In the wake of the International Women’s Day that just passed, here is a list of women who have shown what it is to be strong, independent and enterprising. These women are known for their impact on society and have shown how important a balanced society for both genders is.
Kemi Adetiba
Nigeria Films
Kemi Adetiba has become a household name among many Nigerians for her role in producing some of Nollywood’s most recent outstanding movies. Before movie production, Kemi had been a sensation on the radio being the voice behind two nationally syndicated shows on Rhythm 93.7 FM. Interestingly, she was also the host for three consecutive seasons of the Maltina Dance Hall show. Kemi’s venture into movie production began when she enrolled in the renowned New York Academy with the hopes of becoming a skilled filmmaker. Today, her films have acheive phenomenal success with her most recent “King Of Boys” grossing N200 million in just weeks of release. Kemi has gone ahead to break records and win awards with the most popular being the “City People Music Award For Music Video Director Of The Year”.
Mo Abudu
dailypost.ng
Regarded as the “Oprah Winfrey Of Africa” due to her “Moments With Mo” talk show, Monsunmol Abudu popularly known as Mo Abudu has undeniably carved a lasting niche for herself in the world entertainment. After spending her childhood in the United Kingdom exploring a career as a Recruitment Consultant, Mo launched Vic Lawrence and Associates after seeing a growing need for talents in the Nigerian business landscape. Mo has also been incredibly successful as a woman in show-business owing to her work on the “Moments With Mo” talk show which happens to be the first syndicated daily talk show on African Television. She also made history once again by being the first woman to launch a pan-African TV channel called EbonyLife TV. EbonyLife TV has birthed some of the most recent high-grossing movies including “The Wedding Party 1 & 2”, “Fifty”, and “Chief Daddy”.
As a renowned feminist and a woman who knows what it is to be empowered, Mo has also taken part in many schemes to help Nigerian women achieve their dreams.
Genevieve Nnaji
guardian.ng
Genevieve Nnaji’s recently released movie “Lionheart” made history by becoming the first Netflix Original by a Nigerian. Yet, this success was hardly achieved in the twinkle of an eye as most Nigerians watched her grow from just being Nollywood’s favourite “glamour girl” to directing, producing and screenwriting her own movies. Genevieve identifies as a “proud feminist” as even her first movie as a director succeeded in conveying the importance of the girl child in the Nigerian family system. Genevieve is a name that readily comes to mind for many young Nigerian women as the definition of greatness and the proof that grass to grace stories still exist.
Chimamanda Adichie
The Nation
The face of feminism in Nigerian and a prolific writer of fiction, Chimamanda Adichie is known for her work which delves into issues regarding gender inequality racial discrimination. Inspired by the late Chinua Achebe to write, Chimamanda has published quite a number of sublime books in her active career including “Purple Hibiscus” which was awarded the Commonwealth’s Writer’s prize for Best First Book, “Half Of A Yellow Sun” and “Americanah” which have also won awards and have wide acclaim both home and abroad.
Chimamanda is also popular for her feminist views and has given a number of famous talks about feminism. In 2013, she earned more popularity for her TED talk “We Should All Be Feminists” which enjoyed so much global approval that excerpts from the speech were reportedly distributed to every 16-year-old high-school student in Sweden. Chimamanda continues to be a voice for feminism and her views are becoming increasingly popular in Nigeria.
Sola Sobowale
FabWoman
Whether you know her as “Toyin Tomato” or just simply Sola Sobowale, you must actually know her for her phenomenal acting. Toyin Tomato, as she is fondly called by her true fans who witnessed her outstanding performance in the Super Story series, has been an inspiration for many young women in Nigeria. She made her first film debut in 1992 when she starred in the film “Asewo To Re Mecca” and ever has been a powerful force in Nollywood, especially in the Yoruba movie industry. After a long absence from the spotlight, Sola made a major comeback in the movie “Wedding Party” and went on to take up a lead role in the “King Of Boys Movie”. Her performance in the “King Of Boys Movie” was one of the most applauded we have seen in recent times. In the movie, she succeeded in portraying a strong woman showing her villainy side while preserving her natural instincts as a mother. Sola is also notable for movies like “Dangerous Twins”, “Christ In me”, and “Family On Fire “.
Featured image source: FabWoman