Veteran Nollywood actress Bimbo Akintola in a recent interview revealed that some of her movie roles have led her fans to think she is a feminist, but in the real sense, she is far from being one.
The actress described herself as a humanist rather than a feminist.
“My passion for the girl-child and the women does not make me a feminist; I am a humanist,” she told Premium Times.
Further explaining why she alienates herself from the feminist ideology, the actress explained that feminism is a toxic ideology for her.
“I don’t like this feminist idea because I think there’s a focus on this wing of feminism that is extreme. It’s toxic. I don’t want to be part of that. I want us to realise that you care about humans if you say you are a humanist.”
“That means every individual: boy, girl, woman, man; everybody. My niche is the women and the girl child because there is so much to do concerning this issue in Nigeria”.
The 52-year-old never been actress also speaks on her passion for the roles she often plays in movies, she said: “I am always one sucker for anything that has to do with women and the girl child. You can catch me in those kinds of stories; those are my favourite stories. I mean, sometimes when I meet women or children who would say to me, ‘oh that film’, like when we did “Widows the morning after”, with Jide Odomosu, I had a woman work up to me, she was crying, she said that was my story you told.”
According to the actress, she feels accomplished when her story is relatable and enjoyed by her fans.
‘‘When I meet people who have been affected by the stories. That, for me, was a high point that moved me beyond words. And when our movies impact changes in our society, that’s a high point for me,” she said.
She said that her career trajectory has seen her take on more women and child-focused roles because of her passion for advocacy.
She said: “I understand and see the plight of the girl chill. I have always worked with organisations that have dealt with sexual assaults and other related issues. I’ve worked with Mirabel centre; I ran away, I must confess, because I was so depressed. I saw a lot, and I have also done a lot of work in the northeast with women and children and the girl child. I have seen a lot of situations of women and children in Nigeria’’.
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