The favourite mantra of Kemi Akindoju, popularly known as Lala, provides insight into what has guided her career as an award winning entertainer who has built a career as one of Nigeria’s most influential and bankable producer/actors from the stage to the Nollywood big screen.
Her career started after her first degree (in insurance) when she followed her love of acting into Nigeria’s underground theatre scene. She ran up an impressive resume for five years before taking the plunge into film. Stage plays would hone her artistry and establish her reputation as one of Nigeria’s best stage actresses. “I worked strictly in theatre for five years and it was deliberate. I didn’t study theatre arts as my first degree so I felt that I had to work hard on perfecting my art.”
During her stint as a theatre actor, Lala also dabbled in production and that is how her production company, Make It Happen Productions was born. The actress would start with producing small scale stage plays with the launch of her ground-breaking ‘Open Mic Theatre’ a platform for innovative theatrical and music performances. She also produced the Nigerian version of The Vagina Monologues among others.
During her early years, in which she helped to open up Nigeria’s hitherto underground theatre scene to a mainstream audience, the respected actress and producer was known predominantly in theatrical circles and was jutted into the limelight after winning the Actress of the Year Award at The Future Awards in 2010. Even then, Nollywood movie roles didn’t come flooding in, especially because the actress was very picky about the roles she would accept. Her breakthrough movie was Tunde Kelani’s 2014 Dazzling Mirage.
She explains that her formula was about working with the ‘right people’. “The right people have to see that talent that you have and then expose it to the right audience. I had a list and I had to actively work towards this dream. Tunde Kelani, Kunle Afolayan, Mildred Okwo, Akin Omotoso, Ego Boyo – all these amazing filmmakers. I made sure I contacted every one of these people. I’m not someone who is afraid of auditions because of my experience. Once there is a part I feel I can be good at, you will see me there.
“Even though I’d worked with Kunle Afolayan on Dazzling Mirage, he was shocked to see me at his auditions; he asked me what I was doing in the queue. I just wanted him to know I was very serious. When Mo Abudu was going to make her movie Fifty I already decided I was going to be in it. People ask me why I accepted a non-leading role in Fifty and I say to them; there are no small roles, only small actors. You can be in a film for one scene and it could be so good that it could become known as your big break.”
When asked how she could identify a great project before it kicks off, she explains: “You can do a film that won’t be promoted, a film that won’t travel. For me it’s important that I am in a zone that has a lifespan. By this I mean a film that will do the festivals, awards, cinemas, television rounds before DVD. By the time the movie is on DVD it’s like a new film for the DVD audience. It gives you longevity.”
Lala has featured in two of Nigeria’s top ten grossing films of the past two years – Dazzling Mirage and Fifty. “These are two movies that took me five years to accomplish. It feels good to make the bankable actors list by consistently featuring in movies that do very well. Mildred Okwo’s Surulere was just released but is also doing very well at the box office. I’m not in a hurry, I will just keep doing what I know how to do.”
Late in 2015, Lala was approached to produce Nigeria’s first Snapchat movie, Snapped Nigeria. “It was conceived by the writer Bola Agbaje of 2Far Media who is very accomplished. They had this radical idea to make this film on Snapchat – following the example of the UK’s first Snapchat movie. The film explores the potential loss of privacy that comes with social media. Lala explains that they had to tweak a few things to give it a more authentic Nigerian feel.”
Snapped Nigeria stars Adeolu Adefarasin, Nkem Marchie, Sylvya Oluchy, Amarachuks Onoh, Olumide Adisa and Gbolabo. “We were very impressed by the delivery of the actors… Also bear in mind that every scene is a snap of 10 seconds each. Even though there is a director, performers had to hold the phone themselves.” The 10-minute film premieres on 2Far Media’s socialmovies Snapchat account late in March and will subsequently be available on YouTube.
In March 2016, a shocked Lala was awarded the Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards (AMVCA) ‘Trailblazer of the Year’ accolade, which was presented together with a new SUV. “I was shocked, nothing in my wildest dreams prepared me for this,” she explains. “They had made a great fuss about me presenting an award that day. I had done rehearsals and all. I didn’t understand it then because maybe I would have stepped out or something. When my name was called I was shocked into stillness.”
“Winning this award was like a flashback through all the 11 years I have given this craft: theatre, movies, everything. I hear people say things like it’s long overdue, they have been overlooking you for a long while. I just feel like when it is time it is time; I am incredibly honoured.”
So what is next for Make It Happen productions? “We are a production company for all the platforms, we tell amazing African stories and we will continue doing plays as we have always been doing. We have a full-length movie in 2016. We are also looking to do more collaborations because I believe they help dreams come true faster!”
She advises young people: “Keep doing what you know how to do best, work on your art; one day people will cheer you, but before then don’t expect it to be easy, because believe me, it won’t be.”
By Oma Areh
