“I’ll Like to See More Stories Correcting Biases Around Women’s Realities” – Martha Ehinome

In “Wura,” a Showmax Nigeria original drama series, Martha Ehinome plays Tumininu “Tumi” Kuti, a defiant daughter who stands against all odds in the face of adversity. She stars alongside Yomi Fash Lanso, Carol King, Scalert Gomez, Ego Iheancho, and Ropo Ewenla.

Martha Ehinome wears many creative hats. She is a trained actor from the Department of Theatre Arts, at the University of Ibadan, majoring in acting and speech. Aside from acting, she enjoys photography, singing and exploring new places. She was also in Africa Magic’s telenovela “Riona” as ‘Esanjumi’ and in “Dear Bayo” for which she received two BON (Best of Nollywood) award nominations.

For International Women’s Month, she talks about her role in “Wura” – a series about the secret lives of Wura Amoo-Adeleke, a ruthless iron lady – in an exclusive interview with BellaNaija. She also talks about the women who inspire her and her perspective on the significance of International Women’s Month.

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Hi Martha! What were you up to on International Women’s Day? 

This may probably be a disappointing reply, but I was indoors all day.

It was very nice seeing the celebration of women on my timeline though; women lifting each other and putting out a lot of positivity.

You play the role of Tumi in “Wura.” Let’s talk about her. What are the qualities you admire about her?

From the start of the series, we see her in a situation where she inherits so much responsibility. She has a very determined mind. She works hard and holds her head high wherever she is, irrespective of her social status. She exudes strength and integrity and that’s very admirable.

The theme of International Women’s Day is Investing in Women: Accelerate Progress. It’s about supporting women to reach their full potential. What does that mean to you?

Thankfully, some women are achieving great things despite the limitations placed on women. Unfortunately, not all women are fortunate enough to have those stories. There are stereotypes and narratives that have put too many women in boxes, limiting them. 

The theme of this year ‘Investing in Women’ is basically removing roadblocks, pouring into them, supporting them to reach their full potential, and giving them room to bloom.

Who are some strong women (famous or not) who inspire you in your everyday life? Give them a loving shoutout in case they read this

I’ll start with women who every day, are fighting whatever system it is that’s trying to hold them down; whether it is in their workplaces, their families or out on the streets. Those women are my heroes.

More pointedly, Jade Osiberu is a woman I absolutely respect for the quality of her work and all that she has put in in the course of her journey. I have also come to deeply admire Issa Rae for her courage in doing things for herself whether or not the world was ready to give her a platform.

Any advice for other women out there? Especially those aspiring to pursue a career in the film industry

My advice would be to come prepared. Not necessarily because they’re female but because it takes hard work, perseverance, consistency, and great love for the craft to really hang around. It’s not all glitz and glam.

That being said, I will also enthusiastically urge them to come. There is always space for creativity and newness in any industry.

Did anything special happen while filming “Wura” that made you feel even more powerful as an actress, especially when bringing Tumi’s journey to life?

Tumi went through a very wide range of emotions as so many things happened to her through her journey in the series. It’s the widest scope of emotions I have ever had to play with a singular character, so that was fun.

I’m happy I was able to pour so much into her and be true to who she was as much as I could. So, yes, I believe it further sharpened my skills and enriched me more as an actor.

What progress would you like to see Nollywood make towards gender equality in the coming years?

I would like to see more stories correcting biases around women’s realities. We have that power as artists, and it must be aggressively used to shift people’s mindsets and better society.