As an actress, Omowumi Dada, a graduate of the University of Lagos, Akoka, has come a long way in the nation’s movie industry. The Tales of Eve star speaks with OVWE MEDEME on a number of issues, including domestic violence. Excerpts:
HOW did you come into acting?
That will take me down memory lane. I have always loved everything art. I have always loved drawing or everything related to painting. In the primary school, I was in an Igbo cultural group and when I was in the secondary school, I was also in a Yoruba cultural group. I was so good at it that I used to dance Bata with my seniors.
Only students in SS3 could learn the dance, but as early as JSS2, I could dance it. I also loved involving in debating and quiz, so I became an executive in my school’s press club. But acting, for me, actually started as far back as when I was in primary school. My first play was a medieval play titled Every Man; I actually heard the story from my dad. In primary five, when it was it was time for us to leave for secondary school, I decided to do something different. So, I called some of my friends who liked acting and narrated the story to them. I directed it, though it wasn’t much of a production anyway. So, that was my first experience as a director.
So, how did you eventually become a professional actor?
When I was still in school, someone wanted to stage a play, so he called my friend to be a part of it. I went to say hello to my friend and found out that somebody was absent. The producer then asked me to fill in for the person, so I decided to do just that one production. And from there, it just went on.
Did your family give you the desired support?
They very much did. As little as I was then, I could always recite poems. I still remember the poems I wrote when I was in primary three. These are poems of about three pages. Sometimes, when I recite them now, I wonder how I wrote them. In my family, we support each other a lot. My parents have taught us all to know that if you have to make a decision, you have to be sure that it is the right one. They have always supported me. In fact, I used to dance for my brothers. Whatever new dance we learned in the cultural troupe, I would dance and act for them. Basically, I had my first audition in front of my brothers; so, they were my first judges.
Which was your first professional movie?
I can’t remember what year it was. I remember one producer who came from the UK and called me for an audition. After the audition, he told me that he already had his cast, but that I would be the major character for the next one planned to be shot in 2009. It was a South African setting, so I had to practise how South Africans talk. I don’t know why I haven’t seen it yet. I have also featured in other productions, but the major one that stands out was The Gods Are Still Not To Blame. I acted alongside big names like Iretiola Doyle, Gabriel Afolayan, Bukky Ajayi and a lot more.
What was your first experience on set like?
My first experience in front of the camera was as a presenter. Fidelis Duker had a TV show, the very first reality TV show for kids, where we had kids in the house and they did their things themselves. It was like the Big Brother Africa, but it was for kids. In acting, you can talk to somebody and imagine that the camera wasn’t in front of you.
For presenting, I had to look straight into the camera; so, I was kind of shaky. I had to tell the director that I needed to use the toilet. I went into the rest room, looked at myself in the mirror and I said, ‘Wumi, this is where you will call a spade a spade because this is all you have always wanted to do and you will be stuck with the camera for the rest of your life.’ That was how I fell in love with it. So, I went out and felt more confident with the camera.
What are you doing to remain consistently relevant in the industry, in view of the fact that the competition is getting fiercer, so to say?
I quite appreciate the fact that everybody is talented and then we all pray to God for the opportunity to show our talents. I think something that has worked for me over the years is my versatility; my ability to show my talent on stage and then come back to the screen and do it right. I have even played a king on the stage once when I was still in school. We had a few guys in my class and some of them stood out so well and the director didn’t want any of those ‘cliché’ people.
So, I decided to cast for it. I started learning to talk and walk like a man. From walking like a man, I started making research on the mannerism of kings, how they talk, how they make pronouncements and things like that. When we staged the play, most of our lecturers and most of the people who came to see it were impressed. It was when we did the curtain call that they realised that I was a woman.
Are you working on any project now?
I am working on several productions currently. I am in a couple of sitcoms. I also just finished a short film titled Not Right, which is a movie on domestic violence.
Why did you pick up the role?
The producer is my very good friend, so I just felt I should lend my own voice to everything that is happening around me, especially as it concerns domestic violence. We hear these days about domestic violence in some homes. It might not be physical violence, but it might be psychological. Sometimes, we hear on the news or we read on the Internet about husbands killing their wives or wives castrating their husbands. So, I just think all these have to stop.
As a woman, how long do you think one should put up with domestic violence?
Domestic violence is not something we should manage; it shouldn’t be tolerated. It is not acceptable. On no account should a man raise his hands on a woman. On no account as well should a woman violate her husband. Let us not say it is a man’s world; so, men can get away with anything. No, a man cannot get away with anything. Let us not say that because it is perceived that women are delicate, then, they should hide under that canopy to abuse their husbands. It has to stop for both genders. In the case of this one, it got so bad that the character I played was the abused one and she kept making excuses for her husband.
Have you ever experienced that before?
No, I haven’t, but I do have friends who have. I tried to help them through it; but at the end of the day, the decision is theirs. Some of them are happy now and some of them are still part of the relationship. But I keep praying that one day, they will realise that this is not where they should be.
If you happen to find yourself in that situation, what will be your first move?
If a man does it once, he will continue to do it; so, I won’t live with that.
Are you in a relationship?
Yes, I am.
How true is the insinuation that artistes have difficulty keeping their relationships?
Let me ask you that question, how true is that? Don’t we have actors who are happily married? Of course, we do. I quite understand the fact that some relationships don’t work for some actors. But the truth is that all around the world, there is a high rate of divorce. It is not only peculiar to actors.
We have bankers getting divorced every day and we even have pastors or politicians who file for divorce. So, it is everywhere. The only reason our lives look like that is because we are always in the faces of the press. The truth is that if these people weren’t actors, it would have still happened to them. If they were school teachers, maybe they would have fallen victims of wrong spouses as well.
Is your husband also an actor?
No, he is not.
Given an opportunity to choose between your relationship and career, which will you go for?
Both can come hand-in-hand. As I said, relationships come with understanding. My spouse should understand that at this point in time, my career really needs my attention and he should support me. That’s it. I am not going to throw my career away and I am not going to throw my relationship away either. I will just hold on to them with both hands and then we build it together.
How do you unwind?
I love to sing a lot. Sometimes, I am stuck on my music device. I am very diverse when it comes to music. I like country songs, rock songs as well as opera. Also, give me a big screen TV and movies and my day is made. That is a fantastic way of relaxing for me. I love watching movies a lot. Then, I like to go to the beach to just appreciate the works of nature and enjoy the cool breeze, not necessarily to tan my skin because I am dark already (laughs). I just love the beach, the way the sea rolls back and forth. I like to appreciate the work of nature. I am not the club type because I don’t really like so much noise.
Why don’t you club?
As actors, we work almost all day, so we just need to rest at night.