Filmmaker meets film scholar: Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde in conversation with Rejoice Abutsa

At the recently concluded Silicon Valley African Film Festival (SVAFF), Omotola premiered her directorial debut, Mother’s Love...

At the recently concluded Silicon Valley African Film Festival (SVAFF), Nollywood screen icon and force in global media production, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, premiered her directorial debut, Mother’s Love, in the United States and received the Trailblazer Award for her legendary contributions to African cinema and media. Introducing her, the festival founder and lead curator, Chike Nwoffiah, described Jalade-Ekeinde as “the darling of so many people who understand the different creative expressions within the African continent.
She is one of Africa’s most iconic screen legends and global ambassadors.” As Jalade-Ekeinde took the stage, Rejoice Abutsa, a PhD candidate in Performing and Media Arts at Cornell University, with research interests on women’s labour as a lens for examining the formation of global Black media industries, was invited to join the celebrity in a fireside chat that radiated creative galaxies. Abutsa set the scene with a question about Jalade-Ekeinde’s resilience, navigating life’s twists and turns, and Nollywood’s evolution over the years, with elements that are sometimes detrimental to its founding figures and tenets.
Attributing her tenacity to some difficult childhood experiences, Jalade-Ekeinde recalled her father’s early death as epochal, growing rapidly from childhood to adulthood, and caring for her family in ways that nurtured a successful future. Those events, however challenging, instilled remarkable confidence, enduring values in her professional life, and affirmative contributions to African film and media. Noting how Jalade-Ekeinde’s career inspires women within the film industry, Abutsa asked what historical figure she would like to play if the opportunity arose. Without blinking, Jalade-Ekeinde pointed to Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, a brave advocate of Nigeria’s independence and activist who, during her lifetime, fought for women’s rights, fair wages, better working conditions within informal market economies, equal opportunities, and recognition of women’s vast contributions to the nation.