Nigerian actress and movie producer, Uche Jombo has claimed that women have to work twice as hard as their male counterparts to prove themselves.
In a fresh interview with Saturday Beats, she discussed the obstacles women face in becoming successful trailblazers and remaining relevant in the industry.
Many of her male colleagues who started creating films before her have departed to pursue other hobbies, according to the filmmaker; however, she is still slogging on. Jombo said, “Women are very serious-minded people. I remember when I started producing movies, there were a lot of my male colleagues who started producing at the same time.“
Some of them started doing other things and are no longer interested in filmmaking as of today. But I am still here, toughening things out. In essence, when women put their minds to something, they do it because, normally, women would work twice as hard to prove themselves.”
When queried why women must work extra hard to show their value in Nollywood, she narrated that it dates back to the early days of the industry.
According to the actress, the industry began as a “boys club,” and it took a long time for men to consider and acknowledge her as a woman in their midst.
She explained, “When Nollywood started, it was a boys club. As a woman coming to produce your film, it takes a while to be taken seriously. I think the film that made people take me seriously was ‘Damaged’. But I had done three films before ‘Damaged’ as an executive producer and producer. That film did well. It was an advocacy film.”
