By Tiola
AH! Ejo e ma binu! My sincere apologies for seeming   ‘AWOL’. As is wont to happen sometimes, other aspects of my life take on gargantuan proportions and literally subsume everything else. In the last two months it’s been relentless.

I’ve played so many characters (back to back) that when I’m done there’s barely enough energy left to play ‘mommy’ and everything else including “Ireti the writer” has had to take a back seat!

I must confess it’s been an amazing journey though. Not just the last several months but truth be told the last 18 years. And though it may have not seemed so at particular times, career wise I have lived a charmed life. I have an amazing body of work that cuts across stage, film, print and television. And honestly speaking, a lot of my best performances were opportunities that literally fell onto my lap.

I’ve had the honour and privilege of performing in some of the biggest productions alongside some our country’s greatest performers. Just two weeks ago I had the rare opportunity of playing one of contemporary arts most provocative pieces “THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES” to a full house at the MUSON on my birthday no less along- side Nija’s finest! For a performing artiste, it doesn’t get better than that!

And here we are celebrating another huge milestone. In the last three years I’ve had the opportunity of playing the pivotal character SHEILA ADE-WILLIAMS on Africa’s first multi-camera, multiple awards winning television series TINSEL. From not being allowed to audition in the early stages to emerging as a lead character in the space of two years; I can only say that the land has been green for me.

I remember when I joined the cast we were on episode two hundred and something… in a few days’ time we will be celebrating the land mark episode 1000… wow! That’s a major deal for any show anywhere in the world, more so in these parts where you have to work three times as hard to get things done,and don’t particularly possess a maintenance culture.

It hasn’t always been easy and sometimes it gets downright tedious, and about two months ago a sudden fire nearly put ‘paid to the bill’ but you know what they say…The show must go on… and like the Phoenix we have risen from the ashes. 1000 episodes… wow! It’s like a dream. But it’s not a dream. It’s the culmination of many, many, hours of sweat, tears and sacrifice of a collective; proud of their craft and who have remained dedicated even at times when there many reasons not to.

It is work that everyone involved in any capacity at any point in the show’s existence should be proud of. Well done to MNET, for putting their money where their mouth is, here’s hoping that other companies will take a leaf out their books. I raise my glass to my colleagues… the amazing cast and crew who daily come together and literally create “Africa magic”. I cannot forget the amazing audience all across Africa and even further beyond who have kept faith with us through thick and thin, cheering (and sometimes booing!!) us along… there would be have been no journey without you ….

For as long as it can…. May it last… and last… and last….