Sola Sobowale, a Nigerian actress, is one name that has been prominent in the country’s entertainment sector for a very long time. She received her big break on the television show Super Story 21 years ago, and since then, she has starred in a number of blockbuster productions, such as King of Boys, Soole, and others.
Sola is currently featured in the newest Anikulapo film on Netflix as sugar momma Awarum. Sola discussed the job with KAP TV and discussed the reasons she agreed to take on the role of Awarum, the difficulties she encountered, and the pieces of advice she has to offer after so many years in the industry. Here are Sola Sobowale’s exact words.
-Advertisement-
Speaking about why she said yes to playing the role of Awarum in Anikulapo, Sola Sobowale said:
There is something about culture that we are lacking. We are throwing a lot of things away. Our children don’t even know where they come from. Those are things we are losing. I am a true African woman, and I love my language. There is no way I will speak English in the way oyibo people will speak the English. We are colorful, our culture is colorful, we are beautiful, and there are so many things to learn. And people, a lot of people don’t even know. A lot of people think “Nigerians, where are we? How do we live? Are we animals? Are we monkeys? Do we live on the trees?” It was when I shot a movie that was taken to TIFF [that I realized] you don’t have to come to Nigeria to understand Nigeria. We are warm, we are beautiful. And when he [Kunle Afolayan] called me for [Anikulapo], I was on top of the world. I was so happy. I said this is where I belong, and this is where I want to be.
Speaking about the challenges she faced while playing the role of Awarum, Sola Sobowale said:
I have never done this before. I speak Yoruba but I’m from Ondo State not Oyo State and my kind of Yoruba in Ondo State is totally different from the one spoken in Oyo. And since I’ve been in this profession for a while, and now, he now gave me the opportunity to speak the Yoruba, oh my God. When I was speaking it, I was loving it, and I was flowing. And some people saw me and were like “you are actually speaking the deep Yoruba”. Oh yes, I’m speaking it. I was happy and he [Kunle Afolayan] actually helped me.
When asked to give some final words and any advice she could, Sola Sobowale said:
Hard Work. Determination. No Short Cuts. I keep saying, this beauty, to the women, the ladies, I wasn’t like this ten years or twenty years ago. The beauty will go. But when you work hard and you focus and you pray, you get there.
