Mo Abudu, according to Forbes, is one of Africa’s most successful women. After gaining her degree in HR Management from the University of Westminster in London, Mo Abudu went on to create her own media empire. Starting with her talk show Moments with Mo and then launching her own television channel EbonyLife TV, there is simply no stopping this tenacious business woman.
Of course, she gives glory to God for giving her a chance to be among the successful and appreciates being noticed by others. For example, she relished the moment that Forbes listed her as one of the most influential women in Africa, she explains that “It is incredible to be honoured by an immensely respected publication, like Forbes. These are wonderful accolades to receive on your career journey and I hold this particular one with great pride. It is important for me, though, to work beyond titles,” she said, adding that “No matter what you’ve achieved in your past, people will always look at you in the present. It’s the proverbial psyche of ’You’re only as good as your last job’ along with passion, love for what you do, relentless determination and a hard work ethic that are the drivers of success and realising of your dreams.”
She has a penchant for hard work, as if she could do anything, even if that means getting in front of the camera and clicking the clapperboard. “I assure you, I would! I am very hands-on, to say the least. If you want guaranteed success, you can’t take your eye off the ball. Similarly, it’s important to empower and encourage your team and give creatives the freedom of expression they so absolutely need, as well as giving space to the creative process itself – which is an organic one and tends to also take on a life of its own.”
How did she rise to success? When it comes to conceptualising new content for EbonyLife TV, ideas often come from her or the team members.
It then becomes a team effort on how to best achieve the desired end result. It’s really crucial to collaborate with the right people, best suitable for that particular project.
She believes that a creative process is never one of isolation. It shouldn’t be about saying “It’s MY idea”. Even if someone may have been the visionary, the trigger, but achieving it is a team effort.
Every project needs a leader though, and at the end of the day, it’s up to the leader to ensure the ship gets steered to its desired final destination. As a leader, she says, the buck stops with you – always.
There is the perception that Africa is a patriarchal space. Sexism is real and there are still inequalities to level out, no doubt, but the same can be said for the rest of the world, in varying degrees. It’s not a unique issue to Africa. Many female Hollywood A-listers are championing equal salaries today.
So how does she approach the matter? She doesn’t approach any situation with restrictions or consciousness of the fact that she’s a woman. She sees herself as a business who is passionate about ideas. If other people want to create a distinction – that’s up to them but she goes about her work with tenacious determination, professionalism and a zero sense of self-limitation.
Furthermore, it is critical to make sure that there is diversity and representation in storytelling all over the world and to give a sense of belonging globally. She was an African teenager growing up in the UK, but at 16 she needed to feel a sense of belonging and purpose and she admits that “Fame” gave her some pride as it went beyond the stereotypical roles that black actors were cast into in those days.
Once, on a Moments with Mo shoot in central London, she stood at a street corner randomly asking passersby “What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word ‘Africa’?” Responses ranged from HIV, to poverty, to safari to starving children the like. The responses were more negative than positive.
Therefore in the midst of all her experiences and buried deep in her soul was a strong desire and passion to change the narrative.
So EbonyLife Films was created and the first feature “FIFTY” brought the world a first class feature starring four of Nigeria’s best actresses – Ireti Doyle, Dakore Egbuson, Omoni Oboli and Nse Ikpe-Etim. The quest with production of FIFTY was to showcase African women coming of age, loaded with increasingly similar aspirations and dilemmas faced by their contemporaries everywhere, while yet navigating unresolved traditions and obligations.
A year later, in partnership with the ELKIFE FILM COLLECTIVE, saw EbonyLife bring audiences globally, The Wedding Party , a classic romantic comedy but it is set against the backdrop of Lagos – because everyone knows that there “ain’t no party” like a Nigerian wedding party!
“When you throw in an insecure virgin bride,” she says, “a reformed playboy groom, two over bearing mothers who can’t stand each other, one philandering husband, a high-strung wedding planner, the invasion of unruly village gate-rashers, a thief on the loose, a best man with a flash-drive full of secrets, a sexy ex with vengeance on her mind, two loyal bridesmaids ready to go to war, and a brother seeking his father’s approval then it becomes a hilarious melting pot of potential disaster! The Wedding Party is funny, colourful and gives us an important to laugh at ourselves.”
There is of course more to come from EbonyLife Films. And in addition to EbonyLife Films, EbonyLife TV produces 1000 hours of programming annually in a variety of genres from drama, to reality, talk, lifestyle, magazine, and that is also changing this narrative for TV audiences globally.
No doubt, Mo Abudu is a woman of repute, of whom Africans should be proud. Where others tried and failed, she navigated the storms and moved on to success, undaunted in seeing the her dreams grow not just to reality, but also reaching to a stage where multitudes are also benefiting today.
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