Women Authors From Nigeria

"I worry about myself because I have too many dreams and ambitions. The future includes writing and creating plays, films and documentaries, touring the world as a performance poet, curating contemporary art, hopefully presenting more television and more journalistic work as well. I hope to continue supporting the work of the Mirabel center and hopefully start my mentorship workshops for teenage girls."

"I don’t do macho, hard man, inexpressive, or dictatorial. Partnership is important to me."

"It is always very easy hide with poetry. The bones of some of the poems were written as part of a month-long challenge that I was part of in a closed Facebook group. Everyday we got a prompt and had to produce a poem before midnight. It was quite grueling, and I don’t think any of us finished the thirty days but it really opened me up emotionally. I also wrote many of the poems traveling."

"There are a lot of incredible artists doing amazing work. Unfortunately, there aren’t many spaces for them to showcase the incredible work they do.I wanted to create something that would illuminate the works of these individuals and their creative process. So as a lover of all things art and culture, I thought it was time to have a go at a video interview series and thus Culture Diaries was born."

"My work is also very minimalist aesthetically, which is an extension of me. I think as an individual I am constantly living and dealing with a myriad of complexities, so I crave and need simplicity to function and I think those same principles drive my work."

"Energy is a real thing, so whether it’s with people or what you read it comes with the spaces you enter. You allow yourself to absorb those things and they will have an impact on you. If you are consuming a diet everyday of negativity and danger, and thoughts that everyone is out to get you, this is all that will consume you. Even when you are saying your prayers this is all that is going to consume your prayer pattern. You are going to keep fighting demons in your prayers."

"I hope to use this form of story telling as a way to humanize, educate, highlight some of the healthcare inconsistencies and stigmatization of people living with various illnesses."

"I think hosting events are a side hustle but everything else part and parcel of my career. I think when you see things as a side hustle then they become that. Journalism, poetry and documentary film are all full time careers I juggle and I put the same soul, energy and resources into each and every one."

"I think, when you grow up as a black person or an African in a black and African country, identity isn’t something you are particularly concerned about. I only became conscious of racial identity when I moved to the UK and started to understand the subtle and sometimes not so subtle ways in which this compounds the way you are seen and how you move through the world."

"I am inspired by the different ways that women stand up for themselves, and are constantly navigating through the waters of patriarchal traditions to take up space."

"My husband is a young man and very conservative and he had one worry which is quite valid. The trend of people getting married and breaking up was his worry. And also the African perspective to how people will be ‘touching his wife’ and all that but by the time we crossed that bridge, there were lots of rules like ‘ don’t let them hug you’ and the likes. He’s comfortable now that I am the producer and so I’ll know how to write it to soothe our conditions; and by the time he even agreed the flair was gone. So it was more of me just wanting to be a film maker and I found peace."

"“I’m a writer, producer, director and sometimes I want to be an actor because my original dream since I was a teenager was to act but life directions didn’t really take that course. I studied Philosophy in OAU and when I graduated I went into radio. I was on Star FM for a while as a newscaster. I then moved to MITV to be a TV presenter and then I went on to Insight Communication Agency to be a copy writer and afterwards went back to radio, Rainbow FM for about 4-years."

"It’s both. I think one of my biggest fears is accepting money to shoot a movie though I do get several offers. In as much as content is king, the demand for it is getting higher but the remuneration is getting lower. Producers, who have made huge box office returns, check out what they have put in and their returns. If you say you make N100 million in cinemas, split that in three ways first before you start considering returns on investment from the one-third that comes to you."

"Acting was actually my first love, but for some reason, that part of my life never really took off; so, I went back to film school, London film academy, studied film production/screenwriting and my whole film making career kicked off. What spurred me? I had always wanted to tell and share my story with the world."

"You can count on two hands the films I’ve made. That is to tell you that it is not as lucrative as it seems. What makes it lucrative is also spending a lot of money on making the film, promoting the film and making sure everyone hears about it. So, small screen film makers like me (because there are some filmmakers that only come out to make films for cinema) bank on the numbers. As long as you keep working, you’ll be able to balance out. But if you’ll be going to the cinemas, you’ll need money to go in the first place and you’ll also need to wait a long time to be paid and to be licensed. It’s not a return that comes at once, it spreads over time"

"As a child I have always known what I wanted. In my room I had a write-up that when I become eighteen I would rent my own apartment."

"Growing up in the slum helps you to find yourself. It’s either you are defined or you are not. Growing up as a child in Ajegunle, it’s either you get lost or it helps you find your way."

"There is this rush in me, it is there, and you can feel it inside you, knowing that somebody is going to make use of it. It comes at the end of the script you write knowing you have been able to come up with something that someone else will make use of what you are doing. Then, knowing that not everybody can do what you are doing."

"I have learnt to be patient. I have learnt to understand that people’s destinies are different. I have also learnt to understand that not everybody will appreciate your style, not everybody will understand where you are coming from. All you need as a person is focus."

"Stop comparing your life to others. There’s no comparison between the SUN and the MOON. They shine when it’s their time."

"Take every opportunity you get; you never know which one will help you accomplish your goal."

"Shooting this movie was very challenging but also fun. One of the major challenges we faced was finding foreign actors, so, I had to hold an audition but thank God, the turnout was really impressive. Another challenge was finding locations and getting people to open up to you. I was new to that terrain, so, it was quite challenging for me.”"

"Remuneration for creatives in Nigeria is a far cry from what their counterparts receive abroad. Hollywood and other established film industries are much older and sophisticated than Nollywood and therefore would reward their practitioners better.""

"Special Jollof is just a love story set in the background of immigration, the problems immigrants go through and this preconceived notion that every immigrant is involved in illegal activities. This movie is actually different from what I normally do and because it is a well talked about issue worldwide at the moment, causing concern for world leaders."

"Enjoy the little things in life, because one day you’ll look back, and realize they were the big things."

"As a way of saying thank you to my people, I have decided to film my next huge project in Uyo to continue in our contributions towards the development and growth of the movie industry in Akwa Ibom and indeed Nollywood."

"Every country should respect its own local industry. We must look for ways to help Nigerians who put in a lot of hard work whether as cast or crew members. Their hope is to be able to earn a living from the sacrifices and efforts they put into supporting the production of the movies the Nigerian audience consume."

"This is my first time to do a true life story. It was challenging for me. We spent weeks doing research in the creeks of Bayelsa, learning the culture of the people. My choice of cast fit the character in reality."

"I’m very happy doing what I’m doing. I have strong passion for it. And whenever I finish a movie and come across people who are enjoying my movies, I always feel elated."

"Royal Arts Academy will contribute to the transformation, development and growth of Nigeria and the African continent as a whole, by offering first class training to students who would go on to produce excellent films that would place Nollywood at par with the international community. This training will be provided by industry professionals within and outside the country."

"Stop trying to replace your ex. What’s gone is gone. Trust yourself to make better choices and make corrections from your initial error. If you still haven’t healed, give yourself time to."

"What’s gone is gone, what’s lost is lost. Trust in your destiny, you will find love. and it will find you."

"Wealth and assets have no hiding place."

"One Nigeria can truly not work, except these excesses can boldly and truly be checked."

"Both writing and acting, I don’t see myself trying to compare them. It is my duty to do my job and it is people’s duty to analyse it. Success is getting to a point where you are comfortable with what you have and you are happy with it and this is exactly how I feel."

"You don’t decide when you find the right person, so wherever you find yourself at whatever point in life, it’s important to be happy at that stage."

"Be a leader with a heart… don’t take all the credit for what it took a team to build. encourage your team to have bigger goals and appreciate everyone’s contribution."

"No struggle or journey in life is a piece of cake… but the icing on the cake is when our tests become testimonies."

"make no apologies for who you are. adorn your life with roses… fragrances and yes, you can stay fab at any age as long as you don’t outsource your happiness… defy all ageing sterotypes…wear your heels, swirl and strike a pose. work that body!"

"Personally, I don’t think any woman is ugly. Beauty is as much in character as it is in the physical."

"Celebrity couples should stop living their lives on twitter and Instagram; it’s ok in the real world for couples to disagree."

"No woman should be anybody’s fool. But if you say should a woman stoop to conquer, then why not."

"I love what I am doing especially as it is impacting people. Genevieve changed my way of thinking from “what if I fail?” to “what if I succeed?”."

"Don’t dwell too much on what you haven’t achieved, rather focus on how to achieve it. It’s never too late to start again even after starting again."

"Appreciating the moments with enthusiasm and a “can do” spirit separates the achievers from the rest."

"Change begins with how we as women see, treat and fight for other women. Change truly begins when we do."

"When you save the life of one woman, you save a generation who would otherwise be without a mother."

"Anti-ageing should begin with de-clogging the body and the mind from years o f grime instead of covering it up with creams and makeup. Some of the bad choices we make in life can age us faster than calendar years."

"Be mindful how you treat your staff, because if you treat them shabbily, they would not put their best."

"Just dance…it’s okay not to be such a hot stepper… everyone misses a beat now and again."