Inside Kanyin Eros' Dramatic Reminder Of The Triumphs Of Nigerian Women

In this edition of Nollywood BTS with Filmmakers Mart, Kanyin Eros talks about the motivation for the monologue series and how it has shaped her as a person and an actor.

Nigerian history hasn’t always been fair to women and the remarkable feats many have achieved over the years. There’s usually a distortion of some sorts and several examples come too easily to mind when this is discussed.

One of such examples is the iconic Funmilayo Ransome Kuti whose story in books and classrooms is usually summed up to simply being the first Nigerian woman to drive a car in Nigeria.

The problematic nature of this statement in itself is layered not to mention the absurdity of the reduction an entire lifetime into a few words.

However, this year, there are louder and more nuanced conversations about her in Nollywood first with the biopic directed by Bolanle Austen-Peters and secondly, with the new monologue series developed and performed by actress, Kanyin Eros.

The monologue series, The Secret Lives Of Nigerian Women explores the untold stories of formidable women in Nigeria’s history who for several known reasons have been conveniently forgotten. It spolights six women who have made impacts in the Nigerian history leading with Funmilayo Ransome Kuti and expanding to other legends including Chioma Ajunwa, Margret Ekpo, Agbani Darego, Sandra Aguebor Ekperuoh and Ladi Dosei.

In this interview, Kanyin Eros talks about the motivation for this monologue series, the root of her passion for these women’s stories, and how the experience has shaped her mindset as a woman and as an actor. 

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. 

What makes you passionate about exploring the history of these women and telling their stories? 

First of all, the fact that I'm a feminist already draws me to stories about women in general. I think the idea of being forgotten is something that is a big fear of mine. I put myself in these women's shoes and I can't imagine doing so much for my country and the people around me and I'm just not talked about.

So, it felt like I needed to lend my voice to help these women be honored and for them to never be forgotten because they don't deserve that. With this realization, I started researching Funmilayo Ransome Kuti (FRK) and some of the other women. As I did this, I got angry and marveled at how much I didn't know about them. The anger also served as my motivation to talk about them. 

Kanyin Eros (Source: Subject)

What was that moment of decision for you and how did it come about? 

I think it started with FRK and her story, figuring out all the things that she did and relating that with what I know about her, which was the idea that she was the first (Nigerian) woman to drive a car.

The fact that there was so much more that we didn't know made me realize this project was crucial and people need to know about these things. I decided to find more women and discovered the misinformation needs to stop. It originated with FRK for sure.

This is a very intentional list of women. What informed the selection? 

Honestly, it was just a Google search. When I decided that I wanted to talk about women in history, I went on Google and searched for Nigerian women in history who have impacted us in one way or the other. I was fascinated as well as surprised by the information I found and this formed the crux of my decision on who to portray.

For Agbani Darego, her name didn't come out, but I didn't want to only focus on activists and politicians. I wanted to talk about women in other fields. Agbani is different, a beauty queen who did something remarkable and holds a crucial place in Nigeria’s history.

I feel like people would think about a beauty pageant as flimsy and that’s exactly why I got very particular about including her. She's just as important as all the activists and everybody else on that list. She was a selection I made outside of the list that I saw on Google. 

Would you say the title of this project in a way mirrors or reflects the lives of all Nigerian women?

I do and that's why  I didn't call it ‘The Secret Lives Of Influential Women’ or go for a word separating these women. Women do so much and I think that we are conditioned to not toot our horns. We are made to be humble and not talk about our feats.

I think it mirrors the average Nigerian woman. They may not be activists, but even in their little ways, in their homes, schools, workplaces, the amount of effort they put into things are often overlooked and not as celebrated as those of their male counterparts are.

What was the process of making this series? 

It was fulfilling. I'm an actor and at the end of the day, I want to do impactful work.

I always want you to feel something. In the process of making the series, I felt so many emotions and that made me happy because I knew if I could feel all of that, then at least one person watching is going to feel something as well. So it was exciting for me.

I felt like I was doing a service to these women dead or alive and that felt good.

What about this monologue series is remarkable considering the other monologues that you've had to do?

I think as an actor I try to find the humanity in every character that I play, but the fact that this series covers real women made it so much more paramount for me to find the humanity. That also made it easier in a way, because these are real human beings. These are real people who went through these things and I can relate to it in the sense that I'm in Nigeria and I've heard about these women in the past.

Also, I know the situation of women right now in Nigeria, especially in politics and just in the workplace in general, and how feminism isn't something that is celebrated. So I could relate on a deeper level. They are human beings and have feelings and this is what I want the viewers to remember. I also want to recall the great things they've done.

However, I just want to emphasize, at the end of the day, that these people are human beings whose stories deserve to be told. 

How would you say this process, the journey, or this experience has impacted you as an actor yourself? 

It was very inspiring for me. I know that I have power. I know that I am someone who can achieve anything I want as long as I put my mind to it. But reading about these women, researching about them, and then playing them, reinforced that in me on a different level.

I realized how far I can stretch myself as an actor as well because there is a pressure that comes with playing real people. In your head, you wonder and worry if you have to get all their mannerisms. You think of what their family would say. Would they say I'm mocking their mother or mocking their grandmother or doing this or doing that? There was that pressure. So I needed to look within and find a calm stance to remind myself that this is art.

At the end of the day, it's not about me. I had to humanize these women, tell their stories, and do what I was born to do.

What was the most challenging part of doing this?

The most challenging part I would say was getting out of my head. Trying to just block out the voices, and the self-doubt that comes with me putting any projects out there or playing any role. It was the general feeling of wondering if I’d be able to pull it off. 

The voice in my head kept resounding ‘These are real women. You can't mess this up.’ I needed to get out of my head. Once I was able to do that, it just flowed from there. 

How were you able to overcome that? 

I typically use different things at different points. It just depends on how intense the self-doubt is that day. Sometimes I just have to use music to distract myself. Sometimes, I sleep. Other times I just focus on doing the work. I journal when I'm preparing for a character or for a monologue or whatever the case may be.

If I'm feeling uneasy or I'm having all these voices, I just start journaling as the character. So it takes me out of my head and I focus on the character and her backstory or her feelings as opposed to focusing on my feelings. That helps me. I yell at myself too. 

  would like to know what your relationship with each of these characters was like. How dynamic was it across the board and is there anyone that stood out for you particularly?

They all have different stories, but the common thing was just the relentless struggle to be heard.

I think the one that got me was Chioma Ajunwa, she was an athlete and she was the first gold medalist from Nigeria. What was so interesting about her story to me about her story is that she kept fighting for this country and she didn't relent. She kept going. It just hit me because she felt like she kept crying for help in her country and didn't get it. She felt like she didn't get the recognition that she deserved.

She had won this gold medal, put Nigeria on the map and she just felt like she wasn't celebrated. But she kept on going. And I think for me, it hits home because, in my personal life, I'm the kind of person that gives people so many chances. There's a line in the monologue I do about her where she says, “I expected them to fight for me, but they didn't.” And then she goes, “You know what? It's not their fight.”

That line always gets me because it is their fight. Sure nobody owes you anything, but at the end of the day, you still want your family, your country to come through for you when you need help. I connect with all of them, but Chioma’s story stands out for me. 

What was the writing process like?

I cannot take any credit for it whatsoever. It was all the writers' words. I did research and learned about these women myself, but in terms of actually penning it down, it was all Chinaza Abigail Chukwu.

She’s so brilliant I cannot praise her enough. When I read the FRK script, I was blown away. She is just amazing. The way she writes, the way she infuses everything together and makes it very smart, real, and palpable. There are not many people that can do that so I can't take any credit for it whatsoever. She did all of that and she ate, like the Gen Z say.

How do you expect this project would impact people's perception of you as an actor and your career as well going forward?

I'm not all about aesthetics. I'm not afraid to explore any story, dress up in any way or look a certain way. I'm also not afraid to get into any character and bring it to life. I'm an artist first and I think people would also recognize that for me this is for the long haul. 

I'm not just trying to do pretty roles but to leave an impact by doing meaningful work that can stand the test of time. Another reason why I wanted to do this is I'm very drawn to dramatic roles. I want people to cry. I know that kind of sounds messed up but I want people to cry and I want people to be sad and angry by the roles I play.

I hope to get stories that make people feel and I'm not afraid to also just feel. Most of all, putting myself out there was very important to me. This way, I could stay true to who I am as a person, as a feminist, as a woman. So this just seemed like a very good middle ground or place to start.

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This series is jointly presented by Filmmakers Mart, the leading film logistics marketplace in Nollywood.