Temitope Christopher Tedela popularly known as Tope Tedela, is a multi-award-winning artiste.
The thespian is a believer and strong advocate for gender equality and betterment of the Nigerian movie industry.
For a man who speaks up for the right of women, Tedela shares with Kemifilani, the craziest thing he has heard about his position and how it made him feel.”I’ve heard stuff like ‘woman wrapper’ and some other things which I’ll rather not mention (Laughs). I feel like there’s still a long way to go in terms of women’s rights, equality and everything in between. The road to freedom may be laced with thorns and thistles but, the hurt and pain is part of the journey to change,’ he noted.
On rumour that actresses still sleep their way into roles, Tedela shares his opinion on now best it can be tackled.
“The notion that women have to sleep their way into roles, is a microcosm of the broader notion, that successful women got successful because they slept their way there. I think it is vile, disrespectful, and nonsensical because it paints an incomplete picture.
On the one hand, there are men and women in positions of power who abuse their power by trying to sexually exploit people. That is a part of the problem. On the other hand are individuals, male and female, desperate and non-desperate, who are willing to give their bodies away in exchange for what it is they want. We have to try to look at issues holistically and not erroneously jump into conclusions.”
Considering his perspective on issues relating to women, the versatile actor, considers himself a feminist.
“Yes. I identify with feminism and the core ideas behind it. I can go into a long sermon about the different strands of feminism which I identify with; but thinking about it, that’ll be a waste of space. I think people should read up on it to know more. I’m a believer that women should have equal access and equal rights to opportunities. So yes, I’m a feminist.”