Trying to be like someone else betrays who you are —Aderonke Adeola, producer of Awani

Aderonke Adeola is an art historian, a writer, a fashion entrepreneur and a filmmaker. She is the director and producer of “Awani”, and also worked on the award-winning movie “Half of a Yellow Sun.” In this interview by KINGSLEY ALUMONA, she talked about her experience in banking, filmmaking, television and fashion.

Could you give us brief background information about yourself?

I am a writer and a producer. I’m in the process of promoting my first short documentary “Awani”. Prior to filmmaking, I worked in marketing, finance and fashion. In the past, I worked on other people’s creative projects. This is the first time I am releasing my own work.  As a consumer of art and culture, I am really excited about Africa’s creative sector. There are many stories that can be told through fashion, art, film and music.

You have a background in marketing and finance. What inspired your interests in writing and films?

I studied History of Art. So, I have interest in visual arts, photography and film. Visual arts often serve as a mirror to society.They show us at our worst and our best. They also help to reimage our contemporary narratives. Like other creative pursuits, filmmaking needs more institutions for people to learn their craft and to distribute their work. On the other hand, anyone can make a film. You do not need a license for it. This lack of bureaucracy has attracted a lot of young people and some of them are able to make a living from it, which I find encouraging. Before banking, I did an internship in a documentary production company in New York called Warrior Poets. They produced the Oscar-nominated documentary “Super Size Me”. I did not work on “Super Size Me”, but the film changed the eating culture in the USA. Films rarely change the world, but they can help raise awareness of issues. That makes them  powerful.

You once worked with Stanbic IBTC. Why did you leave the bank?

I learnt a lot when I was a banker. I worked in the marketing and communications department. The organisation taught me about structure and operations. However, I decided to follow my passion. It wasn’t an easy decision.Paid employment has many benefits. Unfortunately, I was not fulfilled and happy.So, I quit. It was a little impulsive. I didn’t have a concrete plan. But, it was the right thing to do.

Tell us something about your web series with RedTV.

I was fortunate when Bola Balogun of Glam TV asked me to work on a show she was producing for RedTV called “Interiors by Design.” It was a docu-reality TV series about the interior design landscape in Nigeria. I was an associate producer. It was about keying into her vision—throwing in some ideas where necessary. It also required a little script writing and, of course, a lot of administrative work and logistics. Though this was not my first time on a film set, the subject matter was inspiring. Interior design has not received its fair amount of attention. The lead host of Interior design, Titi Fowora, made sure we featured established interior designers as well as artisans and craftsmen. There is so much talent in interior design. It was inspiring.

Tell us something about your work, “Awani”.

Feminism can be so divisive, but it’s about giving men and women equal rights. In Nigeria, I found that this is misunderstood. Furthermore, I found we’ve latched onto Western feminist movements without exploring the antecedents of our own gender inequality. That’s what led to “Awani.” I wanted to find out if the gender inequality that exists in Nigeria has always been in existence. And, if so, why? At the end of my research, “Awani” evolved into an intersectional film that examines the impact colonialism had on Nigerian gender relations. I discovered that colonialism had an impact on everything: religion, education, gender and politics. It’s a shame we don’t talk more about the impact of colonialism.It’s a bigger shame that we don’t celebrate the people that fought our colonisers such as the Benin Kingdom and much later the Aba women, through their riots. “Awani” is an introduction to the complicated but oppressive force that was colonialism. Part of our identity was prescribed by colonisers and that’s something we should examine and try and dismantle. The good news is that “Awani” is resonating with audiences, locally and internationally. We have had screenings at WIMBIZ, Ake Festival, and Yale African Film Festival. So far, the responses have been good.

You worked on the award-winning movie “Half of a Yellow Sun.” What was your job description on the project? 

I was the producer’s assistant. It was mostly administrative, and assisting the producer in any task she needed. It was not very glamorous, but the role gave me a bird’s eye view of the planning needed for large-scale productions. I met people who had worked on films like “Batman Begins” and “The Last King of Scotland”. It was intimidating, but it was an invaluable work experience.

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What is AderonkeA Media about?

The name of my company is 1421. Sadly, AderonkeA Media was not available when I went to register at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).  I registered it a few years ago and it’s now fully active. “Awani” is the first short documentary from 1421. It’ll be the vehicle I use to tell stories. Presently, 1421 is a start-up. So, I work with a lot of contract staff and freelancers in the creative industry. It’s challenging being an entrepreneur and also wanting to create. But, those roles go hand in hand. I have to separate days when I’m working on financials and days I’m working on stories. I often ask for help when I am overwhelmed. It’s a journey.

As a fashion entrepreneur, what was your involvement in the Lagos Fashion and Design Week?

I project-managed one of the arms called Fashion Business Series. While fashion week celebrates the creativity of Nigerian designers, Fashion Business Series is a gathering of fashion stakeholders, key members of the public and private sectors, as well as government officials with the focus of driving conversations about improving the fashion and textiles sector. Over the years, we have had panel lists such as Cosmas Maduka; Segun Awolowo; Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed; Folake Coker, Deola Sagoe, Reni Folawiyo, and many more.

At the recently concluded Ake Festival in Lagos, you were one of the panel lists on “The Intricacies of Afropolitanism”. What is your opinion about the afropolitanism movement?

It was a challenging but enlightening panel. When it comes to any form of black or African identity, I run away from anything ambiguous or used for commercial purposes. People can define themselves as “New Africans” or “Afropolitans” because identity is very personal. But, I become apprehensive when it’s collectively used. I think the initial intentions behind the Afropolitan movement were good. The western depiction of Africans was very restricted and monolithic. Afropolitanism provided a vehicle to express other types of African identities. However, is it something exclusively for Africans outside of the continent? Is it for dual nationality holders? If so, does that not suggest elitism? I also didn’t like the commercialisation of it because it rarely profited people on the continent. However, I loved Bantu’s contribution on the topic and how he uses his music event, Afropolitan Vibes, to reappropriate the word and give it meaning. This’s something I’m in total support of.

What are you currently working on at the moment?

The plan is to continue to promote “Awani.” We’ll continue to organise screenings, and we want to get into more festivals. We also want to share this with secondary school students in Nigeria. That aside, I was chosen to be part of the Facebook/Afrinolly Naija Storytellers master class where 20 people were selected to be trained under executive producers of the HBO show Insecure. The training is over, but we have to finish developing our ideas into scripts. So, I’m juggling these two projects.

What advice would you give to young people, especially the female ones, who are aspiring to be like you?

First of all, don’t be like me. Trying to be like someone else betrays who you are. Try and be the best version of yourself. Work hard and never stop learning. If you want to go into a creative field, surround yourself with supportive people. It’s a difficult industry and you need people to encourage you. Take breaks because the mind and the body need rest. Enjoy the journey. No matter how ambitious or intelligent you are, your plans may not turn out exactly as you’ve envisioned. That’s not bad, because things could turn out better. Don’t be too focused on the outcome because you’ll miss out on the process which I’m beginning to learn is more important than the outcome.