Blackgirl

Genevieve Nnaji’s directorial debut Lionheart is a heartwarming story that is unapologetically Nigerian and doesn't try too hard to be funny.  The film tells of Adaeze played by Genevieve Nnaji who tries to successfully run her father’s company alongside her uncle after her father’s illness. The acting was topnotch; it felt like watching a real family. This is not surprising as Nollywood’s legends and comedic genius Pete Edochie, Kanayo O. Kanayo and Nkem Owoh star in it.  The story was simple yet compelling doing well to capture organic family love and culture. Do not be confused Lionheart is not a comedy but a good movie that gives a lot of good laughs. The scenes were slick,  perfectly edited and flowed in a beautiful sequence that the audience felt like they were on a journey, not to mention that the scenery was also picturesque. Although I would have liked Phyno’s character to have being explored a little more, it felt like he was hiding, but all in all it’s a feel good

 Upnorth the movie directed by Tope Oshin of New Money, is a beautiful film that underserves it’s audience. The film produced by Anakle films and Inkblot production from an original story from Editi Effiong explores love and family politics through the life of  a rebellious  heir from a wealthy family played by Banky W who  finds himself after being sent away for National Service. It also stars Ibrahim Suleiman , Rahama Sadau, Kanayo O Kanayo  amongst others. Having followed this film online from the shoot, trailers to its final release and seeing the amount of anticipation it has garnered  I can say that it doesn’t serve as much as it promised. The film does well in the picturesque and scenic portrayal of Bauchi and tries to distance itself from the usual claustrophobic scenes known to Nollywood. It also does a great job of not leaning into stereotypes which is commendable.  However this does little to repair the damage done by the butchering work of the editor who didn’t giv

You came to my mind today Your bright Colgate smile From those perfectly formed lips Your eyes, your cute bunny nose You tall chocolate fountain Are what dreams are made of I remember my heart beating loudly At the sight of you Every image of you like an eclipse Of fireworks lighting my whole being You captured my heart and made me a prisoner to you A prisoner of love Love that only I knew about But I felt like we were old lovers The imagined conversations The one where you filled my dark days with your laughter And nights with dirty dealings in lust Of us wining and dining And me staring for days into those eyes   Our wedding did I already plan But I only knew your name   The name of angels and unicorns burst.

                        Chief Daddy the movie, like all other Ebonylife cinema releases is glamorous and flamboyant, and focuses on   the lives of opulent Nigerians swathed in comical storylines, but this not make it a bad movie just one with a lot of unfulfilled potential. This comedy directed by Niyi Akinmolayan is a big upgrade from Ebonylife’s last cinematic effort Royal Hibiscus Hotel and centres on Chief Beecroft played by Taiwo Obileye, a billionaire whose death brings about the sudden appearance of various characters to his mansion. The film stars a lot of Nollywood favorites like Joke Sylvia, Falz, Funke Akindele amongst others. Usually an ensemble cast is a recipe for disaster but Niyi Akomolayan tries to makes it work even as a lot of the cast were not properly utilized and added little or nothing to the film. Still, Bisola Aiyeola managed to make us roll over in laughter without saying a word.  One thing   to ponder about however was the fact that

She had the strength of her ancestors Force field of those who have come before Brave, powerful women who broke glass ceilings for me to be here Gone above and beyond what was expected Proven that our bodies belong to us Refused to be pegged down They stand here with me, leading me through open doors Their words and actions reverberating my marrows Filling my blood with endorphins My mothers are here They circle me, the bond unbroken Hearkening to their voices, channeling this rage This pain, the bruises and scraped knees from begging Slumped shoulders from the weight of patriarchy It is time to rise to use this pain to fight Fighting for all that I will be For me and those to come The strength of my mothers who fought  for I will wage war So that my sisters coming do not have to I will scream, Blood and bodies may lay To cleanse tomorrow The freedom of the personhood of my sis

This poem came about after attending Lagos International Poetry Festival last weekend. Being surrounded by so much creative energy was so filling, i'm still riding on that high. It's funny how we say we love our mothers and lovers  Yet we choose to measure the love in the amount of pain they've endured The amount of violence, of bullshit they tolerated from us Yet this is the love we claim Love vowed from not being our fathers Yet doing same to our lovers Yet raising our fists Cutting skin with our words and actions  Still laying claim to love The love we show by saying "yes strong woman You stayed, you allowed us break you Thank you for letting us use as we see fit your bodies" This love we proclaim to the whole world  Tweeting and Facebooking about Is the love that drags women through the dregs of hell and back  Using as footmats to step on as we please  And as ego boosters when we feel low Yet this is love we say o

King of Boys is a richly drawn and emotionally stirring drama directed by Kemi Adetiba. The film stars the delectable Sola Sobowale, Adesua etomi, Toni Tones and newcomer Paul Sambo who all come together to weave this thrilling tale of survival, power and politicking. King of boys chronicles the seemingly business woman Eniola Salami played by the King Sola Sobowale, trying to further her political career while trying to maneuver through her gritty past.   We all know that Sola Sobowale is an amazing actress but you've never seen her quite as you will in this movie. Her performance was just too good for words, the subtle nuances, her presence were out of this world. She deserves to have flowers thrown at her feet everywhere she goes.   King of boys ensemble of amazing actors was just too surreal, Adesua was magnifique pardon my french, Toni Tones interpretation of the younger Eniola Salami was impeccable, she literally was the star in every single scene she appeared. Paul Sam

I see you standing Peeping, wondering if you should come in Come in by all means do But be aware that this place is A place of fire and fury Burning down holds of disloyalty, lies and shattering the souls and heart of men This place also holds love and tender care   But do not be deceived by this beautiful Palace It is not all butterflies, it is also of destruction and explosion Consuming all in its wake A place of broken glasses and bloody noses Be prepared to be knocked off your feet too For unimaginable treasures lay in your wake Dearest, please do not come in if you are not ready to behold this magnificence For once in there’s no going back You lay trapped in this world or be prepared to leave with deep set bruises as spoils of war

Admitting weaknesses, hurt, pain and taking time to seek the origin is one of the most challenging things to do. Almost everyone is dealing with some form of hurt or pain usually linked to something, or what someone did or said in the past, and usually things we ignored or considered inconsequential. At other times it might even be guilt from what we did ourselves. Low self-esteem, body image issues, daddy issues, trust issues almost always stem from a word or action(s) of a person said or done to us.When we acknowledge our hurt,trace it and work on addressing the root cause(s) of why we feel and act the way we do then we can be on the road to finding healing and  inner peace. For me socializing was a really serious issue, serious as in I’m socially awkward and it never used to be that way but taking a step back to self analyse really made the me understand the cause. Somewhere along the journey in my teenage life, something had occurred that had changed me and caused me

Hi, it has been a while but I am still here. The sense of finality The thud of the door closing The beep at the end of the phone call Causes a twitch in the heart Just when you think you won’t feel a thing That goodbye changes everything Says you won’t see each other again You start to feel it all An assurance that it’s over Makes you wish you could do it all again See them one last time Should I run and reach for your hand Or cry it out.

I previously had not wanted to post this but then again, a second cousin of mine complained that her teacher was calling her 'my wife ' and asking students to sit with him and stroke his jaw. I was riled up and disgusted. A couple of months ago,  my younger sister told me a girl in her class got beaten, not once or twice by a teacher on her boobs * yes , you read that right * for wearing a chain,  she got suspended. Why? You ask? because she fought back against her abuser. Disappointingly,  her parents came to apologise to the school. The school who believed and shielded the teacher. The abuser was being apologised to. * let that sink in *. The pervert teacher who should be queried, sacked, shamed or even arrested was protected and defended by the Principal and other members of staff. It's really sad that this girl has being completely intimidated into silence and guilt for doing nothing, and even more sad that there was nothing I could do. Not surprising, storie

You can't kill me twice you killed me when you lied when you didn't love her when you treated with contempt when your eyes wandered when you tried to crush her when you thought you owned us You killed me when you considered me an outlet for your anger when you raised your belt, the welts and marks the sign of death the death of my love, my feelings of me seeing you You killed me when you broke every promise when you compared me to others when you put others first when I didn't matter when you didn't respect me You can't kill me again because i'm already dead. The girl I was, who loved you

It has been a long time, a lot of things has happened, a lot has been done. But I'm grateful i'm still here and able to still write. I never stopped writing just blogging, I have been offline since the beginning of the year and i'm back now, hopefully for good. Thanks for sticking with me. Our fatherland of bleakness  Of tears and pain Land of endless inopportunities Broken ladders of success Rot of booming streams Broken sense of hope  Lost ambitions, dead dreams Filled with could-haves and would-haves Helper of the rich, stomper of the triers and dreamers Darkness surrounding ambitions Constant call for help Shoving the honest Embracing the pockets The recycled, recycling and re-use of past Lost in past glory When shall new doors open When shall light come and unhibited  laughter fill our mouths O fatherland we long.