Foluke Daramola
Popular Nollywood actress, Foluke
Daramola-Salako, got more than she bargained for last week when she
aired her opinion about gender equality as fans and foes abused her
nonstop. On her Instagram page recently, she had posted that the role of
a man and a woman is not the same as men are meant to be the head while
women should submit to them.
This did not go down well with some of
her followers on Instagram as they pounced on her, abusing her and
calling her unprintable names. The actress did not take it easy with
them as she lashed back at them. Before long, a war of words ensued.
In a chat with Saturday Beats, the actress explained why she blew a fuse.
She said, “What got me upset was the
fact that there are some things people talk about but they are not able
to back it up with facts. When you say gender equality, the role of a
man can never be de-emphasised to the role of a woman. That is why
Hillary and Bill Clinton cannot be the president of the US at the same
time. Bill Clinton had to teach her the grinds and she followed suit.
The bible says that the man would love the woman and she would submit
and respect the man. That position can never be overemphasised. I just
wanted to drive some message home but later on, I felt it was not really
worth it. When you have a bad mindset, there is no how another person
can change it. My own position as a gender-based activist is not for the
woman to be competing with the man but to complement him. In the scheme
of things, the man would always be the head and the woman would be the
neck. It does not mean that the woman cannot turn the head to whatever
direction she feels like.”
She said that unknown to many, she
intentionally created the crisis because such rancor actually
strengthens her brand and fetch her more money.
“The backlash is nothing to me, I just
wanted to drive home a point. My own stand point is that of most
reasonable women. Take for instance, Omotola Jalade has come a long way
and she has been able to keep her home. It is just because she has a
little bit of feminism in her. She has been able to balance her home and
her career and that is why she has been successful. At the end of the
day when people are talking, they should be able to think deeply and not
just talk from the surface. The funny thing is that things like that
increase my fan base. If there was no conflict, no one would go to my
page to find out what is going on. It makes my account more active and
the more the merrier for me. Don’t forget that I am a brand, when things
like that happen, it is more money for me. It is an advantage to me.
The reason I actually answered was because I wanted to create a crisis.
When Foluke talks, everyone would want to know what is happening and
that is what makes the world more interesting.”
The actress was recently hosted at Ojodu
Junior School, Lagos, at an event organised by Bayo Adetu, where she
gave a career talk to the students. She further told Saturday Beats why she was a part of the event.
“This is my passion and it is what I
like to do. I like to impact on the younger generation. It starts from
now. I want the tendency for showbiz to be watered down and the thirst
for education to be increased,” she said.