Indigo Tongues features Funmi Iyanda
Funmi Iyanda, Nigerias’ foremost TV Host and internationally recognized award-wining broadcaster, blogger and journalist, sits down with Indigo Tongues for an honest, lively chat about her life as a popular media personality.
In 2011, Ms Iyanda was named one of Forbes 20 youngest Power Women in Africa. She created and hosted New Dawn with Funmi the longest running independently produced show on Nigerian Television authority (NTA). The show used its popularity to advocate for the causes of disenfranchised groups, particularly children and women. Other productions to her credit include; Talk with Funmi (a TV show exploring the life’s of Nigerians across the country ); My Country: Nigeria (a documentary for the BBC celebrating the 50th year anniversary of Nigeria’s independence); Lagos Stories (an insiders view into one of the most populous cities in the World) and ;Chopcassava.com(a web docu-series about the Occupy Nigeria movement).
In 2012 Ms Iyanda participated in a five day UN advocacy trek climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya which was used to raise awareness about the drive to end violence against women and girls.
About the Interview:
I have been in touch with Funmi for years via email as I had admired her and her work from afar. One year I invited her to the film festival I ran in Atlanta but due to funding issues it never panned out. As I got more familiar with the Nigerian media scene, I found that we knew people in common and her name always came up in conversations. I remembered thinking this is one phenomenal woman, I need to meet her. Unbeknown to me, one of the people we knew in common had told Funmi that she needed to meet me.
So…… the universe working its magic, it so happened that I was in Nigeria during the Occupy Nigeria demonstrations. I got her number from our mutual friend, contacted her, she contacted me right back and we have stayed in touch ever since. Fast forward a few months later, Funmi was going to be in New york and I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to interview her for the Indigo Tongue series, an idea that I was still baking in my mind.
She was a gracious interviewee. No diva moves, no keeping us waiting. Myself and the crew got to her hotel room at the appointed time. I called her room and she answered the phone half awake. She said we should come right up, which we did. And by the time we got to her room she was up and ready to go!. She had had only a few hours sleep as she had been out partying with friends, but like the pro that she was, that wasn’t going to be an obstacle.
Funmi is one of the most passionate, sincere, intelligent perceptive human beings I have ever come across. We all enjoyed listening to her talk about her work, her experience of living in a diverse complex country like Nigeria, the daily challenges of Lagos living the challenges of single motherhood. We engaged in such intense dialogue that at one point I had to say to her “where are all the other Nigeria women in Nigeria like you?” She laughed and said in true Nigerian fashion…”they are there oh”.
I hope you enjoy this video and leave us your feedback in the comment box below. Let us know who else you would like to see appear on Indigo tongues.
** Sadly four months after we conducted this interview, Funmi lost her best friend “Remi Lagos” to Uterin Cancer. I cannot imagine how heartbroken Funmi must have been, as she even mentioned Remi in the interview. We dedicate this interview to the memory of another Phenomenal Woman Oluremi “Remi Lagos” Osholake 1961 – 2012
Interview Date: July 2012,
Location: Manhattan, New York
Credits:
Producer/Director: Mojisola Sonoiki
Editor: Gerald Barclay (GeeBee Productions)
Camera:Fernando Cuestas
Interviewer: Aina Fadina
Co-Producer: Cy Nakpodia
Sound Designer: Laughing Dog Studio
Indigo Tongues Logo : Blugge Design Studios
Music Credits from internet: Good or Bad – Yemi Sax (Nigerian Jazz artist)
Additional Footage:
Chopcassava.com
New Dawn with Funmi
Lagos Stories/Ignite Media
STV News