Talented actress, Queen Omotola Temola has accused the Nigerian society of not being fair to single mothers revealing that it is better to be a single parent than to be in a marriage of convenience where domestic violence reigns supreme.
In her words, “it should not be a sin to embrace life of single motherhood because there are always reasons behind it. Some became single mothers because they got involved in adultery while some became single mothers because of domestic violence. People should stop blaming those who decide to leave their marriage because of situations beyond their control because it is better to be alive to take care of one’s children”, she submitted.
The Ibadan-based actress made these submissions while featuring on a weekly radio show, Parrot Xtra/Ayekooto on Radio anchored by Olayinka Agboola and broadcast live on Splash 105.5FM, Felele Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo State recently.
Adding her voice in support of the Nigerian girl child, “In Africa, opportunities are not being given to the girl child. Even in marriage, people tend to judge a woman that does not have a home without taking a critical look at the man’s behavior.
“We need to properly train and give moral support to both the girl and the boy child. The training has to be balanced for both gender. In training our girl child, there should be counseling units in our schools to build the mental health of the Nigerian girl child in order to prevent them from narcissists. In developed nations, their men treat women better than Africans and even our policemen are not helping matters, they trivialize domestic violence as an in-house matter”.
She further revealed that she started her acting career in 1999 while still in the secondary school in which she featured alongside Funke Akindele.
Queen Omotola revealed that passion for the industry has kept her going while revealing that today, “I feel more fulfilled being an actress and a media personality”.
She continued, “My father supported my aspiration because he was a supporter of any good work while my mother was skeptical at first, though she later supported me because she was of the belief that actresses don’t have stable marriages and family. She became more worried when I started acting full time without being paid.
Queen Omotola also revealed that she is a singer, “I sing all types of songs including hip pop, reggae and I have produced two tracks including Jofunmi and Darling Sugar. I have featured in numerous movies including Ejiworo in which I acted alongside Lateef Adedimeji, I played the role of his wife in the movie”.
The Ibadan based entertainment personality, however, agreed that sex for role is rampant in the industry but warned overzealous young actresses not to be too desperate to land major roles in movies while revealing that filmmakers will only exploit them and dump them after sleeping with them.
The actress further admonished filmmakers to produce movies that teach good moral values adding that many young individuals pattern their lives according to what they watch on the screen.
Speaking about her most embarrassing moment in the industry, her words: “We were on a movie set called ‘shadow party’ and a well-respected movie star that we coincidentally bear the same name walked up to me to challenge me asking why I bear the name ‘Omotola’. She said hers is a branded name and that no other person in the industry should bear the same name with her.
“I was speechless. I also imagined if it was possible for me to change my name at that stage of my life then. The incident happened in front of the producer, I kept quiet because of the matter”.
Queen Omotola, however, urged the government at all levels to support the film making industry in the country while affirming that the entertainment industry is a key sector that can contribute to the growth of the economy of the country.
Packaged by Dare Raji and Olufemi Aremu
