Lupita Nyong'o helping save the world again, but this time in Africa's first-ever kids superhero show

International Women's Day is going to be super fun this year thanks to a new project starring Lupita Nyong'o. Deadline is reporting the Black Panther and Us actress will be executive producing and voicing a character in Super Sema, Africa's first ever animated series about a kid superhero, with the first eight episodes being released March 8 on YouTube.

The series revolves around an extraordinary young African girl named Sema, who lives in Dunia, a neo-African-futuristic community, and has STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math)-based superpowers.

In addition to her involvement in the series itself, Nyong'o has also teamed up with Kukua, the edutainment-focused startup producing it, with her serving as one of its shareholders. Kukua was founded in 2015 by CEO Lucrezia Bisignani and features an award-winning female team working to create content that blends together technology, education, and entertainment. 

"I share Kukua’s goal to empower children through inspiring stories that feature characters in which the children see themselves reflected. I am delighted to be a part of this talented, female-led team of purposeful creators," said Nyong’o. "As a Kenyan, I couldn’t be prouder of Super Sema’s introduction to the world and the opportunities Kukua provides for our local creative community to produce entertainment that reflects our culture."

Super Sema was written by BAFTA winner Claudia Lloyd (Charlie & Lola) and directed by Lynne Southerland (Mulan II), herself a trailblazer as the first female African-American director for Disney. It is the company's first franchise, with the character herself already being introduced to children in Africa through the use of literacy apps. 

The first eight episodes of Super Sema will premiere on YouTube on March 8, with the remaining 12 installments to be released throughout March and April.