Channel 4’s new comedy drama series Queenie has been praised for its touching reference to artist Khadija Saye, 24, who was killed in the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017.
The adaptation of Candice Carty-Williams’ best selling novel follows British-Jamaican journalist Queenie, played by Dionne Brown, who works as a social media assistant at the fictional paper The Daily Reader.
When pitching an new idea to her boss, played by Sally Phillips, Queenie references Saye’s work and attests her art warrants more attention from the press and the general public.
“Mary Seacole, Maragret Busby, Olive Morris, Claudia Jones, Khadija Saye,” Queenie lists. “Black women through time whose stories and contributions to society deserve to be mainstream.”
Although the pitch is not received well in the episode, viewers have praised the show’s inclusion of Saye’s name. “Warmed my heart, actually,” one person wrote on X/Twitter.
Saye was killed along with her mother Mary Mendy in her flat on the 20th floor of Grenfell Tower when the fire struck in June 2017.
The artist was on the cusp of recognition when she died and had been selected to exhibit her work at the Venice Biennale at the UK’s Diaspora Pavilion, which is one of the highest accolades an artist can achieve. She was the youngest artist to be included.
Much of the British-born artist’s work explored her Gambian heritage; photographs and prints were portraits and were often highly personal.
Hearing the news of her death, the International Curators Forum paid tribute to her in a statement at the time. A spokesman said: "Khadija was a true artist with a sensitive and generous singular vision, and will be missed by everyone who knew her.”
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Tottenham MP David Lammy confirmed the news of Saye’s death, who knew the artist through his wife Nicola Green, who mentored her for four years.
Ms Green told the Press Association that Ms Saye was last heard from at 3am on the night of the fire.
"She was on Facebook saying she was unable to get out of the flat, that the smoke was so thick," said Ms Green.
"She was saying she just can’t get out and: ‘Please pray for me. There’s a fire in my council block. I can’t leave the flat. Please pray for me and my mum."’
