Joke Silva is a study in excellent acting. She is a
delight on stage, on TV and in home movies. The
Nollywood star, who has won several awards at home
and abroad, is married to an equally exciting actor, Olu
Jacobs. In this interview with Tribune, she talks about
the state of Nollywood, her staying power and marriage,
among other interesting issues.
COULD you tell me about your involvement in the stage
play, Hear Word!?
I played three different roles in Hear Word! One of them
is a gossip with the rest of my sisters. In this, we are
trying to address some of the things that women say
about one another. If we want to achieve empowerment
and nation-building, there are some things we cannot
afford to be doing.
That’s one of the characters in the piece. Besides, we
explored this idea of a family insisting that once a
woman’s husband dies, then, the woman does not count
for anything, especially if she doesn’t have children.
That a couple is blessed with children is an extra
blessing; and that you don’t have it does not mean you
are less of a woman or less of a man.
How would you compare Hear Word! to the other stage
plays you had done, considering that you are working
with actresses Taiwo Ajai-Lycett and Ireti Doyle?
I’ve been working with them for several years, so this is
nothing new. I have a passion for stage plays and I have
always believed in theatre. Along with my husband, Olu
Jacobs, we’ve been at the forefront of continuing with
the theatre movement.
We believe very much in theatre, though we are very
much involved in films, television and radio. We also
believe strongly in the theatre movement and are excited
that it is taking off. We are looking forward to it
flourishing. Concerning your question, I can’t compare
because each of my stage performance is just different.
Are you saying you prefer stage to movies?
No! I like all the platforms; they are platforms of
expression for me. So, I find them to be very powerful
forms of expression, especially when they are well done.
Apart from this, it is nice to explore, in order to see how
far you can push yourself as a performer in any of the
platforms.
What is it like acting alongside Taiwo Ajai-Lycett in the
stage play, Hear Word?
You feel like going back to school. The woman is just
such an incredible professional. And I think theatre is
one of her amazing moments.
How would you like to describe the state of the
Nollywood now?
Nollywood is doing very well. It’s been celebrated all
over the world and Nollywood is in the process of re-
inventing itself again. That is one of the reasons I have
never accepted to limit Nollywood to just the past 20
years. I always say that Nollywood is actually a name
that was found for the entire film industry.
The film industry has had several circles in its lifespan
and one of the circles was the time of the Ogundes, the
Ojo Ladipos and the Ade Loves; and then, another circle
was when you had the Kenneth Nnebue’s intervention
and all that. Another circle is coming again, where you
will have some people coming with a different kind of
film.
You are looking at the Kunle Afolayans and the
Desmond Obigalis etc. Each time this circle comes, it
always raises the bar, which is exactly what we want.
So, that’s what I see happening in Nollywood. But
Nollywood is in a place now, where it needs to solidify
its structures. Like the late Amaka Igwe would say, the
time for celebration is over; so, it is now time to make
sure we have the structures in place-and that has been
happening.
What then is your staying power?
Wow! It is God’s amazing grace in letting me do a job
that I enjoy. When you are doing a job you enjoy, you
don’t realise that you are working, until you get home or
you are done for the day and exhausted. It is God’s
amazing grace for allowing me to belong to that
profession and having an amazing husband who belongs
to the same profession. He has made me to have an
extra sense of self-worth for belonging to this industry.
Again, we are in an industry that is beginning to flourish
and attract attention from various areas. One of the
things I have discovered in my years as a performer,
producer and mentor is the fact that we are at the stage,
where Nigeria celebrates its performers, but doesn’t
support us with the necessarily tools to be able to take
it to the level that is should be. It celebrates us and we
celebrate ourselves (laughs).
But we’ve got to find a way, where the art forms are
achieved properly. What do I mean? Our art form is part
of our cultural memory. Without a cultural memory, a
people will always make the same mistake over and over
again, thinking that they are doing things for the very
first time. A cultural memory is important for those who
come after us to know what we are like and to have
dignity about who they are.
We do some things as a people because we have not
achieved our cultural history. Those are the things that I
am saying. It’s beyond money. Money is important for us
to able to do the kind of things that we want to do. But
there are other structures that need to be put in place
and our cultural history is part of it.
As a star actress who is married to another star, what is
it like at home?
The two stars are two very ordinary people at home; a
man and a woman in a relationship, raising a family and
living their lives together. Basically, that is it.
So, do you cook and do other household chores like
everyone else?
I have never lied about that. I’ve never been the cooking
kind of woman. When my husband met me, he knew. He
was the one who used to do the cooking because he
was so good at it. I used to do the cooking when I felt
like it.
Sometimes, it was a huge success and another time an
abysmal failure (laughs). I remember during our dating
years, I cooked efo (vegetables) and it was drawing
(laughs). He was just such a gem and he ate it (laughs).
It’s not as if my mum didn’t teach me how to cook efo.
Yes, we do all the housework and all the things you do
as a normal family. For my husband, he hasn’t had the
time anymore. For him, cooking is a therapy, but it is a
chore for me.
Yet, he will always tell you that I look after him so
much. But I do that in other ways. Now, of course, we
have somebody who does the cooking. We have people
who do the housework and the general cleaning. For
someone like my mum, cooking is also a therapy;
keeping the house nice and neat is a therapy for her.
But it is not so for me. I have friends who adore
cooking. I would sit down, watch them and say, ‘Wow!’
You two are seen as the Nollywood role models when it
comes to marriage. What has helped you thus far?
One, we have great respect for each; two, we forgive
each other. I think it is very important, even for young
people who are getting married now. Sometimes, you
hear things like, “Ha! Mummy Jay, I can never forgive
him for what he did to me or…” Fine, you are entitled to
your anger.
Over the years, I have realised that you must forgive
each other. If you don’t learn to forgive each other, it’s
not going to work because neither of you is perfect.
Apart from this, we’ve learnt over the years to be honest
with each other and to be honest about our feelings for
each other.
How do you handle male admirers?
Thank you, but no thanks. You can’t compete with the
one in the house.
You always look cheerful. Is it a kind of therapy?
People who know my mum would say, okay, no wonder.
That’s how my mother is. But to get a smile out of my
late father, you would try. But my mother was always
the smiling one.
When you find yourself in some low moments, how do
you manage the situation?
In my home, when I am in my low moment, my people
know and they steer clear. But I have found out that by
the time I have shouted here and there, I still go back to
God. I just go back to God and lay it on His feet. I am
not one of those who hand over very easily. I always
believe that I can sort it out.
And that’s one of the things my husband doesn’t
understand because in this kind of situation, he just
sleeps. But not me! Finally, when I have done the
sleeplessness night over and over again, I hand over.
You have been criticised by some people for being too
emotional on the MTN-sponsored reality TV show,
Project Fame…
(Cuts in) I don’t care. It’s because you see the growth of
the contestants, so it just gets to the point when you
feel that this person is normally so good. But at this
particular day, he or she just happens to have a bad
day, so he or she now suffers eviction. It’s not as if they
are not good enough, so it can be very painful.
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