In his welcome address, Jahman Anikulapo, programme chair of CORA, acknowledged the presence of the veteran actress, who needed no introduction as she exuded a regal aura where she sat. He spoke of how much she had contributed to the lives of many, adding that the dramatist Wole Oguntokun was the chosen moderator of the Forum because of his immense contribution to stage acting. Ajai-Lycett was going to be in conversation with fellow actresses, Tina Mba and Kate Henshaw-Nuttal; and the fact that Oguntokun had worked with all three was a plus, according to Anikulapo.

The guests

Taking over as moderator, Oguntokun introduced guests, including, Francesca Emanuel and Bayo Oduneye, both pioneering performers who had been involved in acting from as early as the fifties and sixties. Other notables in the gathering included: Joke Silva, Dejumo Lewis, Greg Odutayo (President of the National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners, NANTAP), Tunde Kelani, Pamela Udoka and Teju Kareem.

Oguntokun also introduced and ushered in Henshaw-Nuttall and Tina Mba to their seats beside the celebrant, for a conversation between two generations of Nigerian female thespians.

Book reading

The event also featured a book reading session by Toyin Akinosho of CORA. His chosen text were Kaine Agary’s novel, ‘Yellow Yellow’; and a short story by Melissa Myambo, ‘Deciduous Gazettes’, from ‘Opening Spaces’, an anthology compiled by the Yvonne Vera.

Akinosho said the reading was a fitting tribute to Ajai-Lycett because he knew how much she loved books. He recalled her words from an interview, “When you send me books, I know you love me.” He then presented the celebrant. Oguntokun noted that the event was a good opportunity to bring pioneering actors together. He gave some background about the celebrant’s formative years as well as those of other accomplished actors present, including Bayo Oduneye and Dejumo Lewis. Not keen on boring the audience with a long speech, Oguntokun got them rolling with laughter. This he did when he got into a reminiscent mood and asked the audience to sing the theme tune of ‘Village Headmaster’, in which Lewis played Kabiyesi.

The celebrant speaks

Responding to the accolades, Ajai-Lycett said she felt honoured to be there and thanked her fellow pioneering actors seated. “A poet is a visionary” that should be listened to and respected, she said, while acknowledging the poet and polemicist, Odia Ofeimun. Ajai-Lycett disclosed that her acting career had started by chance, when she stumbled across Yemi Ajibade on a production. The meeting paved the way for her to act.

Love of the stage

Kate Henshaw-Nuttal also talked about how she joined the Nollywood A-List, thanks to an almost accidental first audition. Although she has made more appearances on screen than the stage, she revealed that she is beginning to love the latter more.

“I love the stage much more than the screen these days. I don’t know why,” she said, laughing. “It’s a virus!” Tina Mba interjected, eliciting a loud roar of laughter from the audience. “It’s fantastic and exhilarating!” Henshaw-Nuttal added. Mba, who admitted to not being a woman “of many words,” said she felt honoured to be sitting down with Ajai-Lycett, who she described as humble and dedicated to her work.

Questions and answers

During the interactive session between the celebrant and the audience, the veteran actress provided answers to the many questions asked. On why she didn’t accept a Nollywood film role offered to her, Ajai-Lycett declared that Nollywood lacks everything she attributed to art. The discipline and respect needed are lacking, she observed, explaining that the the producer concerned had sent her a text and thrown her a script. “Courtesy is of the essence,” she said, adding that many filmmakers in Nigeria lack these qualities.

Nollywood’s highs and lows

There was a vibrant and sometimes heated discussion about the Nigerian film industry, with many in the audience offered their views on the subject.

“We should change our perception of art. Art is supposed to be enriching,” Ajai-Lycett advised. She further urged filmmakers to read books as a means of enhancing their art. Using Wole Soyinka as an example, she said anyone who was not ‘educated’ couldn’t read his book. His books, she said, translate the ideology and philosophy of his country. She asked how many of the filmmakers in the audience had read Ofeimun’s poems. The silence spoke volumes.

It was agreed after a long debate that Nollywood still has a lot to learn. Ajai-Lycett urged filmmakers to learn to be humble, committed to their work, to respect, appreciate and listen to one another. She further noted that even established filmmakers need training; and canvassed for the documentation of the past exploits of pioneering actors a way of encouraging thespians in general. The portrayal of the society at large in movies is also of great importance, she insisted.

A befitting event

There was much laughter during the course of the evening. Singer and Nigerian Idol judge, Yinka Davies, had everyone reeling with laughter when she spoke. The audience also had a good laugh over Nollywood movie titles. The moderator said it is easy to tell a Nollywood movie apart by its titles and soundtracks, because they are often funny and weird. He said this suggests that Nigerians have very limited ideas about appropriate film titles.

The highlight of the evening was rendering a moving song to Taiwo Ajai-Lycett and female power. Tina Mba got all the women in the audience to sing for five women worth celebrating in the Nigerian movie industry. The five women – Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, Francesca Emanuel, Toun Oni, Iya Awero and Iya Rainbow – were celebrated, as females in the audience rose to sing ‘Iyaniwura’ (Mother is Golden). It was sung with such lustre that Taiwo Ajai-Lycett got on the dance floor. The men were also not left out, as Dejumo Lewis led all in the audience to sing to the veterans and fallen soldiers of the movie industry.

Things to do

At the end of the event, Jahman Anikulapo reiterated all that had been said and agreed upon. He urged the Greg Odutayo as NANTAP president to design programmes to train and mentor upcoming and established actors. He also urged writers and journalists to write about Taiwo Ajai-Lycett. He argued Nollywood shouldn’t be knocked down entirely; rather, “it should be changed, if it is our face to the world.” He further suggested that NANTAP should work hand in hand with the Association of Nigerian Authors, so that more movies would be adapted from literature, like Kelani’s movies.

As for Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, she was humility personified. “The only thing I don’t know is what I don’t know,” was among the memorable things she said on the day.

Taiwo Ajai-Lycett LIVE

SOURCE- Next234

The Moral Conflict

Moral Conflict is a new British Movie.The movie is a dark comedy about Pastor Chucks, facing a lot of challenges.

First his dream to have a growing church is just not happening so he organises an audition to start a gospel choir and a bunch of social misfits show up, who cannot even sing!

To make matters worse, his mother Tope, visits from Nigeria, and does not hit it off with Pastor Chuck’s English wife Denise.

With the bills mounting and the threat of loosing the church building, the only one who can help Pastor Chucks, is Lucinda, a member of his church who is in love with him and offers him the money but at what cost?

Director:
Maxine Chantel Igbinedion
Writer:
Maxine Chantel Igbinedion
Cast:
David Cunningham … Troy
Linda Robson
Shana Swash
Mica Paris … Herself
Neele Bjerre … Jane – Marilyn Monroe
Meya Brumell … Talika
Morris Ernie … Frank
Ken Otukoya … Pastor Chuck
Micky Kale … Troy’s Friend
Olufunso Odumade … Bishop Ade
Rachel Mason … Denise
Aslam Lodhi … Troy’s Friend
Deronke Adeokun … Tanya

The Trailer:

Things Fall Apart by the Jos Repertory Theatre:

The Jos Repertory Theatre in association with the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) is set to bring Biyi Bandele’s stage adaptation of Chinua Achebe’s monumental novel THINGS FALL APART to the city of Abuja for the 48th Independence anniversary celebrations in October.

The production which generated rave reviews during the ANA organised 50th anniversary celebrations of the book Things Fall Apart in Ibadan in April is set to do same with the multi-talented cast put together by the Jos Repertory Theatre under the artistic directorship of Patrick-Jude Oteh.

The first production is billed for the 2nd of October in a presentation for schools at the Cyprian Ekwensi Cultural Centre, Abuja, while the other performances are billed for the Merit House auditorium in Maitama on the 3rd and 4th of October 2008.

According to Denja Abdullahi, the National General Secretary of ANA, the idea behind the play billed for Abuja apart from still celebrating the novel at 50, is that “the book has lessons for all of us in the study of our diverse cultures, our unique gifts as a nation especially as we gradually approach our 50 years as a nation”.

Things Fall Apart is the tragic story of Okonkwo who achieves power and status through his own efforts and determination to succeed in a society which honours strength, wisdom, hard work, courage in war and a plethora of other skills.

Achebe’s representation of life in the early 20th century gives us a society with fully developed institutions in a direct democracy all functioning in a society under the benign supervision of a just God. The tragedy in the story is accentuated with the arrival of the white man and colonial power and Okonkwo’s refusal to come to terms with the new ways which he could not understand.

SOURCE: Vanguard

Prince Bubacarr Sankanu:

Be-Rich-Quick Mentality Ruining Nigeria’s Home Video Sector – B. Sankanu

How come you came up with this concept?

The idea of a serious name has been with me since 2004 when I first discovered the Nigerian home video industry. I subsequently visited Nigeria on several occasions to personally study the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the Nigerian video film sector. My last visit was in March of this year. During the visits, I posed as an innocent research student in order to get an unbiased first hand information on the happenings in Idumota, Alaba International Market, Ibadan, Enugu, Kano, Jos, Abuja, Aba and other melting pots. As I am preparing to set up new operations in Nigeria by the end of this year 2008, I decided to float this re-branding project for the Nigerian motion pictures sector to, among others, officially introduce myself as the new kid (Johny just come) in town. Though I have been in the shadows since 2004.

Do you think the affected industries would want to make a change to the names you’ll eventually choose?

Who is the custodian of the names Kannywood, Nollywood or Nothingwood? Has any of the Nigerian stakeholders’ associations officially endorsed Nollywood as the ultimate industry brand? Looking at the phenomenal story of the Nigerian home video industry, I am very optimistic that stakeholders will embrace this re-branding initiative. Right now there is a lot of euphoria, but once things reach the point of diminishing returns, stakeholders would scout for lasting solutions. Now people are singing “Nollywood”, “Kannywood” and they care the least about the underlying challenges as they are smiling into the banks and zooming around town in flashy cars. But as the going gets gradually tough, they would realise that their old ways of celebrating the “nothingwood” glamour were not sustainable and they would look for serious brands and launchpads to see them through the hard times that would surely come, sooner or later.

As progressive thinkers we must understand that the showbiz and creative arts industry is dynamic. Those who resist progressive transformation would go extinct. The stakeholders have been talking about “sanitizing” the industry since some of the challenges they are facing caught them unprepared. The Nigerian Federal Government through parastatals like the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) and the Nigeria Film Corporation (NFC) is doing a wonderful job in responding to the needs of the industry. The new distribution framework of Mr. Emeka Mba and his Censors Board team and, the various projects of the NFC are galvanising the sanitization process. My re-branding (names and logos) project falls within this context of sanitizing and taking the Nigerian home video industry to the next level. Once the hype subsides and once stakeholders start realising that “nollywood” means “nothingwood,” they would not feel good about associating themselves with nothing. But as I said, we live in a free world and those who feel they are happy with “nothing wood” are free to keep the name “nollywood.” Those who feel they need to move on to the next level with seriously unique brands are free to join us. There is room for everyone in a Nigeria of 140 million people and in an Africa of over 600 million consumers.

I will continue to cooperate with the passionate stakeholders who are not infected with the “be-rich-quick” disease. For this “be-rich-quick” mentality is ruining Nigeria’s home video sector and I would not like to be part of the quickie games. Someone produced a movie at 1.2 million Naira and wanted to sell it to me at 2 million Naira even though the quality was terrible. This is just one of the many ridiculous first hand lessons I have been learning about the home video system since 2004. During my research, I also learned that once some actors and actresses hit the headlines, they would automatically think of becoming producers or musicians “to make more money.” A director would like to become a producer and marketer “to make more money.” A marketer or executive producer would force a particular actor/actress on a project “because the face sells movies.” Artistic statement, qualitative message delivery and cinematographic aesthetics are subsequently thrown into the dustbin. This obsession with quick money and 100% return on investment is strangulating creativity. There is nothing wrong in people exploring their potentials but this short-term emphasis on “money, money, money” scares away potential partners with medium to long-term plans. I know money is important but we must not mortgage our creative souls to the gods of money. We need to create a working balance between financial satisfaction, socio-cultural responsibly, creative freedom and self-fulfillment.

Money is not everything in life. Many people who are jumping into the nollywood bandwagon with the aim of becoming millionaires overnight are burning their fingers. The home video sector, like any other industry, will continue to correct itself (through roller coaster trends, bubble bursting) and only stakeholders with passion and long-term strategies can survive the hard times. Besides, there are many other career opportunities behind the camera as the value chain of a standard movie project provides employment for up 235 different professionals. People need to look beyond the limelight.

The disappointing sojourns of some Nigerian actors/actresses into music and other creative segments should serve as lessons for those trying to enter the creative economy for quick money. A successful actor/actress is not necessarily a successful musician or designer and vice versa. Rappers 50 Cent and Eminem might appear on movies but that does make them the better Samuel L Jacksons or Denzel Washingtons. Will Smith might record songs but that does not make him the better Michael Jackson. Sean Combs (P. Diddy) might design cloths but that does make him the better Dolce & Gabbana. Beyoncé Knowles might appear on movies but that does not necessarily make her the better Halle Berry. Naomi Campbell might be a supermodel but that does not make her a super movie actress or pop star. Pop diva Madonna is a good music artiste but her sojourns into acting and film making have so far proven to be mediocre. There are many “superstar wannabes” in the Nigerian home video and creative industry who are insisting on running before mastering how to walk on two legs. It is natural for people to explore their multitasking potentials but they should honestly assess their capabilities before claiming to be multi-talents or superstars, otherwise they would end up eating grass. Show business is brutal. I will join the passionate Nigerian stakeholders in discovering and establishing natural skills without much tam-tam. People can always specialise and make good living without risking too much as jacks of all trades and masters of none.

How do you hope on achieving this?

Through dialogue and cooperation with all open-minded, progressive and sincere stakeholders. Now that I have privately visited and studied the Nigerian video film industry, I have gathered enough bargaining incentives to join the stakeholders on win-win ventures. I will always listen to stakeholders first before presenting them my ideas of mutual benefits. As a case in point of my all-inclusive agenda, Nigerian stakeholders will be commissioned as jurors to select the best names and logo entries. The selected names and logos will be protected by the Copyright Laws of Nigeria and Germany and would only be used by stakeholders who accept our Codes of Conducts. The Nigerian stakeholders will effectively choose the names and draw the Codes while I serve as referee. We will incorporate the “African Cinematographic and Performing Arts Council Ouagadougou (ACPACO)” in Nigeria to serve as custodian and administrator of the new names. ACPACO will check and punish all kinds of abuses as we would never compromise quality content and Nigerian creativity through the new names. We will also create an “Africana Academy of Creative Arts and Sciences (AACAS)” to among others, complement the activities of the Nigeria Film Institute (NFI) and the National Film and Television Institute of Ghana (NAFTI) in training the “be-rich-slow” passionate talents.

Who and who do you have in mind of drafting as members of the jury?

Right know we are short-listing the potential jurors. We will be sending invitation letters to all parastatals and trade unions with stakes in the Nigerian video film industry by the end of this year. Entities like the NFC, NFVCB, the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, the Nation Assembly/Senate Committees on Information and Media, the NTA, AIT, Yotomi TV, the Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (ANTP), Nigerian Actors’ Guilds, Directors’ Guilds, the marketers, the producers, the independent operators, the Yoruba, the Hausa, the Igbo practitioners associations, entertainment journalists, film critics, among others, will be invited to nominate representatives for the panels of judges.

When would it be constituted?

We plan to launch the first flagship top level name and logo during the 2009 Zuma Film Festival in Abuja. The jury will be constituted during the first quarter of 2009. We are giving the fans the chance to make their name and logo suggestions before we bring the practitioners together for the jury work.

Are you a Nigerian? If not, where are you from?

For now all I can say is that I am a black African from West Africa. I am not a Nigerian but I feel Nigerian by heart. I have been a fan of Nigeria since my school days. Professor Wole Soyinka and Chinua Achebe helped me discover the Nigerian in me through their literary masterpieces. During one of our school graduations, I was selected to perform the abridged stage adaptation of “Things Fall Apart.” I believe in the Pax Nigeriana for, the Africans Renaissance and socio-economic integration cannot take place without a strong relevant Nigeria. Despite the negative image of Nigeria and the contemporary challenges, I believe the sleeping giant of Africa will wake up one day just like India and China. The Africa-wide and Diaspora impacts of the Nigerian home video industry justify my “fanatic” support of, and believe in, Nigeria. If I die, I would like to be buried in Nigeria! One of my elder brothers made my “Nigerianization” easier by marrying a beautiful Yoruba lady and by relocating his business interests from Thailand to Nigeria!

What is your stake in this exercise?

I am an international producer and distributor of African and World Cinema. I would like to see the Nigerian video film earn the respect it deserves worldwide. Currently some people are saying Nigeria is the world’s third largest film industry after Hollywood and Bollywood. This claim constitutes blatant exaggeration and self-deception. Nigeria is a video producing nation and not yet a film producing one. The structures that makes a film industry are nascent in Nigeria; they need time and not hype to grow organically. If we are to talk about the third or fourth largest film industry in the world, we need to first look at the happenings in South Korea, South-East India, The Philippines, Hong Kong or Shanghai before reaching any conclusion. Nigeria deserves to be called the World’s Number One Home Video Nation since it has successfully exploited the advantages of digital video technology that lowered the entry barriers into film making. We need to be modest and realistic in our explanation of things.

The Nigerian home movie industry is the product of indigenous Nigerians I hold in the highest esteem known to mankind. I am preserving their legacy by building a global distribution system that will feature Nigerian videos prominently. For the Nigerian home video art is an African Living Heritage that deserves to be promoted and developed in our African terms. This naming exercise is about finding a solid common denominator with the passionate stakeholders. It is about consolidating the home video sector locally and internationally. These are parts of the cardinal components of my moral and material stakes in this New Africa Cinema coming out of Nigeria.

Do you have any support organization here in Nigeria?

I have some affiliates in Nigeria and I have also dispatched letters to some other organizations. They will be known to the public as we move on. I cannot name them now as I am yet to discuss with them how I should be quoting them during my interactions with the media.

Finally Sir, Why are you promoting what many now term as a division in the Nigerian home video industry by further asking for new names and logos for the Yoruba, Igbo English, Hausa et industry. Don’t you think/and/or believe that it would be much better to have a single name and logo that will describe all of them? I mean, like Hollywood represents the American Film industry and Bollywood (even though most Indians are now rejecting the name) represents the Indian Film Industry?

I am not promoting division. One cannot talk of a single homogeneous film industry in Nigeria, India or America. If we look deeper beyond the senseless “wood” titles, we will discover heterogeneous and diversified filming activities. I am therefore promoting unity in diversity. I am following the natural heritage of Nigeria. I am trying to help the world understand Nigeria as a united federation of vibrant Africa civilizations celebrated through the rich Yoruba, Hausa/Fulani, Igbo and other nations. We should not fall into the traps of the Afro-pessimists who see any advancement of the indigenous languages and native cultures as divisive, backward or ethnocentric. Nigeria has over 200 ethnic groups and I understand the concerns of some people. But the reality on the ground between Katsina and Calabar is that we have very lively Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Fulani, Ijaw, Efik lifestyles, to name a few, that are positively interacting and shaping Nigeria. This contemporary reality should be shown on all arts products coming out of Nigeria, be they through film, radio, TV, literature, music, dance, fashion, romance, photography or painting. In this age of globalization, only the most vibrant cultures will survive and if we are to heal the psychological wounds of colonial African inferiority complex, we need to rediscover and modernise our Yoruba, Hausa, Fulani, Igbo and other indigenous ancestral archives first before talking about other related issues.

I am very much proud of the stakeholders who are already producing movies in Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa/Fulani and other indigenous African languages. They are in effect teaching the world the characteristics of the ethnic groups and we should endorse their initiatives within the frameworks of civic education, national orientation and multicultural understanding. I am not just looking for serious names for the native movies, but also for a crossover brand that will promote synergy between the Yoruba, Igbo or Hausa/Fulani language segments. Whenever a Yoruba and Hausa film maker decide to co-produce a movie that will celebrate their ethnic commonalities, they can use the crossover brand to market their work efficiently. This constitutes the celebration of a United Nigeria. So on one hand, I am promoting the uniqueness of the Yoruba, Igbo or Hausa/Fulani civilizations and on the other, I am supporting the socio-cultural cohesion of the geopolitical entity called the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I am complementing the activities of the Nigerian Government of the day in the areas of social harmony, cultural entrepreneurship and national orientation.

The name search project is also about creating recognisable global brands and building a quality assurance system for Nigerian audiovisual products.

By and large , I am not a fan of copycats and “bandwagonism.” If we look the African audiovisual media, we will just see exaggerated “copycatism” in the forms of the reality TV, telenovelas, the modelling jobs, the industrial beauty ideals and so on. People seem to have more respect for the imported foreign content/formats than their own creative wealth. The Nigerian home video industry has however proven to the whole world that Africans are capable of telling their own stories successfully in their own vocabulary and styles. Why do we then have to call the Nigerian home video industry “nothingwood” because of Hollywood and Bollywood? The Nigerians video films are largely accepted across Africa and in the Diaspora because they transport the African messages that are missing from the Hollywood and CNN/BBC products. It should therefore be natural for us to have globally recognisable serious names and logos for the Nigerian creative wonder without jumping into the Hollywood/Bollywood bandwagon. It is about the celebration of African creative excellence from Nigeria and not from America or India!

I am glad you mention Bollywood. The Indians are gradually rejecting the Bollywood name as it does not carry the Indian message. Similar to Nigeria with her Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa/Fulani movie segments, India too has vibrant local film axes in the Southern and Eastern regions of the subcontinent that are operating independent of the Bollywood machinery in Mumbai (Bombay). I just feel vindicated by the Indians’ belated gradual rejection of their Bollywood label. If we have serious names and logos for the Nigerian video industry now, we will save ourselves and the next generations the current troubles of the Indians. We do not have to wait until it suddenly discovered in 5, 10, 20 years to come, that “nothingwood/nollywood” does not seriously reflect the creative potentials of Nigeria and Africa. As the saying goes “what an elderly person sees sitting, a young man cannot see standing.” With this name and logo search project, we are trying to join the Nigerian stakeholders in mitigating some of the heart-breaking challenges awaiting us in the future. It is, in summary, a visionary move.

Bubacarr Sankanu is Chief Executive Producer of Afromedia Film & TV International Group Cologne, Germany

SOURCE: Text of a Q&A with The Source and Sankanu

Basement Theatre Company (BTC) has been established in Abuja for the rebirth of the classy outdoors and to cater to the very specific and sophisticated social needs of urbane Nigerians and Abujans in particular. Now, BTC proudly presents Ola Rotimi’s Ovonramwen Nogbaisi in a complete theatre experience like none before it.

The play is a reconstruction of the historic fall of the great empire of Benin in the British Punitive Expedition of January 4, 1897. The drama looks beyond the obvious in cross-cultural struggles between empires and focuses on the burdens of power as well as the culturally peculiar diplomacy employed between two very fascinating monarchs.

For this Abuja opening, BTC is proud to bring back to Black theatre, African star of music, TV and stage, Dede Mabiaku in the leading role. He is joined by a most vibrant and select cast of the cream of Nigerian theatre. Among them are Toyin Oshinaike, Ahide Adum, Patrick Otoro, Albert Akaeze and Ikponmwonsa Gold.

Platinum Command Performance:

Date: Friday, 4th of July, 2008

Venue: Congress Hall, the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja

Time: 7pm prompt

Ticket: N19,999 or $170.00

Private Performance:

Date: Saturday, 5th of July, 2008

*For details of this performance, please contact Basement Theatre Company

Silver-Card Performances:

Date: Sunday, 6th of July, 2008

Venue: Africa Hall, the International Conference Centre, Abuja

Time: 3pm (matinee)/7pm

Ticket: N2,999 (singles); N4,999 (couples) **special student rates apply

We invite you to order bulk tickets for your organization/group and take advantage of our special bulk ticket discounts. For more box office details and ticket enquiries, please call 0702 546 3790-2 or e-mail tickets@btcnigeria.com. Also, visit our website www.btcnigeria.com for more information on Ovonramwen Nogbaisi and Basement Theatre Company.

Yemi Adeyinka,

Marketing & Audience Development

Picture Source: Broken Memory

Aunty Joke is in her own class and no doubt have carved a niche for herself as one of the best and most versertile actress on the Nollywood scene. She has conquered the world of filmography and have got her name on some A-list films within and outside Nollywood. Aunty Joke is married to another screen veteran Olu Jacobs.

She is a shining light and a darling of most upcoming actors and actresses in Nollywood. She has inspired most and amongst her aging compatriots, she stands out as an icon and one of those that is worthy to be the face of Nollywood.

Nollywood Critique in her latest outing ‘Older Women On Screen‘ poured glowing tribute to the screen icon, thus;

If there is a female actress that I can unequivocally say that I admire the most, that would be, hands-down, Joke Silva. Very few younger actresses can compare to this seasoned performer. Her contributions on and off the screen will be lauded for decades to come. Actually, I think older women in Nollywood have done very well for themselves in terms of perfecting their craft. Stalwarts that come to mind are Ngozi Ezeonu and Patience Ozokwor. While these women have served the industry well, I am not sure if the industry, that is Nollywood has made the best use of their talents…

I do share with her concern on the inability of todays producers to tap into the wealth of experience these aging icon and her compatriots have got to offer. As we all know good wine taste better with age. We hope to see Joke and most of the old faithfuls being given more roles; as Nollywood re-organises and evolves into world class cinema.

We urge Aunty Joke to continue with her services to humanity and Nollywood, she is much appreciated and have inspired a lot of todays celebs and most of aspiring Nollywood celebs also regards you as their icon and inspiration. We love you Aunty Joke.

Joke Silva on Stage with RMD: A Husband’s Wife

Joke Silver Filmography:

1. Letters to a Stranger (2007) (V)
2. To Love and to Hold (2007) (V)
3. To Love and to Hold 2 (2007) (V)
4. The Amazing Grace (2006) …. Maria Davies
5. 30 Days (2006/II) …. Dupe Ajayi
6. Brave Heart (2005) (V) …. Helen
7. Brave Heart 2 (2005) (V) …. Helen
8. Opin irin ajo (2005) (V)
9. Opin irin ajo 2 (2005) (V)
10. Women’s Cot (2005) (V)
    … aka Widow’s Cot (Nigeria: English title)
11. Women’s Cot 2 (2005) (V)
12. Women’s Cot 3 (2005) (V)
13. Last Wedding (2004) (V) …. Mrs. Daniel
14. Last Wedding 2 (2004) (V)
15. Keeping Faith: Is That Love? (2003) (V)
16. The Kingmaker (2003) (V)
17. The Secret Laughter of Women (1999) …. Nene

Picture Source

This is one of his collections in which he takes you through Genesis and bring out the reasons why women are more intelligent than men.

He wraps up with Man and Woman 101, a lesson on how a man and woman can make the very best of their relationships.

Enjoy the Clip:

Okey Bakassi

THEATRE@TERRA presents:

ANOTHER SEASON OF SOYINKA
LIVE PLAYS AND SKETCHES EVERY SUNDAY THROUGH THE MONTHS OF JUNE & JULY

JUNE
BABUZU LION HEART
CHILDE INTERNATIONALE
OBSTACLE RACE
POLLING BOOTH
HOME TO ROOST
PRESS CONFERENCE
UNLIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
POPULATION CONTROL
INTERVIEW PANEL
PRIORITY PROJECT
RICEEE
HOMAGE TO YELLOW THRONES
SYMBOLIC PEACE, SYMBOLIC GIFTS
and many others

JULY
SUNDAY JULY 6- THE STRONG BREED
SUNDAY JULY 13-THE SWAMP DWELLERS
SUNDAY JULY 20-MADMEN & SPECIALISTS
SUNDAY JULY 27- KONGI’S HARVEST

ALL PLAYS WRITTEN BY WOLE SOYINKA

DIRECTED BY KENNETH UPHOPHO, SUNKANMI ADEBAYO, PETER IKUNNA, WOLE OGUNTOKUN

VENUE- TERRA KULTURE, TIAMIYU SAVAGE STREET, VICTORIA ISLAND

TIME- 3pm and 6pm

TICKETS-N2000 EACH

PRODUCED BY WOLE OGUNTOKUN

A TERRA KULTURE, JASONVISION, HYVE LTD COLLABORATION.

For tickets and enquiries, please call 0702 836 7228, 0808 123 9477 or e-mail laspapi@yahoo.com