By Peter Dansu Nigerian actress Omotola Jalade Ekeinde has faced backlash on social media after recounting a language controversy she encou...
By Peter Dansu
Nigerian actress Omotola Jalade Ekeinde has faced backlash on social media after recounting a language controversy she encountered while filming an African inspired movie in Hollywood.
Jalade said the movie was based on a story set in the historical Dahomey Kingdom and featured an African cultural setting in which Ogu or Egun and Yoruba languages were expected to be appropriately represented.
According to the actress, an Igbo speaking female actress was making sounds or murmuring in Igbo in the background of a scene that, in her view, was supposed to reflect the Ogu or Egun and Yoruba linguistic setting of the story.
Jalade said she drew the producers’ attention to the language issue, but her concern was dismissed by the woman in charge of the production.
“My most embarrassing moment in Hollywood as a Nigerian was shooting an African-inspired movie. An Igbo actor struggled with the Yoruba language, so I explained it to the producers. And the female in charge looked me in the face and said, ‘I don’t care,’” she recounted.
Her comments have since generated heated reactions on X, with some users accusing the actress of unfairly targeting the Igbo speaking performer rather than helping her with the required language.
One critic argued that instead of assisting the actress with her pronunciation, Jalade attempted to undermine her participation in the production.
However, other users defended the actress, maintaining that her concern was about linguistic and cultural accuracy and should not be interpreted as hostility towards the Igbo ethnic group.
“We’re doomed as a nation if you guys continue to make everything about tribes,” one commenter wrote, arguing that Jalade had raised a legitimate concern about ensuring that an African story was properly represented.
The controversy has consequently sparked a wider debate about the distinction between Ogu or Egun, Yoruba and Igbo languages, as well as the responsibility of filmmakers to accurately represent the languages and cultures associated with the historical settings of their stories.
While some critics have interpreted Jalade’s intervention through an ethnic lens, her account itself centres on whether the language used in a particular scene accurately reflected the cultural setting being portrayed.
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