On
June 24,one of Nigeria’s major actresses, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde,
shared the joyous news on her Twitter account that she would be making
her US television debut in the hit series “Hit The Floor,” which airs
on VH1.
The Nigerian blogsphere and
entertainment world was buzzing about what her role would be, what she
would wear, what she would say and so on. Omotola starred as Akon’s date
at a fundraiser in the show and radiated as she gave her only line, “thank you, girl.”
Immediately after the show aired,
comments started pouring in, many of which were of negativity and
ignorance. I was surprised to read things like, she had a “wakapass
role’ and she devalued herself by doing the role. I would like to first
ask this question to the many people that decided to post such comments.
What have you done with your life lately?
I can only attest such comments to
jealousy and self-inadequacy because there is no reason to belittle
someone that is doing something with their life, no matter how small it
is, especially in an industry that is very hard to break into.
There is a major difference between
Hollywood and Nollywood and to have one of our own branch into a more
experienced and creative industry is something to be applauded and not
taken lightly. Nollywood is an industry that can produce 1 million
movies in one year, while the American film industry may just produce a
handful in one year. Why? Because quality and creativity take time. The
reason why we even know top names like Mercy Johnson, Genevieve Nnaji
and Omotola is because just a few years ago we could see the same ladies
in the same hundreds of movies per year playing the same old home
wrecker, juju-priestess, and housewife fighting her husband’s mother
roles that most Nigerian movies are known for.
Fortunately, the Nigerian film industry
has seen a gradual transformation in the last few years and things are
getting better. However, getting a role in Nigeria will still
continually be simpler than getting a role in the US because there is
still so much structure that the industry needs to attain. So when an
actress or even a musician of our own has been swimming in a sea of
comfort for years and decides to branch out into something more
difficult, it is our duty to support him or her and not bring them down
with hurtful comments like, they are belittling themselves.
No! They are not belittling themselves!
They are setting themselves up for greatness because it takes guts and
courage to do the extraordinary. (Extraordinary actions yield
extraordinary results)
In a structured industry such as the one
in the US, extras work almost as many hours as some of the lead roles
and even get paid at times. Many famous actors and actresses started out
as extras and as walk-ons on many programs and commercials. The way to
build anything in life is to start small and work your way up. People
seem to easily forget that because in our country, many are given
handouts and actually started from the top as opposed to the bottom (ex,
people who are teachers one day and then become filthy rich the next
day when they switch over to politics)
Like the pastor at my church always
says, may you not be the enemy that someone else is praying should be
destroyed. It is contradictory to go to our respective churches or
mosques and pray constantly for progress and blessings and for anyone
against our success to be destroyed, and yet come online to spew hateful
and thoughtless words to others working hard to succeed in their
respective industries. Granted, celebrities and entertainers put
themselves out there to be critiqued by the people and there are indeed
different types of fashion blunders, publicity stunts and actions that
need to be questioned by reasonable people, but only when the comments
are reasonable themselves and in-line with the situation at hand. And in
this case, the situation at hand is one of laudable ambition.
Omotola is an inspiration to the
entertainment industry and a good example of how to pursue your dreams.
This was her “first” role of such as she tweeted, and she can only go
higher because she has taken a leap of faith in a completely new
environment.
Whether you are believing God for a good
job or a big role in your industry, the best way to start is to
actually first get your foot in the door. So the next time your friend
tells you she wants to open up a bakery and wants to start by peddling
her bicycle around Ketu with her cakes in the basket, (imagine her name
is Omotola) don’t tell her she is degrading herself. Tell her that she
should go for it. Offer her your help in any way you can and pray that
she succeeds, because in doing so, you are sowing a seed for yourself.
Written by Toyin Olaleye
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