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Those fighting over seniority in Yoruba movie industry are fools, illiterates – Chichi Gabriel

 

Chichi Gabriel, a promising actress currently dominating Nollywood, particularly the Yoruba movie genre has decried the seniority issue in the film industry.
The Igbo-born actress bemoaned an encounter with a star in the industry on the issue.
“I believe it is an act of stupidity. I have seen a lot and the worst of it is about a colleague who we haven’t met before aside being in the same field. How can someone who is like a younger sister to me be expecting me to be calling her aunty simply because you are a star and I met you in the job. The age of this person in question is not even up to that of my immediate younger sister. She saw me at a movie location and she asked me to call her by aunty. Please tell me, where it is written that you should forcefully address people by aunty. This aunty of a thing, we were not born with it? How can she see me and be telling me that trash? The person I know so well that I am older than with years. Forget about material things because that is not part of it at all. It is very embarrassing. I have seen a lot that could have easily got me discouraged but at the same time, the passion will keep moving you forward. You see someone you know that she senior you and you were like “rara o, emi o legba kopemiloruko o” meaning {No, I can’t accept her to call me by name}what for? Why would she say such nonsense to me? Does she know my age? Have we met before? So, what is all that for? We don’t need these entire aunty syndrome, we need to grow in this industry.
At that point in time, what was your reaction?
I took a walk because I felt it was nonsense and only fools can make such moves. In the first place, how can she tell me that? Is she feeding me or paying my bills? Does she know me or my age? Do I really care about whatever she is? I have my own house; I drive my own ride but I don’t have time for all these aunty kind of a thing. I focus on what I want and where I am going to.
This issue of seniority is not just happening in the industry today, how can you describe it in one word?
It is rubbish, I mean total rubbish. You don’t just walk up to someone and say call me by aunty. We know the seniors and the junior ones in the industry. We need to grow; we don’t need all these childish behaviours.
“To me I don’t know how we can put a stop to it because most of them are illiterates, they are not educated. Don’t forget also that we have educated illiterate. They don’t see what others are doing out there, it is not all about this aunty stuff, it is all about what you are able to achieve when the star is still at your side. Nothing last forever, a time will come that what we do today will become history. So, we should try to focus and put this seniority of a thing behind us. You don’t beg people to respect you, if you deserve it you will definitely get it. For me as an Igbo girl, there is nothing like aunty where I hailed from. Though, we know our elders and we only call them sister, brother or even by name, what is more important is your achievement not your age.

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