Lupita Nyong'o Ends Kenya and Mexico's Mini-Feud Over Her Nationality

Ever since Lupita Nyong'o pictured above with her parents started getting big, the entertainment pages of Kenya and Mexico have feuded over which country gets to "claim" her. Last night, Lupita put the debate to rest. "I'm Mexican and Kenyan at the same time," she said, according to El Mañana. "I've seen the quarrels over my nationality, but I'm Kenyan and Mexican at the same time. So again, I am Mexican-Kenyan and I am fascinated by carne asada tacos."

So there you have it. And yet, Milenio a Mexico City-based paper, noted that "Mexican Lupita Nyong'o" won the Best Supporting Actress award and that she "was born in 1983 in Mexico City, but her parents are of Kenyan origin. The actress grew up in Kenya, but at age 16 her parents sent her to Mexico to learn Spanish." Her parents are Kenyan, but she's Mexican. Of course, Kenya's press has been staking its claim on her for months. In January, the Daily Standard produced a video that described the "debate" over her nationality as if it were a diplomacy issue. The fact that she was born in Mexico is a big deal.