crosses.

Here Baduza and Brimah talk celebrating blackness on the small screen, breaking the mould and uplifting black girls.

Baduza, 23, whose from South Africa, had never even heard of Blackman or her bestselling book series before she landed the main role in the BBC adaptation. But the books spoke to her for several reasons.

“It’s amazing what she’s done, the world she’s created. It’s the most unique story I think I’ve ever read in my life.”

Although she had an awareness of Blackman’s books, Brimah did not read them until there were whispers of the BBC project. Once she did, she couldn’t put them down and immediately became a fan.

HERITAGE: Noughts & Crosses celebrates traditional African dress

With the first series not even reaching the end of Noughts & Crosses book, the cast and crew were automatically granted a considerable amount of artistic license to bring Blackman’s book to a new audience, 19 years after it was released.

“Malorie’s sort of left the blueprint for us. All we can do is pick it up and run with it and hope that people enjoy our interpretations,” Brimah said.

“[I want black girls to see] that they are beautiful, their blackness, their culture all of it is beautiful and should be celebrated”

Masali Baduza

Fans of the books will note that Sephy and Callum are older than depicted in the first book and the world that they inhabit is visibly and linguistically Africanised. Crosses proudly wear traditional dress and speak Yoruba. The celebration of African culture was particularly moving for both Brimah and Baduza.

“Growing up in South Africa you would think that we would be used to seeing black culture celebrated on TV and in screens and stuff and that’s not the case and so to have this show do that was one of the greatest feelings ever to walk on set and being surrounded by you know black excellence and also to showcase people being unapologetically black was just really special,” Baduza said.

She added: “To play a black person who was never oppressed, had never faced racial injustice – because that’s like my lived experience in South Africa – and to be in the body of Sephy and bringing this story to light is huge for South Africa.”

Brimah who is British-Nigerian, echoed her co-star’s thoughts. “It was definitely a moment. There were times on set when me and Masali just had to be like, ‘girl, is this happening,’ like [during] the big scenes with all of the extras and we’re in the ankara and the gele. Especially because I’m Nigerian it was a lot. I remember thinking, ‘I’ve never seen this’. I’ve never seen this on UK TV and this is going to impact so many people.”

Turning not only western society on its head but common portrayals of black people in British media and the arts was moving for the cast.

“There was even a scene where there’s an inauguration and they come out and they’re chanting in Yoruba and I got really emotional because I could understand some of the things that they were saying and I thought to have my culture reflected in such a beautiful light,” Brimah said. “It wasn’t negative, it was positive, and we were royal and were important, it was beautiful, really, really beautiful.”

“It did take some time to get used to having my hair out like that and knowing that I am beautiful”

Kiké Brimah

What is also beautiful is the series’ celebration of black hair in various forms.

“I’ve made a point to have my natural hair just because I feel like growing up like I wasn’t always encouraged to do that,” Baduza, who can be seen wearing her hair in an afro in the series, said. “I’ve made a conscious effort in my life now to really wear my hair the way it grows out of my head.”

Brimah admits to struggling to feel beautiful at first when on set hairstylists tried looks with her natural hair. “It did take some time to get used to having my hair out like that and knowing that I am beautiful and this character is beautiful. It was definitely profound and it took some real unlearning of culture and relearning of who I actually am.”

One thing she had no trouble getting used to was her on-screen sister.

“From the moment I met her [Masali] we just clicked,” Brimah said. “It was really easy to pretend that she was my sister because I genuinely see her as a little sister.”

When Baduza was having doubts it was Brimah she turned to. “She was my rock as well throughout the whole process. Whenever I was feeling frantic or anxious I’d be like Kiké and she’d be like calm down girl, you got this. She was always there to support and lift me up.”

While their on-screen sisterhood has its ups and downs, in real life, Brimah and Baduza are both on the same page when it comes to their hopes of what the Noughts & Crosses series will do.

NATURAL HAIR: Kiké Brimah

“I want the show to really reach the outskirts of the UK so really reach those people in like Devon and Wales and all those other areas where they might not necessarily think on a daily basis about oppression or police brutality and stop seeing these issues as a black problem and more so as a human problem,” Brimah said.

And for black girls especially, Baduza said: “I want them to see that they’re excellent and they are deserving of not being othered by society; that they are beautiful, their blackness, their culture all of it is beautiful and should be celebrated.

“And I hope that they can take from this world that in this world ‘Crosses’ are celebrated and I hope that they can bring that into their lives and really believe that they are beautiful and excellent and can be anything and anyone that they want to be.”

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