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Golda John-Abiola has come a long way from the 1970s, when she began acting. She has featured in popular TV series including ‘Mirror in the Sun’, ‘Ward 15′ and ‘Checkmate’. She also appeared in Tunde Kelani’s ‘Ti Oluwa Ni Ile’ and in a number of stage productions before she relocated to the United Kingdom in 1995 where she remains active on the theatre scene. Golda John, who hails from Kalabari, Rivers State, is married to Mike Abiola, founder and chief executive officer of the Afro Hollywood Awards, which are now known as the African Film Awards (AFA). The actress, who uses the name Golda John professionally, visited Nigeria recently and talks to NEXT about her passion, Nollywood and the reasons behind her visit.

Tell us a bit more about your work.

I have acted a lot on stage, done feature films and commissioned films. I am actively involved with Afro Hollywood and I am a director of the awards. We want to be a bridge between Nollywood and the international world. There is a big plan to do collaborations between Europe and Nigeria. The Afro Hollywood award has now metamorphosed into the African Film Awards. For the past four years it’s been known as the African Film Awards. We think that Nollywood can compete with Hollywood. The aim is to expose Nigerian actors to the international scene. We’ve done a few movies also. The whole idea began as the Nigerian Videos Magazine which Mike Abiola started in 1996. He was writing about Nigerian actors and the Nigerian movie industry.

What sparked your interest in acting and how did it all begin?

In every profession some talent is required. So, when you go for it, it becomes natural. I think for me it’s inborn. I didn’t set out to be an actress. Wale Ogunyemi really encouraged me. While I was studying at the University of Ibadan, he was doing a play [called] ‘The Divorce’. I was at the Arts Theatre with a friend and he saw me. He told me to read the script for a particular character and he liked my delivery and immediately cast me in the play. The play went round and we toured with it.

You are based in the United Kingdom. What are you doing in Nigeria presently?

I am here as part of plans to re-launch myself into Nollywood. I believe that Nollywood will benefit from the exposure I have had and I have a lot to offer. I would like to work with my colleagues in the industry and do collaborations. And I have already begun. The group that is bringing the ‘Fela!’ play to Nigeria want me on a workshop they are organising while the play is on in Nigeria.

What’s your general impression of the Nigerian movie industry?

Nollywood has experienced a boom that the whole world cannot ignore and I am happy about that. Irrespective of the content and quality of our movies, everyone in the UK is talking about Nollywood. And I wish that the government will take advantage of this. Nollywood has become a phenomenon. It’s amazing that in spite of all the constraints, the industry is able to get this far and I am concerned about it getting better.

What do you make of Nollywood’s poor showing at the African Movie Academy Awards?

I know that the storylines of our movies are good because they teach morals. However, technically, we are not there yet. We need training and affordable one at that. The video producers and marketers are the ones financing these movies and so they dictate what comes out. They have the money but no training so workshops need to be organised for them. The regulatory bodies in the industry can organise workshops for them. But if they stay aloof and make laws, the other side will always want to counter them. In these workshops they should tell them, when you light a scene and there is shadow, it will not win awards. It shouldn’t be about making money alone. The loss at the AMAA happened because technically a lot of our movies fall short.

What is AFA doing to improve the industry?

We organise training programs and workshops in the UK where Nollywood actors interact with actors in the UK. We are affiliated with the Oval House Theatre in the UK which supports us in organising cultural exchange programs. We’ve also expanded the reach of AFA to other West African countries like Gambia, Cote d’Ivoire and Cameroun. It’s an all-embracing body. We allow fans to nominate and then we shortlist and set up committees to look at the works. We’ve also extended the awards to include entertainment writers and journalists.

How is the theatre scene in the UK different from that in Nigeria?

The theatre culture is very alive in the UK. I have been involved in stage productions in many theatres in the UK and the pay isn’t bad. When a play is staged it can run for a few months, go on tour and then come back and continue to show for a long time. I have an agent and I am also in ‘Spotlight’, which is the actors’ directory so that anyone who wants to cast me can get more information about me and my work. I was disappointed to see the state of our national theatre. It is a national edifice, our symbol. It is a representation of Nigeria. More investment ought to be put into it and more activities should take place there. It shouldn’t be expensive to hire and it should be a tourist attraction. I think it’s expensive to hire and that is why our people are not using it. In addition to that, there is no security and there is also the problem of power. In the UK, you have a variety of theatre productions and musicals to choose from and they are not expensive to see. We need to replicate that here, not the MUSON Centre which the average Nigerian cannot afford to hire. Mama Bisi after a tough week selling at the market should be able to take her children to the theatre in the weekend. The Herbert Ogunde culture of having theatre at Glover Hall back then is all gone. Let’s go back to the time of Baba Ogunde. Then there was nothing like blackout and insecurity. When the main auditorium in UNILAG was booked for Ogunde it would be full. Nollywood came from travelling theatre of the likes of Baba Mero and Herbert Ogunde. If it is revived and made affordable and it is located in every township, that is you have a theatre in every township, people will go to see productions.

What do you do outside of acting?

I am a creative person. I do not like to sit down and write but I can create storylines. I do well in improvisation, organising workshops and directing. I also do costumes and makeup. I’m also a professional masseuse and nutritionist and I train people in those areas too. My other hobby is cooking and I am also passionate about empowering women. When you empower women, you empower the nation. I don’t like it when women are oppressed and have to depend on their spouses for their livelihood. I hope to create an NGO to empower women. We will give out loans to women to set up their businesses.

What are some productions you have been involved in?

‘Mirror in the Sun’, ‘Ward 15′ (I played the matron in charge of the ward), ‘Play of the Week’, ‘Checkmate’ (I played Ada’s aunty). I had a guest appearance in ‘The Village Headmaster’, ‘Family Ties’, ‘Opera Wonyonsi’, ‘Death and the King’s Horseman’, Bode Osanyin’s ‘Shattered Bridge’, ‘Ticket & Ties’, ‘Bonded’ and ‘Family Legacy’, a production on sickle cell anaemia sponsored by the NHS in the UK. I featured in all the convocation plays of the University of Lagos between 1978 and 1993. I have also featured in dramas organised by the British Broadcasting Corporation (World Service Radio).