The ace Nollywood actress Bimbo Akintola has carved a niche for herself, especially in movies that tell the stories of women’s plights and the girl-child.
The 51-year-old actress made her acting debut in Owo Blow (1995) and later starred alongside Richard Mofe-Damijo in Out of Bounds (1997).
She believes some of her movie roles have led her fans to think she is a feminist.
But, in an exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES at a movie set in Ajah, Lagos State, the actress described herself as a humanist rather than a feminist.
“My passion for the girl-child and the women does not make me a feminist; I am a humanist.”
Further explaining why she alienates herself from the feminist ideology, the actress explained that feminism is a toxic ideology for her.
“I don’t like this feminist idea because I think there’s a focus on this wing of feminism that is extreme. It’s toxic. I don’t want to be part of that. I want us to realise that you care about humans if you say you are a humanist.”
“That means every individual: boy, girl, woman, man; everybody. My niche is the women and the girl child because there is so much to do concerning this issue in Nigeria”.
The 52-year-old actress told this newspaper that she is at her best in movies that narrate the stories of women and the girl-child.
Speaking about her passion for the roles she often plays in movies, she said: “I am always one sucker for anything that has to do with women and the girl child. You can catch me in those kinds of stories; those are my favourite stories. I mean, sometimes when I meet women or children who would say to me, ‘oh that film’, like when we did “Widows the morning after”, with Jide Odomosu, I had a woman work up to me, she was crying, she said that was my story you told.”
According to the actress, she feels accomplished when her story is relatable and enjoyed by her fans.
‘‘When I meet people who have been affected by the stories. That, for me, was a high point that moved me beyond words. And when our movies impact changes in our society, that’s a high point for me,” she said.
She said that her career trajectory has seen her take on more women and child-focused roles because of her passion for advocacy.
She said: “I understand and see the plight of the girl child. I have always worked with organisations that have dealt with segxwal assaults and other related issues.
I’ve worked with Mirabel centre; I ran away, I must confess, because I was so depressed. I saw a lot, and I have also done a lot of work in the northeast with women and children and the girl child. I have seen a lot of situations of women and children in Nigeria’’.
Bimbo, whose career has spanned nearly three decades, also noted that Nollywood has grown.
She said:
Quote
“I think we are growing, change is constant, we have changed in terms of our technical know-how, we are taking more time, we are putting more effort into our movies, we are trying to make them perfect for the audience, that’s what has changed, we have evolved.”
“Comparing when I started my career till now, this industry has grown; at that time, the industry was only but a baby, and as a baby, I think we were crawling, and we also had great quality then, it was a much smaller industry, now its a much bigger industry with all sorts of people. It was easier to judge then because we had a small group of people, few actors and few producers, but now we have lots of people experimenting.”
“Comparing when I started my career till now, this industry has grown; at that time, the industry was only but a baby, and as a baby, I think we were crawling, and we also had great quality then, it was a much smaller industry, now its a much bigger industry with all sorts of people. It was easier to judge then because we had a small group of people, few actors and few producers, but now we have lots of people experimenting.”
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