Pres Ali invites Black Panther actress Letitia Wright to visit Guyana

…lauds her for successful career, recognition she brings to homeland

President Dr Irfaan Ali has written to Guyana-born actress Letitia Wright, lauding her on her successful career, and more so her acclaimed role in the Black Panther movie and its recent sequel.

The Guyanese Head of State also invited the young actress to visit Guyana, informing her in a letter dated November 15 that “the Government of Guyana would be honoured to host you.”
According to the President, the people of Guyana would be more than delighted to welcome her warmly back to her motherland.
Letitia Michelle Wright, born on October 31, 1993, is a Guyanese-British actress. In 2018, she attained global recognition for her portrayal of Shuri in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Black Panther, for which she won an NAACP Image Award and a SAG Award. She reprised the role in Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022).
Letitia’s family moved from Georgetown, Guyana to London, England when she was seven years old. In the letter, President Ali made reference to an interview she had given in which she had exclaimed her pride in being Guyanese born.
“I was moved by an interview which you did and in which you mentioned the country of your birth and how much you wanted to make the people of Guyana proud. I thank you for the recognition which you have brought our country, and the immense feelings of pride which your superb onscreen performances have evoked,” the President said.
“As President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, I would like to extend an invitation to you to visit Guyana. The Government of Guyana would be honoured to host you…I trust that your schedule and plans will permit such a visit at the earliest opportunity. Please accept my best wishes for your continued success. May you continue to make our country proud,” the President further wrote in the letter.
There have been previous calls, especially when the former A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government was in power, for the Guyana Government to extend a hand to Wright and invite her to Guyana. Those calls were not heeded, and in 2018, her role in Black Panther, a film that smashed records at the box office, went without any significant acknowledgement from the then Government.
In an interview four years ago, which was broadcast on the Ebony Magazine YouTube page, Wright had spoken glowingly about coming from Guyana, and what it meant to her. According to her, ever since her appearance in 2018 Black Panther, Guyanese have increasingly been referencing her, and even calling her their “cousin”.
“Which is cool, I have loads of cousins. But this has really made people very proud, and I’m grateful for that. It’s kinda overwhelming, because you don’t want anyone to put too much pressure on you…but as a whole, being from my country, repping them and making them proud is cool,” she had said.
In another interview with former Miss Jamaica Soyini Phillips back in 2018, Wright had been asked about her role in the Black Panther and garnering support from people in her home country.
“It makes me feel really proud that, as a young Guyanese woman, people are being inspired and just for them to also know that I ‘rep’ Guyana wherever I go. I’m really happy that people are supporting…I just hope that it continues to inspire people, and it’s an honour to do that for my country,” Wright had said. (G3)