You guys have never seen who I am as in I have never posted a picture of me or a video in which I was in, so I thought why not do it now. In this Video blog post I briefly explained why I have created this blog and talked about my passion on the industry.
Enjoy 🙂
I believe that the title of this post might come across quite strong, however i strongly believe that this verse from the Proverbs is very inspirational and knowledgable. A lot of times people don’t want to be given advise because they think they know it all, but I believe that listening carefully will make you understand things much clearer.
Furthermore I believe that success can only be achieved if you know what the people you are trying to satisfy let you know how to satisfy them, therefore I am using this post to figure out by asking you my readers how and in which aspects the West African movie industry can improve.
I’ve always heard people telling me that the African movie industry is very mediocre, but I believe to think otherwise.
I’ve come up with some questions to find out what your thoughts on the industry are. The West African movie industry can only get better if they know what to improve on, help them achieve perfection and tell me what you think they could do better!!
I have attached some questions at the end of this blog post and would be very glad if you could answer them. If you would like to add anything else please feel free to do so. Thank you
Loui
Xoxo
What must a good movie have for you?
What do you think the West African movie industry is slaking on?
If you could be the producer within one of those movies, how would you produce the movie?
Are there any suggestions you might want to give to the West African movie industry?
If there is anything else, which my questions haven’t covered, please do share them with me
From the Bottom to the top I call this post because in my opinion the West African movie industry has made it from (well not the bottom) but from somewhere closer to the bottom to the (not the exact top) but VERY CLOSE to the top.
If I look back at movies of the past, I would have never thought that one day the West African movie industry will be where it is right now. It’s booming with amazing movie production companies who have the money to invest into amazing movies. Furthermore, acting skills have become much better. We now have actors such as Yvonne Chinyere Okereke Okoro and Hlomla Dandala
If you look at the movie industry within Hollywood it is clear to see that they have created amazing movies from day one. However we can argue that they do have all the resources to produce amazing movies.
However as things are looking better for West Africa, so do things look better for their entertainment industry hence the movie industry.
We now have amazing film production companies such as Sparrow Productions with Shirley Frimpong-Manso as CEO and Desamour a movie production company owned by Yvonne Chinyere Okereke Okoro and Roseline Ngozi Okereke Okoro.
In my previous post I have talked about me being a big fan of constant progress and therefore love to see how the West African movie industry has progressed.
Perfection is the goal I would say in which excellence will be tolerated.
I know that a lot of people find the West African movie Industry very mediocre, but I must say IT’S REALLY NOT. All great things have started small at one point of their progress; it’s the same with the West African movie industry.
Through asking a lot of my African friends I found out that they don’t like watching West African movies as they find the story lines bad or think that their movies have poor quality. Furthermore I recently went to my GP who told me that she used to watch West African movies and found them hideously and ridiculously funny (in a bad way).
With this post I want to encourage people of African and non-African descend to watch West African movies, I mean good West African movies, and soaps to support the growth of the industry. I have listed 5 of my favourite movies and soaps.
My most favourite West African movie as of now is Ties that Bind, starring Ama Abebrese as “Bukki”, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde as “Adobea”, and Kimberly Elise as “Theresa”.
The movie is about the lives of these three ladies who have all gone through the horrible experience of loosing a child.
It has an amazing storyline as well as very good production quality. It’s definitely a MUST WATCH movie.
My second most favourite movie is Mr. & Mrs. produced by Chinwe Egwuagu. I actually watched that movie twice, that’s how good it was. It’s about the life of a married woman who finds herself being in a physical and mentally abusive marriage. The movie has a very interesting turing point, which I can’t give away though. To find out what happens in the movie, you got to watch the movie yourself 🙂
My most favourite soap opera as of now has been Adams Apples which was produced by Shirley Frimpong Manso. It shows the life of three sisters and their single mother. What I love about Adams apples is it’s originality. The show is very modern as it shows modern Ghana. I love the Idea of the empowered woman in Adams apples. With this soap opera we have shown the world that Ghana is not just capable of producing good movies, but as well good soaps. You might think what the difference is, the difference here is that a soap consist of many episodes, which have to be kept interesting with a banging storyline, otherwise people will loose interest and will eventually stop watching. I definitely recommend everyone to watch Adams apples, you won’t regret it.
The fourth movie which i really enjoyed watching was a movie directed by Mahmood Ali-Balogun called Tango With Me. The movie is about a married couple in Nigeria who has faced a horrible experience during their honeymoon, which determined the faith of the rest of the marriage.
It’s an amazing drama, and like the other three movies I definitely recommend you to watch this movie.
The fifth movie I recommend you to watch is called Contract, which was produced by Sparrow Productions and Desamour. I was privileged to watch the movie premier in Ghana and have fallen in love with this amazing Romantic comedy. It has an amazing storyline and is definitely a must watch movie.
Most of the movies are available to watch on IrokoTV or IrokoTV+, and the others can be watched on YouTube.
I would really love to hear what you think of these movies after you have watched them, so if you could please leave a comment.
I hope that after watching these movies and soap operas you would think of the West African movie industry as an evolving industry that has achieved a lot of progress.
I believe that this is only the start of a better movie industry within West Africa and that the best is yet to come.
Loui
xoxo
What is the first thing that comes into your mind when hearing the word HIV? Is it death, fear, uncertainty?
HIV is surely not a pleasant subject to talk about and even though there is a lot of HIV awareness going on in Africa, there are still a lot of people dying of it.
I have recently through my friend been introduced to a series called “Shuga”, which is a Kenyan soap opera on HIV awareness.
For everyone who has not heard of the soap Shuga, you can watch each episode on YouTube.
The soap opera was so successful that a spin of was made in Nigeria, which episodes are available on YouTube as well.
As I got into watching Shuga more and more I was really glad about how they treated the subject on HIV.
HIV was not portrayed as a death sentence. Even though everyone knows that HIV is a terminal disease, they made it clear that there is a lot of medication on the market now, which can be taken to expand the life span of a person carrying the virus.
Furthermore, they used a lot of high profile celebrities within the soap, which is amazing as a lot of people look up to these celebrities. As a lot of teenagers and young adults idolise these celebrities, HIV might be taken more serious and more caution might be taken.
It is always important to get tested once you think you want to commit yourself into a relationship where having sex is definitely an option. The best thing to do is to get tested together with your partner. One fact that I have learned through the soap was that even though your test results, which you usually get back within three weeks might be negative, there is still a possibility that you might carry the virus. The reason why that has not shown on your test yet might be due to the fact that the virus has not been detected in your blood yet, which usually takes up to four weeks if not longer. This period is called the “Window Period”. Therefore it is very important to go and get tested again after 3 months of your previous test.
The show is very educational as well as entertaining and I would recommend everyone to watch it, as it might encourage you to go and get tested yourself.
It is ALWAYS better to be safe than sorry.
Loui xoxo
My friend and amazing fellow blogger Damilola Animashaun was so kind to share her experiences on deciding what career path she was going for with us. Her own blog talks about her experiences of living in Lagos but schooling in London and the different aspects both of these amazing cities bring with it. To find out more about her read her blog here.
When I was interning at Storm Records 360 in Nigeria, I was working with the CEO, and at an interview he was asked ‘so with your good educational background, why did you pick such an unserious career?’
Growing up in Nigeria, a very academically oriented society I was always encouraged to pursue a professional career. I was lucky to be sent to school abroad at such an early stage, as our parents do this with the hope that we will come back to do something to help move our country forward. I think that our society is almost backwards driven, and most of our people are very narrow minded about career choices which results in everyone pursuing the same or similar careers; most people are inclined to aiming to be, doctors, lawyers, bankers etc. When I was applying to university, my uncle said to me ‘Why don’t you go and get a real degree’, I didn’t really have an answer then because I was too shocked as the tactless comment, and my daddy saved me before I could say anything in reply. Well Uncle, this is why; I think that things like the entertainment industry are being ignored and our country can use a lot of help in that area, we have many lawyers, doctors etc. I would like to do something about this and make a change. I would like to make a career in journalism/entertainment, as I believe a person is better able to achieve utilizing his passion or natural orientation. It is interesting to see the culture at play and the formation of society with the various kaleidoscopes of personalities. Most youths in Nigeria are oriented to making careers in professional studies but I wonder how they will relax. Naturally human beings spend most of their lives seeing some kind of entertainment or the other even while working. The entertainment industry is a huge one and I would like to be a part of it. We have made a tremendous amount of progress since I was little not only in Nigeria but in West Africa generally, however we still have a very long way to go, given the amount of potential that we have.
I like that many people like me are not conforming to constructs and societal exploitations. Look at Ajebutter 22 for instance, he used to go to my old school and he was the definition of a nerd, someone who typically would have become some sort of big time doctor or engineer, but now he is selling albums worldwide on iTunes, and actually making really good songs and not mediocre crap that will just about do. You should check out his album ‘Anytime Soon’. The lyrics in his song ‘Humble Guy’ really point out the reasoning behind doing what it is that you want to do, as opposed to what people expect you to be doing. It might be too late for many of us now, so I implore younger ones to fight as hard as they can to do what they would like to do, as opposed to what they are told they are supposed to want to do.
When I first thought about “blogging” I thought of things written, but who said that it’s all about writing in a blog? My favourite Blog is by “juju films” and it’s all about photography, music and film documentaries.
I love the blog of Jujufilms, because he captures the places of different parts of Africa as they are. There is nothing added, and nothing removed.
When I look at the images he has taken from Nigeria for instance or Benin, I as a Ghanaian can really relate to these images, as they remind me of home.
The images of people on Okada’s, or Suya sold by the road side or cars that have been overloaded with Plantains are what draws me close to these images as they are so familiar to the things I am used to when I am in Ghana.
To me his Photography shows familiarity, to others it might just be images of a foreign country and an interesting unfamiliarity, but regardless from which angle other people are looking at these images, to me they portray originality.
Originality I say, because nothing is hidden from the viewer. This is Africa as it is, not exaggerated neither has it been understated.
Please do visit his blog here
Loui
xoxo
Do you remember watching movies with your parents in your young ages, and whenever a kissing or sex scene would appear you would either walk out of the room pretending you are going to the bathroom, or switching the channel entirely. (Awkward). I remember this very clearly. Up until today I find it very awkward watching those scenes with my parents and I am 21 now.
I’ve realised that the Ghanaian and Nigerian movies in the past hardly ever contained any kissing/sex scenes; the closest they got to was hugging. Nevertheless our movies were always very rich in tradition and culture. It was never really about the kissing and sex, but rather for what Africa stands for. I loved old village movies (apart from the Voodoo ones). Books like “Things fall apart” by “Chinua Achebe” are what I used to see on the screen and loved.
I still believe that a lot of the movies within Ghana and Nigeria are rich in culture and tradition, however as time passes by things like kissing and sex scenes become more acceptable.
Not only have sex and kissing scene’s become more acceptable but so has homosexuality. I know that homosexuality within Africa is still a very sensitive topic to touch upon, however if you watched the movie “House of Gold” produced by Yvonne Nelson you can clearly see that homosexuality slowly becomes something acceptable within the industry.
I have grown up within a society where homosexuality is fairly accepted, but knowing that Ghana as well as Nigeria do not approve of homosexuality especially with Nigeria’s new law that criminalises same sex relationships, I wonder how far homosexuality will go within the movie industries in West Africa.
I believe that Hollywood has a strong influence on the West African movie industry, which has its positive and negative sides. Africa is a continent full of tradition and culture. If we concentrate too much on being like Hollywood we will loose a lot of our tradition and culture within our movies. However on the other hand, Hollywood is known for it’s amazing quality, story lines and professionalism, which if the West African movie industry takes an example of and interprets in their movies, would be amazing.
West Africa already has a very good movie industry, but to be amazing, I believe they should keep a lot of tradition combined with amazing storylines, professionalism and quality, and I believe in their ability to be able to do so.
Loui xoxo
I love the quote by Marcus Tullius Cicero, because what he said is so true. There are a handful of people that inspire me, and someone else probably inspired all the people who I am inspired by. That someone else is probably partly the reason or THE reason for why the people that inspire me are where they are right now.
When I look back at the Ghanaian and Nigerian movie industry I have realised that a lot of things have changed for the better. I have mentioned in my previous post that I love progress and the major thing I have noticed in the West African movie industry is that a lot of progress has happened. For instance if you look at Hollywood, they have been amazing from day one, however you can state that they have all the resources to be so amazing. But if you look at Nollywood and Ghallywood they have become better and better and better over the years. It shows passion, determination, a strive of wanting to be better than what people think of the them, as well as pushing beyond perfection and towards excellence. I
I get inspired when I see people achieving what they have planned for them self. It motivates me and makes me want to go for the things I have planned for myself.
Some Ghanaian and Nigerian actresses as well as one specific Ghanaian film director, writer, and producer have majorly inspired me during the last couple of years. Therefore I want to dedicate this post to them.
Yvonne Okoro has been the one actress in Ghana who has inspired me the most. The first movie I saw her in was “Beyonce President’s Daughter” as Ciara. For those who do not know the movie or haven’t watched it, you can still watch it on IrokoTV.
I have loved her acting skills ever since that movie as everything came across so believable. Her performance was so striking to me and even though I was still quite young, it triggered in me a feeling of definitely wanting to work within the West African Movie/Entertainment industry. Yvonne Okoro to me is a symbol of the movie industry becoming better and more professional. During my trip to Ghana in 2012 I had the chance to see the movie premiere of “Contract” in which she is starred in with South African (hottest South African actor in my opinion) actor Hlomla Dandala. When I watch movies like these it makes me proud to be African. With movies as such we show people of non African descend that we also are able to produce good movies. I’m saying that because I grew up within the Western World where some times you get questions asked like “Do you guys have TV’s in Africa” and this in the 21st century.
Nevertheless, Yvonne Okoro is an amazing actress and I hope to see a lot more of her on the movie screens.
The one specific Ghanaian film director, writer, and producer that inspires me the most is by far Shirley Frimpong-Manso. The movies I have watched which she produced were stunning. I love the entire idea of the empowered women in Adam’s Apple, as well as showing modern Ghana. In an interview she held some years ago she mentioned that she likes to promote the cause of women, especially African women. When I heard this I was so happy. We need more women in Africa who promote the cause of their fellow African sisters. Shirley Frimpong-Manso being the CEO of a leading production company (Sparrow Productions) has set a platform for women to follow into her footsteps. We need more women in leadership positions. She’s a hard working woman which can surely bee seen through the success of her movies. She strives to do well and always to become better, which is why she inspires me so much. You are a true inspiration, not just to me but I believe to many other Ghanaian/African women out there.
Last but not least it’s the two Nigerian actresses who have inspired me a lot. They are Genevieve Nnaji and Omotola Jalade Ekeinde. The first time i have seen these women on the screen was actually in a movie in which both of them were starred in called “Blood Sister”. For anyone who hasn’t seen this movie, you can watch it on IrokoTV. Even though it’s quite and older movie, I would still recommend anyone who hasn’t seen it to watch it. The cast is amazing and so is the storyline. I think all the movies I have watched with Genevieve and Omotola as cast were incredible. The thing with Genievive is SHE WAS BORN TO BE AN ACTRESS, she has never slacked, at least I’ve never seen her slack. The same with Omotola. I’ve recently watched the movie “Ties that Bind” in which Omotola is starred in and her performance was outstanding. She played the role of a married Ghanaian woman from a little village. At one point she spoke Ga (one of the Ghanaian tribal languages). My mother is Ga and she asked me if Omotola is half Ghanaian, I mean that says it all. Her performance in that movie was outstanding. As well if you haven’t watched “Ties that Bind” yet do so on IrokoTV Plus.
Both of these ladies have worked very hard to be where they are now, and through their hard work they have achieved incredible things.
I love working hard to get to my destination. As a little girl my Mother taught me that hard work will always pay off. Nothing in life comes easy and I have gotten to realise that very early on in my life. However by looking up to women like Yvonne Okoro, Shirley Frimpong-Manso, Genevieve Nnaji, and Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, it has become a lot easier working and fighting for my dreams, as I know that one day I too will be where I want to be and that is at the top like these ladies that inspire me.
Loui xoxo
Hi Guy’s,
So I recently discovered IrokoTV (I know I’m very veeery late lol), and it’s amazing. It’s been consuming most of my time as I now get to watch so many Nigerian and Ghanaian movies. It’s like the African version of Neflix. Just type in any Nigerian or Ghanaian actor/actress and you will surely find a movie that they are starred in. To have a wider choice of movies, I would advise everyone to get Irokotv Plus, it just gives you more variety of movies, just like with any website where you have to pay.
But to start with, I’ve just watched Bachelors a movie produced by Venus Film Production and directed by Pascal Amanfo starring “Jackie Appiah, James Gardener, Yvonne Nelson, Elikem Kumordzie, Nana Ama McBrown, Eddy Watson, Beverlyn Afaglo, and Ingrid Elizabeth Alabi” as main cast. In my opinion the entire cast was perfectly chosen for each character. In some movies that I’ve watched I felt like the actor/actress playing a specific role was wrongly chosen, as the entire act didn’t come across as believable. A good movie for me is when I have forgotten the actual name of the actual actor and only know the name of the character they are playing. That means the actor/actress has played that role so amazingly that I truly believed him/her to be that person they were playing.
Well in the movie Bachelors I had that feeling.
Here is a little intro to what the movie is all about, for those who haven’t watched it yet:
“Rick (Elikem Kumordzif), Josh (Eddy Watson), and Kojo (James Gardner) who at the same time is Alex and Gregg, might have taken the word Bachelor a tick too far. Having more than one woman is standard and sex and fun is all that matters. Even if that means exploiting handicapped Helen (Yvonne Nelson) of her money and breaking her heart, or getting three friends to fight each other over one man, or even claiming to have HIV to get rid of a woman.
However, what they didn’t know but got to learn very quickly is that an angry woman is a dangerous woman and will make sure to get her vengeance.”
Now let me introduce to you Ghana’s hottest male actors, the three Bachelors!!
James Gardener as “Kojo, or Alex, or Gregg” or like I like to call him in this movie “The 3 in 1 man”, Elikem Kumordzie as “Rick” and Eddie Watson as “Josh”.
I’m a woman but I believe that being a Bachelor is all about having fun. It didn’t seem like the fun part lasted too long for these three men. Whilst women are talking about who they are going to marry these man think about who they will have sex with next. Marriage is no were near their conversations. And then there are all these lies men tell to keep women from finding out that they are being played. Josh claiming his brother having Brest cancer, Rick claiming to have HIV, and Kojo always being out of town. Well guys, at one point or the other even you will run out of lies to tell and have to come up with the real explanation.
Former Miss Ghana contestant Yvonne Nelson was playing the role of the handicapped Helen and the girlfriend or should I say one of many girl friends of Josh (Eddy Watson). I felt like this was one of her best performances. The emotions she brought across were very believable. One thing I am really passionate about is progress and I can say that Yvonne Nelson as one of the actresses that I have followed through the movies for many years, has progressed a lot. Not that she was ever a bad actress, but the characters she has played over the years have come across more believable, which makes watching movies where she is starred in even more enjoyable to watch. Not just is she an amazing actress she is super pretty as well. That alone will bring a lot of peoples attention to any movie she is starred in. Her beauty speaks to everyone. It speaks to women as they want to look like her and equally to men as they would like to date her. My most favourite part of her in the movie Bachelors was when she found out that Josh’s sister is actually one of his side chicks. I really felt her pain in that moment.
Amazing performance Yvonne, looking forward to may more movies like that 🙂 .
Probably the most cruel way to get rid of your girlfriend is claiming you have HIV. This is what Jackie Appiah starred as Liz, Rick’s girlfriend had to bare, only for her to leave so he could have sex with another chick. Little did he know that women are mainly one step ahead.
My favourite moment of her was when she laughs him straight in the face and called him Kwasia (a fool).We need more women like Liz in this world, strong and smart women who turn a bad situation into a triumph. I believe that Jackie Appiah too has progressed over the years. I am looking forward to watching many more movies with you starred in them.
Last but not at least, it’s the three best friends who have been dating the 3 in one man guy, Kojo.
Beverlyn Afaglo as “Tisha”, Ingrid Elizabeth Alabi as “Pamela” and Nana Ama McBronw as “Linda.
Whilst Linda was dating Gregg, Pamela was dating Alex, and Tisha Kojo, all being the same man. What made me laugh the most was when they found out that they were dating the same person and instead of finding a solution of how to get back at him, they were fighting each other. It’s sad that that actually happens in real life too. Ladies don’t fight the side chick, fight the man who slept with the side chick and cheated on you!!!
I loved the movie, it was fun dramatic and at the same time very entertaining. I hope to see many more movies as such. For those who have not yet watched the movie, do watch the trailer. I have posted the link at the end of this post. Copy and paste the link into your web browser and you can start watching. 🙂
Love,
Loui xoxo
Hollywood? Bollywood? No!! this time it's all about Nolly and Ghallywood!! 