Failed Marriages in Nollywood: Stakeholders Share Their Perspectives on How Fame Affects Family Life

 

Some movie producers have attributed most failed marriages among Nollywood actresses to their inability to draw the line between the professional demands and family responsibilities.

The producers, who made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews in Abuja on Tuesday, said that societal pressures were also responsible for their inability to enjoy stable marriages.

Benson Akindeju, producer of television drama series Family Ties said most failed marriages among Nollywood actresses were due to their inability to draw the line between the profession and family.

Akindeju stated that although Nollywood actresses had used some of their movies to mend the cracks in the unions of some viewers, many of their own marriages had been characterised with heartbreaks, separations and divorces.

“I think the problem starts with their inability to manage stardom and professional success. They could be humble at the initial stage of their careers, but the moment fame comes they tend to lose everything.

They forget that no matter the situation, an African man will always want to command respect from his wife.

They always forget that nothing lasts forever. No matter her fame or achievements, a woman without a husband may not be regarded as a successful person in the African context,’’ he said.

Bisi Bada, a Nollywood producer, in a telephone interview with NAN said the way the society regards actors and actresses as semi-gods affects them in the home front.

She said that people do have issues in their marriages but the public usually do not know about them because they are not popular like actresses or actors.

“The way and manner our young people take our actresses as role models has given them undue publicity and they are not living within reality. So, marital problems that lead to divorce happen in our society daily and are not restricted to Nollywood.

I am using this opportunity to call on all our actors and actresses in the industry to see themselves as having roles toplay toward encouraging the marriage institution. This they can do by making their individual marriages work no matter the challenges they are facing,’’ she said.

Tosin Abikoye, a civil servant said that actresses had desecrated the marriage institution with their serial divorce predilections in recent times.

“Marriage is an institution ordained by God but Nigerian celebrities do not tend to believe in it with their different breakups. I implore them to have a change of attitudes toward marriage and begin to tolerate the ups and down it presents to them.

The list of Nollywood actresses facing marital challenges seems to be endless, while some have tasted broken marriages, others have continued over the years to be eligible sprinters.”

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