Bukola Awoyemi should be familiar to everyone who has seen the popular Tunde Kelani film ‘Arugba.’
Despite the fact that Bukola had appeared in a few films prior to Arugba, Arugba was undoubtedly her big break. In fact, the film has given her a new moniker, with fans dubbing her ‘Arugba.’
You’ll find interesting facts about Bukola Awoyemi in this post, including her education, marriage, children, and more.
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Bukola Awoyemi began her acting career after she was accepted to the University of Ilorin in Nigeria to study Performing Arts.
She blended acting and studies as a student, but she didn’t earn a major film role until after she graduated. This was around the time when she appeared in blockbuster films such as Poisonous Affairs and Arugba Arugba, which won the Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2009.
Bukola states she has always desired to be an actress and determined to pursue it even before she was accepted into the university to study Performing Arts. Interestingly, Performing Arts was not Bukola’s initial choice of university major.
She intended to major in Mass Communication at first, but she had to settle for Performing Arts.
Bukola’s journey into acting hasn’t always being rosy. She reiterates that she lost some roles in the past due to her refusal to sleep with certain producers. According to her there was a particular movie where she was already wrapping up the deal only for everything to be abruptly
terminated. This is her narration of the
story.
66 “There was a time; I was to feature in a film. We had finished negotiating for the fee, and it only remained for me to go get my script and then, start working. Suddenly I got a call terminating the deal. What happened was that the producer was somehow interested in me, and wanted to take me to bed before the role would be given to me. And since I wasn’t ready to sale my body I lost the role.”
This left her frustrated but her desire to fulfill her calling as an actress left her hopeful even in the midst of these challenges.
Apart from the frustrations from the
overtures of randy producers, Bukola had face several disappointments each time she went to the National Theatre for auditioning as she was always considered unfit for the available roles.
Apart from her big break with Arugba,
Bukola has featured in several other
movies. Some of these include:
■ Poisonous Affairs
Arugba
■ Church on fire
Akpochereogu
■Ire okunkun
In the popular movie, Arugba, Bukola
played the role of a virgin girl, Adetutu
who was said to be the object of worship
for a particular goddess.
The Arugba movie was based on the
documentary that Mainframe had done on the OsunOsogbo’s Arugba.
Adetutu had to juggle her role as Arugba
in the annual community festival with her studies in the university. In the same time, she was also to take care of her grieving friend while nurturing her blossoming music career.
Initially, the Arugba role was supposed to
be play by Ara, the iconic talking drummer or Omotola Jalade Ekeinde but neither of them could play the role because they were pregnant at that time.
In 2014, there were rumours that Bukola
was having an affair with a colleague,
Damola Olatunji. Damola is another
popular Yoruba actor. He is also a
producer and director. As a matter of fact, Bukola has featured in some of his movies.
Eventually, the secret romantic affair
between Bukola and Damola would later
become a public affair. When Bukola
became pregnant, the lovebirds quickly
arranged for a close-door introduction
with their families to legalize the union.
In 2015, Bukola gave birth to a set of twins, a boy and a girl which the couple named David and Deborah.
Bukola had to take a break from acting to
tend to her twins and according to her,
nursing twins is no joke at all. This is what
she has to say about her twins.
G6 “To nurse a single baby is not a joke,
let alone taking care of two
simultaneously,” she adds. “Twins are
a double bundle of joy, but they also
come with double challenges. It
means you have to feed two people,
often, at the same time. You have to
dress two; you have to lure two
people to bed almost at the same
time. At times, they may choose to
play. At times, they may fight each
other – you know, as other children
do. They may laugh together; they
may choose to cry at the same time.
So, all the tasks and challenges come
“To nurse a single baby is not a joke,
let alone taking care of two
simultaneously,” she adds. “Twins are
a double bundle of joy, but they also
come with double challenges. It
means you have to feed two people,
often, at the same time. You have to
dress two; you have to lure two
people to bed almost at the same
time. At times, they may choose to
play. At times, they may fight each
other – you know, as other children
do. They may laugh together; they
may choose to cry at the same time.
So, all the tasks and challenges come
double-double, just as the joy
comes.”
Bukola Awoyemi returned to acting two
years after the birth of her twins. She
subsequently featured in the movie, ‘Two
sides of a coin.’
Bukola produced her first ever movie,
‘Igba Nba Jo’ in 2013 although she says
she’s not ready to produce another movie any time soon. For now, it seems she’s simply focusing on her acting career after taking a break to tend to her kids.