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| Omotola |
by Temitayo
Famutimi
Nollywood
actress, Omotola Jolaade-Ekeinde, has made the list of the 100 most influential
people in the world.
The
TIME Magazine, in its 2013 edition of TIME 100, released on Thursday, which
encompasses world leaders, pioneers, artistes and other titanic figures, listed
Omotola on its Icon List.
It
includes the likes of United States First Lady, Michelle Obama; Duchess of
Cambridge, Kate Middleton; Myanmar opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi;
15-year-old Pakistani activist shot by the Taliban, Malala Yousafzai; and
Beyonce.
Explaining
how Omotola made the list, TIME’s movie critic, Richard Corliss, on the TIME’s
website, described her as “the Queen of Nollywood.”
“Called
OmoSexy by her fans, she has made 300 or so features, from the 1996 Mortal
Inheritance to the 2010 super production Ijé, shot partly on location in Los
Angeles. She brings a juggler’s grace to her roles as actress, singer,
reality-show star.
“Success
hasn’t spoilt Africa’s most renowned leading lady. Rather than going Hollywood,
Omotola wants to stay Nollywood,” he notes.
Omotola,
who is married to an airline pilot, whom she wed on a flight from Lagos to
Benin, was also recognised for her initiative in starting an empowerment scheme
known as “Omotola Youth Empowerment Programme.”
Others
on the Leaders’ list include Pope Francis, United States President Barack
Obama; US Vice-President Joe Biden; 30-year-old North Korean leader, Kim
Jong-Un; Malawi’s first and Africa’s second female President, Joyce Banda.
Writing
a review on the rationale behind the listing of Banda, Liberian President Helen
Johnson Sirleaf says, “ She is committed to using her position to improve the
lives of women across the continent, not just in Malawi. She has great
strength. I am delighted that I’m not alone in Africa anymore.”
Source: Punch newspaper
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