Blitz Bazawule, the director of a new film adaptation of Alice Walker's revered 1982 novel The Color Purple, is a true renaissance man. In his 41 years, the Ghanaian has also co-directed a Beyoncé film, published a novel, performed his music across the world and set a Netflix record.
His latest challenge - a musical of the potent, Pulitzer Prize-winning book about a troubled, young, black woman fighting racism and the patriarchy in America -Bazawule's Color Purple follows a 1985 film adaptation that won actress Whoopi Goldberg a Golden Globe, and a Broadway musical that opened in 2005. Directing a second film version of a celebrated classic is a high-pressure task, but the Atlanta-based artist certainly has the credentials.Music was also a major passion, particularly jazz, Ghanaian highlife, Motown and Afrobeat (a forerunnerHowever it was hip-hop, specifically Public Enemy's 1988 album It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back, that had the biggest impact on Bazawul