*A new Nigerian drama aims to present an intriguing perspective of the everyday lives of African women. Set in Africa’s lush city of Lagos, Nigeria, Mo Abudu’s “Fifty” revolves around four women as they navigate “careers, love, and relationships against the backdrop of African traditions and cultural obligations,” Essence reports.
“In Nigerian society, you find that most women don’t have any outlets for many of life’s challenges, including marriage issues, and life-threatening diseases. Their only outlet is often the church, however, we all know the church can’t handle everything. That, for me, was the opportunity,” says Mo Abudu, the film’s executive producer and founder of EbonyLife Films, a subsidiary of EbonyLife TV, Africa’s first global Black entertainment and lifestyle television network.
One of the film’s opening scenes takes place in a vivid church where lead character Kate (played by Nse Ikpe-Etim), “grapples with being diagnosed with breast cancer.”
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“In many ways, the role of the church has played a similar role with Africans as it has with African-Americans. I think audiences will be drawn how similar we are with the Black diaspora in the U.S. and around the world,” says Mo Abudu.
The drama depicts the dilemmas and challenges as well as hopes and aspirations of women all over the world,” says Akande, who also explained how “Fifty started as a story idea based on my life.”
“I thought it would be interesting to look at different scenarios women at 50 could face. Imagine that you’re 50 and you’re pregnant for the first time. Or at 50, you realize you’re in a relationship or marriage that you no longer want to be in,” she explained.
Abudu’s goal is to portray the multidimensional realities of African women. “The themes of the movie are universal but we also tackle important issues in terms of gender, culture and relationships,” she says.
“Fifty” is currently available to stream on Netflix.
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