At Princeton University, I was an English major who earned certificates in African studies, African American studies, and theater. African Studies paved the way to my career path. As a Nigerian American, I grew up inundated and encompassed by African culture. However, the Program in African Studies was the first time I engaged with it from the purview of academia.

While at Princeton, I studied Twi for three years with lecturer Hannah Essien. This Ghanaian language course gave me the confidence to pursue my thesis research in Ghana, where I spent the summer in refugee camps. What started as video interviews in Ghana, transformed into a desire to create a documentary film based on the experiences of those on the camp. From there, I realized my passion for film and television. Like Shonda Rhimes and George Lucas, I attended USC School of Cinematic Arts where I received my master's in film and TV production. I produced work that secured multiple deals including with FOX. However, my experience in African studies made me desire to focus on the continent.

This ultimately led me to pursue a career in the entertainment industry with a specific focus on African films and creatives. I’m currently building an African streaming platform for African films and TV: Ugonna Village. Ugonna Village partners with African filmmakers in Africa to help them reach global audiences with their creativity. The streaming platform reconnects Africans (and lovers of African culture) throughout the diaspora to the continent through entertainment.

The critical African studies course that I took with Carolyn Rouse, professor of anthropology, really allowed me to critically think about the landscape of Africa from various perspectives. My peers in the course were studying various disciplines and we were all united in our excitement about the continent. Our conversations in that course allowed me to see the various unique qualities of African countries, business models, obstacles, considerations and successes.

There are so many opportunities to use the knowledge acquired in African Studies to create impact and pursue a career. I still use the knowledge acquired through African studies today; it has helped me with communication as well as my critical thinking as an African entrepreneur, and so much more.

Ugonna Nwabueze