Yasuke (弥助 or 弥介)

For months, I’ve been doing a lot of research about Japan, its rise to prominence, culture, people, interactions, etc. In it, I discovered Yasuke (弥助 or 弥介), an African man who went to Japan to serve the Portuguese to spread the gospel. His story was an intriguing enigma, but he was genuine and did live in (NIHON) Japan. After discovering Yasuke’s rise to greatness, Hollywood came to mind, and the “What if question” became a thing for me.

Hollywood has its ways of creating this myth about Africa by actors who aren’t Africans. So if Yasuke was indeed from the continent, an African actor should portray films about him. Those were the puzzle that I am still trying to untangle in my head, knowing the twist and turns of Hollywood with its ways of portraying Africa, Africans, and people of African descent. What do you think?