Top 8 Most Inspiring Women in Nollywood

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]oday, March 8th 2014, is regarded worldwide as International Women’s Day. In the spirit of celebrating women, NR has compiled a list of women in Nollywood who have found a way to manage significance outside the regular glitz and glam and ability to perform on screen.

The following are in order, NR’s Top 8 most inspiring women in Nollywood:

8. LIZ BENSON: Times have come and times have changed and actresses have come and actresses have gone. And some have tried to portray that quintessential Liz-Benson-type role but no matter how great they may be none is exactly ever like the great Liz Benson. Liz Benson makes the list because in 20 years of Nollywood that name still carries power and significance.

7. PATIENCE OZOKWOR: The world renowned “Mama G” is one actress that has found a way to maintain relevance from her early days in acting till date. She has performed a wide variety of roles from wicked stepmother to head tout and everything in between. In her nearly two decades of acting she has remained relevant without losing any respect and for that, Patience Ozokwor makes the list.

6. EMEM ISONG: Back when everyone’s movie looked exactly the same with poor video quality, stereotypical roles, same storylines and movies that lasted an eternity, Emem Isong’s movies were the difference. The movies produced by Emem Isong back in the early days of new-nollywood were beyond instrumental in showing to others that Nollywood was capable of more than the usual. Emem Isong makes the list because she stood out when everyone was the same and catered to the needs of an audience looking for more.

5. MILDRED OKWO: Mildred Okwo was one of the first Nollywood filmmakers to show us that Nollywood could do something else other than what we were already doing. Her 2006 movie “30 days” showed a different side of Nollywood movies and showed that we could do more than the usual formula. Her movies after that have managed to hold to that same standard and Mildred Okwo makes the list for maintaining a standard regardless of the odds.

4. MERCY JOHNSON: Love her or hate her, whether or not you think she can’t act or she’s always 0ver acting you cannot deny that Mercy Johnson is one of the single most hard working actors (male or female) in Nollywood. In 2012, 2 out of every 5 movies released starred Mercy Johnson – the other three did not sell much because they didn’t (I exaggerate). Mercy Johnson makes the list because she is a relentlessly hardworking actress such that even when she was with child, she was still shooting.

3. OMOTOLA J. EKEHINDE: “Omotola is a wife, a mother, a career oriented woman, activist, and a youth ambassador with her own charity organization as well as a 100 time magazine icon. Omotola has been an A list Actress since her 1995 mortal inheritance debut.” – F.bay. Omotola makes the list for being a representation of Nollywood internationally.

Do note that a change was made on #3 from Genevieve to Omotola because there was more convincing argument as to why Omotola is more inspiring.

2. UCHE JOMBO: The new age of Nollywood has inspired many changes in Nollywood. One of the biggest changes would be actors who have switched from acting alone to making their own movies as well. Uche Jombo was one of the first few actresses to make this change. She makes the list because not only does she speak of change in the industry she actively participates in it by making movies that she believes in and are about something other than the usual.

1. STELLA DAMASUS: Movies are an art form and art has a message. Stella Damasus is one of the few actresses, and the most vocal of the rest of the actresses who stand for something other than themselves. Stella touches the lives of individuals in a real way through her advocacy appeals. She stands for women. She stands for girls. She stands in all she does. She stands in all she invests in. She was very vocal during the entire senate-fiasco that seemed to advocate marrying little girls off and her short film “when is it enough” highlights the realities of domestic violence. Stella Damasus makes the top of the list because she shows that this life is not always about ourselves.

 [toggle_box title=”Letter from NR this IWD” width=”Width of toggle box”]

Happy International Women’s Day to all the readers of NR: both the females and the men who put up with us. This IWD we’d like to use this opportunity to bring into attention the plight of the female child in places where you can’t see them. Your sisters and daughters and mothers might be educated working women who seem equal to men by all standards. However, the women in some country do not share this luxury. Some nations still practice infanticide when their wives bear female children. In some nations women are still not allowed to own properties. Some women around the world have been sold to brothels and made to believe that this is the best they will ever amount to. Even today in our industrialized society women still live strategically under the man and the wiles of the masses. From issues like abortion to the regard of females in the society, we still lag behind.

So today we ask that you choose just one charity targeted towards women. Not necessarily any of the big names but choose one and donate even a $1 to the plight of the women child. Since its inception 1% of all proceeds from nollywoodreinvented.com go towards the plight of the female child in nations around the world. So join us today and give a woman somewhere a fighting chance.

You Can Free.Us   The Source   World Vision

Thank you.

NR.[/toggle_box]