After a long hiatus from the industry that gave her fame, top Yoruba actress, Fadekemi Momoh, has made a return to filmmaking.
Fadekemi, who some people have described as a lookalike of fellow actress, Iyabo Ojo, recently returned to Nigeria after she travelled to South Africa, where she stayed for about three years.
On her return, she explained to Nigeriafilms.com that her reason for leaving Nigeria was purely for business. However, Fadekemi stressed that she will always remain in the movie industry, but can delve into other professions.
Read excerpts of her interview with Nigeriafilms.com;
What have you been doing since you went off radar?
Yeah, I have not been around for a while now because I have been in South Africa. I have been there close to three years and I just came back about two months ago to produce some jobs.
What were you doing there?
I had some other businesses that I wanted to do there and for some other reasons (smiles).
Did you leave because acting was not paying off?
No, when I was there, I actually produced a movie entitled ‘Angel in Disguise’ which was shown in TV stations in South Africa. It’s not like I really left movie industry, it’s just that I wasn’t in Nigeria.
What have you done since your return?
Apart from the ones I produced which is ‘Thin Line (Atere),’ I have also featured in a latest movie produced by Iyabo Ojo titled ‘Ishina’.
Do you intend producing any movie very soon?
Yes, very soon because I already have my script in mind, but I will not disclose it to you now until it’s ready. Just know that I’m working on something new and very soon, it’s going to be out.
It’s obvious you have some tattoos on your body, could you talk about them?
Hmm, that’s kind of personal because you know when you have a man and he is crazy about something, you should do it for him so that some other women somewhere will not do it for him. So, I actually did it for my man, yeah.
Are you married to him yet?
No, I’m not married but very soon, by the grace of God, because He is the only one that knows when.
What plans do you have for 2016?
For 2016, I’m planning to shoot my English movie; that is what I’m looking forward to, that is what I’m planning and by God’s grace, it shall be done.
What is your take on the perception that some Yoruba actors find it difficult to fit into the English aspect of Nollywood?
Well, you know from time, we did not put our mind to it because we thought there is this separation between English and Yoruba but after when I saw my senior colleagues going into English movie section, then I was like yeah, they can actually do it so why can’t I do it too. It’s not about being able to speak English properly but being able to encourage yourself that ‘I can do it’. Like we do in normal Yoruba movie productions, we read scripts, so when script is done, you read it normally the way you will read Yoruba, once you can understand it, then you can act it.
Do you agree that English films project Nigerian cultures better than Yoruba movies?
Some movies, when you see them, yeah, you really find what you want to get from it.
How do you think the Yoruba movie industry can meet international standard?
The only thing I know that can make us grow, though we have gone places but what can make us grow is if the government can come into the Nollywood industry and support with funds. At the moment, we are producing bigger movies like Hollywood. With government’s support, Nollywood will be an industry other countries will look up to.
What is the difference between the South African movie and their Nigerian counterpart?
Production in South Africa has a bit of English and bit of their local language because in South Africa, they believe that most of their movies must have their language and most of their movies you see in cinemas, they always have their traditional and cultural movies in it. Like the one I did in South Africa, it’s partly English and partly South African language. But for Nollywood, we are also keeping up with the pace of time with the technologies we now use so both industries are doing fine.
