- Mummy Wa explained that she received unwanted sexual advances from NollyWood filmmakers while trying to establish her career.
- She made the revelation during her appearance on ‘WithChude podcast’ with Chude Jideonwo.
Nigerian skit maker and actress Kemi Ikuseedun, popularly known as Mummy Wa, has opened up about her encounters with sexual harassment in Nollywood.
Speaking on the ‘WithChude podcast‘ with Chude Jideonwo, Mummy Wa shared her personal struggles with unwanted advances from filmmakers early in her career.
She revealed that many industry professionals made inappropriate requests, making the environment very challenging for her.
She expressed the frustration she felt, questioning the cumulative effect of such requests and the limited value they offer.
Mummy Wa noted that even those with limited influence still make such demands in the industry.
She said:
“Behind the scenes, a lot of people are asking for things. They are requesting for a whole lot of things that I cannot do.
“Where do I want to start from? Me that I’m already coming from a place where they tell me ‘this thing will not work’. How many people do I want to sleep with?
“To be honest, you might actually sleep with somebody in the industry and you will still not blow with the role they will give you. I saw a lot of men. But guess what? Even the slim ones that don’t have anything, they are still asking for things from them.
“No woman is free. No woman is immune. But I can’t do it.”
Mummy Wa isn’t the first celebrity to speak up about the constant sexual requests from movie producers.
Nollywood Actress Ruby Ojiakor has also opened up on how she lost a lead role with Majid Michel for refusing marketer’s sexual advances.
According to Ojiakor, when she rejected his advances, shooting had already started so she thought it would not affect her, but they replaced her in subsequent scenes.
Speaking in an interview, the pretty actress revealed that she was cast alongside Ghanaian star, Majid Michel and he was paid extra to reshoot the same scenes with someone else.