Children are the major victims of domestic violence —Kid-actor, Fisayomi Abebi

At the age of 10, she produced her first movie, thus making her the youngest producer in Nollywood. A snippet from her debut production ‘Abebi’ recently went viral online and she became the rave of the moment. The movie, upon release, has however, garnered over a million views on YouTube in less than two weeks. Meet the future of Nollywood, kid-actor, Amodemaja Fisayomi, popularly known as ‘Abebi’, as she talks about her voyage into fame and her career as an actress in this interview by FEMI OGUNTAYO.

Tell us about youself

I am Amodemaja Fisayomi, I am 11 years old and I attend Bodija International College. I am in JSS3. I love acting because it is my passion and I am willing to do it. My mum encouraged me, she gave me the support I needed then and she is still supporting me. When I was 10, I produced my first movie – Abebi; and it was directed by my boss, Tunde Ola-Yusuf, Executive producer was Bukola Amodemaja, Associate producer, my brother, Ayomide Amodemaja

How did you start acting?

It was when I was in the church drama group. I was very young then I played the role of Mary, Mother of Jesus when she was pregnant. I was only doing it for fun, but people were already saying they loved the way I acted. When I was eight years, Mr Tunde Ola-Yusuf and his crew came to shoot a movie in our area, my mum’s phone was ringing and I went to give it to her, so they told me, “hey baby girl sit down there”. I didn’t say anything but my reaction captured them and they told me to come and they started calling me for roles. My boss told me that he wants to train me; he said the reaction he saw that day alone showed that I have the potentials to be a great actress and would be useful in the movie industry. So, in 2019 I went for training in his acting school – Ibadan Acting Studio. I got my certificate and since then people started calling me for roles.

What prompted you to produce the movie ‘Abebi’?

Before joining the industry, I never knew there was anything like ‘Producing’. I thought people just gather and act in movies; I didn’t know there were procedures and technicalities to it. But since I started acting and I got to know that there is always something like one producing one’s movie, I developed an interest in producing my movie. So, my mum asked me what I wanted for my last birthday and I told her I wanted to produce my movie. So, my dad, my mum and her friends and I came together and we started forming the story. That was how it all started.

Some part of your movie ‘Abebi’ talks about domestic violence. You are a young girl; what is your view about domestic violence? 

When I wanted to produce the movie ‘Abebi’ last year, I noticed domestic violence was rampant in many homes and most of the time, it is the children that suffer from it. We have to make some parents know that it affects their children the more negatively.

How were you able to speak Yoruba language and the proverbs fluently and that deeply, as expressed in your movie ‘Abebi’?

In 2017, my grandpa came to greet us and then, it was only English language that we speak at home. So, my grandpa called my mum and said “Bukky, these children now understand more of the English language than their indigenous language, they don’t even speak their indigenous language at all”. My mum then promised him she will try her best to make sure we speak more of Yoruba language. So, grandpa said throughout his stay with us, we must not speak in English, it was not easy and it was also funny at the same time because we were speaking Yoruba language like it wasn’t our mother tongue. Since then, my Yoruba speaking improved and when I met my boss, he told me to go and download some Yoruba proverbs, he sent the App to me. So, I was listening to it, he was grooming me to understand the Yoruba language more so that people won’t take advantage of me in the Yoruba movie industry.

What was your first time experience on set like?

It was fun. Though some people say it is stressful, to me, I enjoyed every bit of it because of the atmosphere of making a movie behind the camera, and it was fun for me.

When the snippet from the movie ‘Abebi’ went viral and everyone was just sharing all around on all social media platforms, how did you feel?

I would just say to God be the glory because, without God, that wouldn’t have happened actually. When I knew the movie was going to be something really big was a day at our area when my mum just rushed in and said “come and see, Abebi is trending on Tiktok”. I am a fan of Tiktok. I love using the App. I was just screaming because I saw that people were just remaking the video and also sharing it. I was amazed and said, “Is this me?”

How has life been after Abebi, in school and even in your area?

Though, a lot of people come to me now and say “wow you are a star now”, but I didn’t allow that to get into my head because my main purpose in school is to learn and become what I want to become in the future. Being a star is not actually easy, sometimes one has to wound up the car glasses and make sure it is tinted because if not, people will be shouting “is that not the ‘Abebi’ girl?”, it is always somehow when people do that.

Are your parents also in the industry? 

No, but my mum is stylishly in the industry.

Stylishly, how?

(Laughs) Number one, because she didn’t undergo any training and two she doesn’t have any certificate. If they ask all TAMPAN members to present their certificates now, she won’t be able to present any acting certificate. Also, she used to run away from acting and say “Your job is very stressful o!”

What about your dad?

He is abroad; he is not even into acting at all, but he is really happy about my growth in the industry and he fully supports my career.

Have you been getting invites to partake in more movies now?

Yes, I have got invites from Lateef Adedimeji, Bogunbe Abiola Paul, Ayomi the First, my boss definitely and many more.

How have you been coping by combining acting with study? Does it not affect your study in any way?

It doesn’t affect me at all because I have not had any reason to move out of Ibadan for any movie shoot. Even if it comes up, my school is fully in support of my acting career and they have promised to always permit me to go for any movie shoot because I am on scholarship right now. They even said if it falls on my examination date, they will permit me to write the exam later.

Tell us about your scholarship?

It was given to me by the late Fumilayo Eso-Williams, from now till the end of my secondary school education.

What are your goals as an actress?

I have plans to start an NGO for the motherless, to make them feel loved, give them the care they need. Most of the things that affect children nowadays are lack of parental care. For example, many mothers leave their children carelessly and the children become wayward. Some children even die in the process of that neglect, like children who hawk on the roads and get killed by a hit-and-run vehicles and all that.

What is your advice for young kids like you who would also love to act like you?

Well, my advice is not actually for them, it is for their parents. They should allow their children to pursue their dreams; they should support their children’s dreams. For example, their children might say they want to become a builder, like bricklayers and they just shun them and say it is for wretched people. But, their own type of bricklayer might just be a very unique one who will really excel in that line and be known worldwide. They should not kill their children’s dreams.

Just like you did in the movie ‘Abebi’, a lot of children don’t dare advice or talk to their parents on burning issues in their homes. What is your advice to young children in this regards?

I have bits of advice for both the parents and the children. For the parents, it is the way they relate and how free they are with the children that would determine if they will be free with them or not. Any parent who is too busy to spend quality time with his or her children will never get the attention of the child and the child would not be able to gather the courage to talk to them.  For the children, no matter what, they should just gather the courage to tell their parents whatever they think is bothering them or is not right, the worst is that they get scolded but the message would have been passed across.

Who are your role models in the industry and you are looking forward to working with?

Funke Akindele, Toyin Abraham, Iyabo Ojo, Femi Adebayo and Ibrahim Chatta; they are many.