Girl, why Ihechi? No offence, but you deserve better.

That’s ridiculous. What does better mean? More confident? Less confused? Washy words? Grand gestures? Hollywood hunk? Out of everyone I’ve ever met, nobody is more curious about me, nobody cares more, nobody carries my matter on their head more. What’s better than that?

What is it about films that draws you in so much?

Film allows me to live the life that I’m not permitted to. I’m a teenager in Lagos, how else will I visit Paris and New York? Smoke cigars and kiss boys? Fight in wars? Enjoy life?

How does it feel to be in a male-dominated circle and which rascal do you like best?

I think it’s interesting that you consider being in the presence of many boys to somehow mean I was dominated by them. What have I done to give you the impression that the number of boys in the room would affect my choices to do as I please? And as much as I love my brother and boyfriend, Pastor’s son is my favourite because he speaks the least.

What is your favourite memory of you and the group at Afrika Shrine?

The first time I had sex. High out of my head at the end of one of the shows. Ihechi paid a taxi driver to allow us use the backseat of his car.

Do you feel intimidated by Ihechi’s mum?

I’ve never met her. I only hear about the things she says and does. These things are always so assertive. She is law unto herself and others, even when she isn’t there. That is always how I want my absence to be felt. So I am never intimidated by her, I only hope to be as intimidating as her.

Did you ever think you’d be a character in a novel?

Absolutely not. How many people write stories about little lovestruck Lagos girls in the eighties? I grew up in the darkest times, when Nigerian art was so political, when the romantic muse died.

Why do you think Maradona is antagonistic towards the budding romance between you and Ihechi? Do you think he’s jealous? 

He’s not even your type!

I don’t think about it because I can never know for sure. A boy can show you hate because he loves you and doesn’t know how to navigate his feelings and he can also show you hate because he hates you.  It’s not my business to figure out why I’m receiving hate, it’s my business to stay away from it.

You say you don’t like school because that’s the upbringing you have. Is there a deeper reason other than your parents being averse to formal education?

It doesn’t always have to be something deeper. All of you that had formal education in Lagos, how much did you enjoy it ? Didn’t you only settle for it because you thought you had no choice? Well, fortunately I was given a choice.

The afternoon when you scream from the doorway of Ihechi’s mum’s studio, is it out of fear or in shock? After all, you are pretty irreligious.

It was both. That’s not exactly something you see in every other neighbour’s house. And it doesn’t matter that I’m irreligious. Do you watch horror movies ? You don’t need to believe in demons to be afraid and shocked by The Exorcist.

Do you ever think of your family up north? Are films a buffer for homesickness?

Yes, I do think about my family. But not in the way you would imagine. There’s no nostalgia for the past. I can barely remember what their voices sound like or what the city looks like. There’s only daydreams of what could have been, all the unmade memories. Film feeds into this but I can’t say it’s a buffer for homesickness. How could it be when Lagos has become home