Nollywood loves to hate Nigerian career women

I remember seeing the movie, Bank Manager, starring Eucharia Anunobi around 2005 or so and shaking my head. At that time I worked in a bank and had several colleagues and Bank Managers who were married women. While they’re all still married now, as far as I know, I have continued to see more stories that caricature women who have jobs outside their home, especially if they work in the corporate world like banks, ad agencies, telecoms, oil companies, or any kind of job that pays really well.

The promo for a new movie, Married but Living Single, has started appearing in the news and after watching the preview, I had to ask the question, is it so terrible for a woman to be ambitious in her career? How can a hard working woman be the bad person, and the unfaithful husband be a saint?

SYNOPSIS -Main Plot

Mike an entreprenuer is happily married to Kate who is the creative director of an advertising agency, she is so much engrossed with her carrer and winning the biggest brands for her company. Mike is diagnosed with cancer of the lungs in consequence of the smoking habit he had in his school days, he needs to go to India for surgery and the Doctor advised that his wife should take a leave and come with him to hasten the recuperating process, Kate agrees to go with her husband, but as they are about to travel, the biggest telecoms company in the middle east has just been licenced to operate in Nigeria, Kate’s company stands the chance to win the bid for their adverts, and they will not be able to do the bidding without the creative director. Kate is torn in between travelling to help her husband recuperate and winning the biggest account ever for her company.

True, the production looks great in the trailer, and the actors too, seem to be doing a good job. However, if we say our movie industry has matured, it has to be more than superficial. There has to be a balance of stories. If Nigerians like morally conscious stories, sure, give them what they want. But our script writers should try to teach, not only by showcasing mistakes, but also by using inspirational role models.

You see, one of my problems with Nollywood is that their stories are overly biased. After staying away for sometime, new movies like Aroromire and Sinking Sands are luring me back. However, as a writer and author myself, it is discouraging that the so-called “New Nollywood” is not all that glitters. New Nollywood may look good, but they have to stop this tradition of skewing the Nigerian reality if they intend to stay the course in standing out.

I just don’t want to believe that the preponderance of female roles will continue to be negative going forward. Stories of young prostitutes, irresponsible mothers, wicked mothers-in-Law, and old witches, were the staple of movies gone by. Isn’t art supposed to be a reflection of reality? When are we going to start telling the many positive stories about our culture, our women and our lives?

There are no shortage of these stories in our real lives. Most of us have mothers, sisters, aunts, cousins, family friends, etc, who are married and are maintaining their jobs and their families as best they can. They’re not all evil women and Nollywood should stop trying to make it appear like that.

I want to see a woman who is the protagonist in a Nollywood movie, not because she’s a one-dimensional sinner or saint but who’s a rounded woman, who with all her flaws, can still triumph at the end.

Am I asking for too much?

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