From singing on MTN Venture Fame West Africa to entertaining audiences within the Large Brother home and now a Nollywood star, Bisola Aiyeola‘s journey is nothing wanting spectacular. Her versatility and expertise shine by in each position she takes.
In “Flawsome,” a Showmax Nigeria Original series, that explores the lives of 4 buddies, Bisola performs Ifeyinwa, a hard-working heiress, who spent all her life making ready to change into the CEO of her father’s firm after his demise, solely to search out out she isn’t her father’s alternative successor.
Within the collection, she acts alongside different buddies: Ramat (Ini Dima-Okojie), Ivie (Sharon Ooja) and Dolapo (Enado Odigie). Collectively, they navigate their private {and professional} lives whereas certain by the flawed but unbreakable ties they share.
For Worldwide Girls’s Month, Bisola shares extra about her character Ifeyinwa, her real-life friendships with Sharon Ooja and Bimbo Ademoye, what she thinks of Girls’s Month and the songs that make her stunning.
***
Hello Bisola! What have been you as much as on Worldwide Girls’s Day?
Nothing, I used to be working.
In ‘Flawsome,’ you play Ifeyinwa, a girl who faces challenges in her profession. For girls who discover themselves in related conditions of their profession journey, what piece of recommendation would you will have for them?
A very good assist system is necessary. Fortunately, she has that assist from her buddies and sisters in Flawsome. Searching for recommendation on methods to cope with points like this, if it’s attainable, discuss to HR particularly if you happen to’re timid within the workplace.
However if you happen to’re a boss, it requires lots of inward pondering, and having an excellent group and assist system. No journey to the highest is simple so that may simply be a kind of issues that aid you keep steadfast, to maintain pushing and never let anybody cease your dream of accomplishing greatness.
Feminine friendships are an enormous theme in ‘Flawsome.’ What do you worth most about your friendships with ladies?
My greatest buddy is Sharon Ooja in actual life. She’s a ray of sunshine. She brings a lot into my life. She’s a kind of individuals who regardless of how down, and unhappy I’m after I discuss to her, illuminates me. Seeing her anytime all the time leaves me feeling higher. Feminine friendships, particularly just like the one I share together with her, are a pleasure to my life. It provides me pleasure. It provides me peace of thoughts understanding that I simply have that particular person you possibly can pour all the things into.
She’s not the one person who’s near me, I’ve different fashionable and not-so-popular buddies who’re my guys. There’s Bimbo Ademoye. I name her “aburo mi,” my youthful sister. She’s additionally one other person who I can go on and discuss to with out feeling like I’ve to information or watch the issues I say. Generally, with sure friendships, you’re afraid to specific your self to them since you don’t understand how they’re going to obtain it. However, with these ladies in my life, I’m an open e-book they usually’re additionally open books with me. There’s this freedom I really feel simply sharing issues with them. And it’s crucial to have this. Once more, it goes again to having an excellent supper system. No man is an island and I’m grateful for the assist system that I’ve.
The theme of Worldwide Girls’s Day is Investing in Girls: Speed up Progress. It’s about supporting ladies to succeed in their full potential. What does that imply to you?
I believe it goes past commenting on social media, ‘yas queen’ ‘you go woman’ It goes past that. It begins as little as supporting the lady promoting pepper down the highway. You’re empowering that lady, you don’t know the journey that she’s on however simply by your patronage together with her, it’s serving to her.
Your mates in enterprise, you’re buying from them, you’re randomly posting about their companies. You don’t have to attend till they inform you or beg you to share their companies. Most instances, you discover out that your shut buddies not often assist you, what you are promoting or your journey or job. Strangers will do this extra for you.
Now, we now have to look inward and begin with our little group. Out of your group of buddies, be deliberate about making certain that they’re rising, accelerating their progress and supporting them in any manner you possibly can.
Even when it’s one thing you don’t use, you possibly can simply share. Inform your mates to a different buddy that this particular person does this. Point out their names in rooms the place they’re not even there. It’s these little drops of water that make a mighty ocean. The ripple results can come from issues like this. These are the tiny ways in which I believe you possibly can assist ladies.
What progress would you prefer to see Nollywood make in direction of gender equality within the coming years?
Even higher than what we now have now! I’m very happy with the ladies in movie. Girls are dominating so many areas within the movie business proper now, this period that I’m in. I really feel like there’s a lot extra we will do.
Now, let’s embrace extra collaboration. It’s not a contest between men and women. We’d like extra collaborations and wholesome competitors and seeing that as a complete, we’re doing it for Nollywood, not for our particular person and private good points.
When the world will get to expertise Nollywood, they don’t differentiate between a “lady’s Nollywood” or a “man’s Nollywood”, it’s Nollywood they expertise. So lots of collaborations and giving ladies extra probabilities than what we’re getting now. With extra collaborations and wholesome competitors, Nollywood will preserve higher.
Three songs you’d add to a “Stunning Girls” playlist for Worldwide Girls’s Month?
“Eledumare” by Teledalase, “I’m Lady” by Emmy Meli, and “This Woman Is On Fireplace” by Alicia Keys.
