Dami Elebe is one of the few screenwriters whose face, style, voice, and work are known despite that her role is mostly behind the scenes. For many screenwriters, especially those who are women, her confidence holds a lot of significance for a number of reasons. Elebe’s contribution to the growth and improvement of the face of the Nigerian film industry, Nollywood, has impacted many.
Screenwriters are barely given the credit and recognition they deserve, especially in an industry like Nollywood, hence they tend to fade into the background. Behind the success of every film, beyond the actors, is a crew working hard behind the scenes. The screenwriter is one of the most important members of any production crew as the screenplay serves as a guide for the actors, directors and every other member, to follow. While many screenwriters are rarely featured in the spotlight, Elebe does not shy away from coming to the fore and addressing some of the issues faced in the industry.
In an interview with BellaNaija, she stressed the importance of better pay. "The story and script are the skeletal phase of any movie. It is too important because without it, there is no movie at all. Paying them peanuts to do such a job is insulting. I mean, you can never really pay someone enough for something so important to their minds but you can try to pay them something that is worth it,” Elebe says.
Telling stories of the marginalised
Apart from being bold, Elebe is amongst the most talented screenwriters behind the new Nigerian cinema stories, with whom actors, directors, and appealing cinematography, have succeeded in giving Nollywood a new face by experimenting with dialogues that befit different characters. They tell and develop stories of the underrepresented; life in the slums, struggles average Nigerians relate to, abuse and trafficking that evoke emotions and tears, crime and violence that make the blood boil from suspense, and comedies that have a touch of glam.
An incredible screenwriter, Elebe fleshes stories out into dialogues and builds characters whose appearances, actions, and even names, synchronise with the dialogues she has created. She explains what it takes her to build the characters who turn out perfect on the screen to BellaNaija, "When it comes to characters, I majorly know most things about them but a name," she says. "It is so hard to name a character. I have to think so hard to get a name because sometimes I build a character that just doesn’t fit the few names that I have come up with. Do you know how it feels when you meet someone who says their name is Dami and you’re like ‘No, you look like a Chioma’? That’s exactly how it feels when I try to name a character. Some names just don’t fit and until I get that perfect name, I cannot write the story necessary with my chest.”
Working twice as hard for recognition
Elebe has never looked back since she wrote her first web series, Skinny Girl in Transit for Ndani TV. She is the brain behind other successful TV series and blockbuster films like Rumour Has It, Jemeji, Up North, and many others. In 2018, she won the ELOY Scriptwriter of the year award.
In 'Skinny Girl in Transit', the ordeals of Tiwalade, the protagonist of the series, bring to light the struggles of plus-size women or women whose sizes do not fit into the general beauty standard range of the society. Tiwa, on her mother's directive, tries hard to lose weight so she can find a man.
In her discussion with Guardian Life, she revealed how the story of Tiwalade resonates with her. "I was called in to script an underdeveloped idea – Skinny Girl In Transit was created by another OAP. When I heard the story, I laughed because it was me; they wanted me to write about me. My life is not as interesting as Tiwa’s in the show – being that I am still single and not too many hot men are on my case," she says.
She also explains how Rumour Has It, another screenplay, narrates the experience of women. “Rumour Has It on the other hand is inspired by so many women who have had to put on a brave face for society while suffering from emotional pain," she says.
Given the struggles plus-size women face, as reflected in Skinny Girl in Transit, Elebe's confidence and seemingly effortless refusal to be a mere shadow in the industry is significant as she is plus-size herself. This is because a greater percentage of plus-size women are victims of body shaming. This plagues them with self-doubt and leads to them hiding from the world their talents.
Elebe has had her share of this too. She opened up about it during an interview on The Body Positive Movement with Guardian Life, when she graced the magazine's cover alongside Latasha Ngwube and Temi Aboderin-Alao. "It’s a struggle that my talent gets recognised slower than other things that are being done in the entertainment industry. I also feel like if I were slimmer, I might be in a different place. I feel like there’s a little bit of that discriminatory thing to people who are bigger in the industry and you have to do twice as much to be out there."
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Your disadvantages limit you from nothing
Elebe does not let this stop her from putting herself out there and exploring her talents as much as she desires to, breaking without remorse the unspoken rule that screenwriters and plus size women should be behind the spotlight. “It doesn’t matter what your disadvantage is. It limits you from nothing. The only thing that limits you is your mind. If you don’t put your mind to it, you’ll never get it done. You can only push yourself to wherever it is that you want to go. You can only take people’s opinions about you as just that, opinions. What do you feel about yourself?” She further expresses how important it is to be confident and comfortable in one's skin in order to thrive.
Elebe is not afraid of experimenting with styles that are labelled unconventional for plus-size women and she looks good – her Instagram page bears testimony to this. The confidence to step out and be herself amongst women whose bodies are considered more acceptable in society is of great significance to other plus-size women and screenwriters.