My Igbo Language Scene Was A Difficult One – Funlola Aofiyebi-Raimi

For her role in a soon-to-be-released movie, Funlola Aofiyebi-Raimi had to undertake the task of learning Igbo.

“For some funny reason, the directors, the producers imposed it on me, they forced it on me. They kept telling me yes, ‘it’s you, it’s you. Step out of your comfort zone, do something different. Wow people,” the actress said during a recent interview.

She eventually decided to jump the hurdle and explained how she learnt the Igbo language.

“I engaged the services of a few friends who are very fluent in Igbo language, and then someone in particular who works for an Igbo channel.

He took me through it one by one and I recorded it on my phone. From the pleasantries to the actual dialogue itself, I went through it over and over again,” she added.

According to the actress, it was a difficult scene for her to shoot because she had to deliver a very emotional scene.

“Now having to manage that with the mastery, the understanding, and the conveying of emotions, using a language that I wasn’t too familiar with – So it was double work, but I was able to pull it off.”