THEWILL DOWNTOWN MAR 27, 2022 EDITION

MOTHERING SUNDAY SPECIAL VOL 2 NO.13 • MARCH 27 - APRIL 02, 2022

Ebelechukwu Nwachukwu Talks Motherhood & Career

The Perfect Gift For A Working Mum

imply THE SINGER, AND NIGERIAN IDOL JUDGE TALKS MOTHERHOOD, WOMEN IN MUSIC AND HER FAVOURITE CONTESTANT THIS SEASON

Maternity Fashion For The Trendy Mum-to- be

VOL 2 NO.13 • MARCH 27 - APRIL 02, 2022

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THEWILL DOWNTOWN • www.thewilldowntown.com

Photo: Kola Oshalusi @insignamedia Makeup: Desire Onyema @desire_makeover

EDITOR’S NOTE

M

otherhood, biologically or otherwise, is such a beautiful gift, but for some women, being a mother, for whatever reason, isn’t in their books.

I’ve heard people pass comments like ‘how can you not want to be a mother?’ For me, while I believe motherhood is a blessing, it is more important to be prepared mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, and financially. The second a child comes into this world, everything about them becomes your responsibility. They know right from wrong by watching your every move; while also depending on you for many forms of support.

Singer, Simi, who also happens to be the only female judge on the panel of the ongoing reality music show, Nigerian Idol, knows all about this. As a new mum, the maternal love bug has bitten her so hard that everything she does revolves around her daughter.

But Simi isn’t the only one in this week’s issue who also has the mummy love bug. Managing Director and CEO of NSIA Insurance, Nigeria, Ebele Nwachukwu, shares an uplifting story of her long wait to become a mother. For her, being a hands-on mum and also a hands-on CEO comes with its price.

Read the inspiring story of her and her husband's more than a decade-long wait to become parents, criticisms she faced from other women who asked her to leave work and focus on getting pregnant, and how she navigates through being a mum, wife, and CEO.

VOL 2 NO.13 • MARCH 27 - APRIL 02, 2022

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CONTENTS

COVER SIMPLY SIMI THE SINGER, AND NIGERIAN IDOL JUDGE TALKS MOTHERHOOD, WOMEN IN MUSIC ...

16

REVIEW TURNING RED

04-05

FASHION MATERNITY FASHION

14-15 FEATURE

FEMINISM: WHAT REALLY DOES IT MEAN?

Cover Story Images Courtesy: MultiChoice Nigeria

06

07

CAREER DOWNTOWN SINGING THROUGH THE CONFIDENTIAL BIAS: 3 MOST INFLUENTIAL PAIN SERIES: MUSICIANS IN NIGERIA'S SPANKING HISTORY

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SHOPPING THE PERFECT GIFT IDEAS FOR A WORKING MUM

Happy Mothering Sunday, everyone!

It is commonplace to spank a child when they misbehave – well, in Nigeria, at least- however, spanking can also be sexually stimulating for some people. Downtown confidential writer, Tilewa Kazeem narrates just what spanking did, or should I say, didn’t do for him.

Sophia Edisi discusses feminism from her point of view while Bolu, our movie review writer, as usual, evaluates the latest movie releases in the cinema and on Netflix.

I am excited to announce that we will be having our first Guest Editor in April –that's next week. I’ll give you a clue; the person who worked in branding is now the biggest name in men's fashion in Nigeria.

Still wondering who?

Odun Ogunbiyi @oddbodandthecity

- Contributing Editor Odunayo Ogunbiyi is an ex pharmacist with a passion for food and pampering. Writing about her exploits wherever in the world she may find herself is just her way of staying sane in this zany world.

Boluwatife Adesina @bolugramm - Contributing Writer Boluwatife Adesina is a media writer and the helmer of the Downtown Review page. He’s probably in a cinema near you.

AUSTYN OGANNAH

PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Editor: Onah Nwachukwu @onahluciaa Editor-at-Large: Chalya Shagaya Writers: Kehindé Fagbule, Tilewa Kazeem Interns: Sophia Edisi, Abdul Auwal Graphics/Layout: Olaniyan John ‘Blake’ Digital Media: Oladimeji Balogun Guest Art Director: Sunny Hughes ‘ SunZA’ www.thewilldowntown.com thewilldowntown thewilldowntown

SPOTLIGHT TALKING MOTHERHOOD AND CAREER WITH EBELECHUKWU NWACHUKWU

WHAT YOU SAID INSTAGRAM @snhhair

Hmmm! On Point

Onah Nwachukwu @onahluciaa

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Uzo Orimalade @uzosfoodlabs

- Contributing Writer Uzo Orimalade has a background in Law and Business and spent over a decade working in Corporate America and Nigeria in the management consulting and investment banking sectors. She switched careers to pursue her passion for baking, cooking and home entertaining. She is content creator and host of shows in various media platforms. She has been recognised by local and international media outlets including a feature on CNN’s African Voices.

Efua Oyofo @efuastar

- Contributing Writer Efua has always enjoyed telling stories.

A writer and cultural storyteller, Efua Oyofo helps clients tell their most compelling story. She focuses on social impact storytelling, and hosts a podcast: This African Love, exploring the culture of dating - and helping people develop more effective ways to navigate relationships in today’s world.

@shollycutie

@beuty2810

wow

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VOL 2 NO.13 • MARCH 27 - APRIL 02, 2022

THEWILL DOWNTOWN • www.thewilldowntown.com

FASHION

W

BY ABDUL AUWAL

earing maternity clothes that are huge in a bid to cover the gorgeous baby bump is a thing of the past. These days, it’s all about showing off that baby bump. Don't believe us? You can ask Rihanna, she knows a thing or two about this trend. It's the year 2022, and let's just say adoring your lovely baby bulge is what it's all about. In appreciation of celebs like Rihanna who have now shown the beauty of flaunting that bump, here’s a collection of maternity clothes you could wear to show off that maternal curve.

Black Maternity Dress

Maternity Free Flowing Yellow Gown Maternity Bump Dress Rihanna

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Mummy Joggers

VOL 2 NO.13 • MARCH 27 - APRIL 02, 2022

THEWILL DOWNTOWN • www.thewilldowntown.com

FASHION

Maternity Jeans PAIGE

Toyin Lawani

Bendita Dress AGUA

Maternity Floral Gown

Maternity Floral Tea Dress

Maternity Spanks

Sleevless Maxi Dress A.L.C

Moon Face Maternity Long Dress

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VOL 2 NO.13 • MARCH 27 - APRIL 02, 2022

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CAREER

SINGING Through

THE BIAS 3 MOST INFLUENTIAL MUSICIANS IN NIGERIA'S HISTORY

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BY KEHINDÉ FAGBULE

usic, a gender-neutral activity that we all directly or indirectly participate in. If we are not singing in church choirs, we are listening to people who grew up singing in church choirs; it's impossible to think about a world without songs.

But just like most industries in the country, the music scene too is male-dominated. When Afrobeat hall of fame inductees were rolled out, not a single woman was in sight. This begs the question, ‘what is women's impact on Nigerian music and who documents it?’

Between Onyeka Onwenu and Tiwa Savage, female music artists have had to work twice as hard to command and sustain the same respect that their male counterparts get.

Regardless of how difficult it could prove to be, these women have made it work and as a result, made their marks in the Nigerian entertainment scene. These are the women that have positively impacted the Nigerian music industry.

OSINACHI ‘SINACH’ KALU Known professionally as Sinach, Osinachi is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and senior worship leader at Loveworld. She is the first singer-songwriter to top the Billboard Christian Songwriter chart for 12 weeks in a row. Her hit song Way Maker bagged three nominations and won the Song of the Year at the 51st GMA Dove Awards, making her the first Nigerian to win the Award. She also won the BMI song of the year, and in 2021 was recognized by the US Congress while on tour in the United States of America.

Sinach has so far released nine studio albums with several other hit songs, including I Know Who I Am which would go on to be one of the most sung ‘praise and worship’ renditions.

Her biggest hit, Way Maker has also garnered numerous recognitions and awards. It is currently the second most-viewed Nigerian music video on YouTube. In March 2019, it became the third Nigerian video to garner 100 million views. It has been covered by over 60 Christian artists, and in many languages.

ONYEKA ONWENU Onyeka Onwenu started her music career in 1981 when she released her debut album, For the Love of You, at the same time she was working with the NTA as a newsreader, reporter and TV presenter.

Originally a secular artist, Onwenu made the transition to gospel music in the 90s, and most of her songs are self-penned. She continues to write and sing about issues such as health (HIV/AIDS), peace and mutual coexistence, respect for women's rights, and the plight of children.

Onwenu collaborated with veteran jùjú artist King Sunny Ade on the track Madawolohun (Let Them Say) which appeared in 1988's Dancing In The Sun. This was the first of three songs the pair worked on together; the other two— Choices and Wait For Me—centred on family planning, and were endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria who used Choices in their public service announcements. In an era before the internet, there's no questioning Onyeka Onwenu’s impact on the industry and the country at large.

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TIWA SAVAGE Tiwa Savage's career, just like most artists before her, started when she was little—she was a trombone player for her secondary school's orchestra band. The early days of her career included participating in the UK edition of The X Factor, enrolling and graduating with a degree in professional music at Berklee College of Music, and singing backup vocals for a host of A-list musicians such as Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston, George Michael, Andrea Bocelli, Kelly Clarkson, to name a few.

In 2014, Tiwa Savage was the first female Nigerian artist to be nominated for BET awards.

In November 2018, Savage won Best African Act at the 2018 MTV Europe Music Awards, becoming the first woman to win the category. In 2016, Tiwa Savage signed a management and publishing deal with Roc Nation, making her the first Nigerian artist to be signed to the label.

Today, Tiwa Savage takes her place as the biggest female singer/songwriter, not only in Nigeria but also in Africa.

VOL 2 NO.13 • MARCH 27 - APRIL 02, 2022

THEWILL DOWNTOWN • www.thewilldowntown.com

DOWNTOWN CONFIDENTIAL

Pain Series:

SP NKING A

BY TILEWA KAZEEM

s humans, we develop new meanings for specific words or standards as we obtain more information.

A doctor, for example, might take the baby out of the womb, turn him upside down, and gently spank his bottom.

When the baby screams, the mother will breathe a sigh of relief.

Other civilizations have utilized spanking as a form of punishment. To teach a child a lesson, (s)he is hit with the palm on the bottom when (s)he misbehaves. As we progress further into our existence, we get a new perspective on the term and how Christian Grey, the character, viewed it via a sensuous lens.

Of course, this definition dates back to the beginning of time, but following the pop-culture phenomenon, Fifty Shades of Grey, spanking became a mainstream kink. It's an assertion of dominance in the bedroom for men who partake. And the women, being the submissive are usually the recipients of those gentle smacks. However, with the ever-changing power dynamics in the bedroom, nothing prevents it from being the other way around.

Mutual enjoyment is the goal of sexual spanking. You're doing it because you both enjoy it. The truth about this

sub-topic of role-playing is that it has nothing to do with punishment and everything to do with pleasure. Most people's favourite kink is spanking.

Because your backside is an erogenous zone and is close to other erogenous zones we want to touch, it seems like a logical thing to want to do.

Another important element of spanking is consent and communication. The best time to talk about it is not when you’re gearing up to do it or when you’re already turned on. Have the talk during a neutral time. Some time during the day or maybe during dinner is ideal. The conversation should cover your experience, your expectations and your feelings. Also, discussing how you’re going to communicate within the scene is super helpful. You need to know how to say something is too much, just like you need to know how to say you want more. Are you going to use a safe word? Are you going to

ER | CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES, VETTA

ORIGINAL IMAGE CREATOR: VIKAVALT

speak normally? All that stuff has to be mapped out ahead of time.

When I had brought it up with a sexual acquaintance of mine she liked the idea of it. She always came off as someone who would like that type of thing. The next day, she was already at mine. I rushed to open the door before the tintinnabulation of the bell had completely faded. Punctual and looking like a snack, I welcomed her in with a wink and a sultry smile. Taking a step back, I let go of the door. I watched her cross the threshold of the door and shut the door behind her. With her still slightly facing the door, I closed up the gap and pressed the bulge in my pants against her soft derriere. Her sleepover bag dropped to the ground as my hand slowly crept and found itself between her legs. She let out a soft moan and leaned back and caressed the bulge with her backside. Tilting her head back to me, she searched for my lips and soon after, our tongues entered a heated wrestle. My free hand groped her bare breasts while my thumb roamed around her stiffing nipple.

Lucy was a freak and not once did she ever try to deny it. What now seemed like an ambush was premeditated. She had bought into the idea to come without her skivvies. She was the type to send a picture of herself in the shower or a Snapchat streak of her using her vibrator. That was why suggesting spanking to her wasn't out of place. So as I bent her over, I gently smacked her derriere and entered her from behind, she more than welcomed it. As the thrusts got deeper she begged for the spanks to get harder and I solemnly obliged. I could feel her surrender to me. Her knees quivered as her gelatin-like buttocks reddened.

The pleasure from the pain fueled her sexual urges and I could feel it; her overtly moistened insides let me know just how much with every spank.

You'll want to check in with your partner again after you've finished. Perhaps they want to cuddle. Perhaps they'd like to go out to eat. Perhaps they'd like to watch Netflix. Perhaps they want to have more sex.

There is no correct answer. In any case, it's critical to have that follow-up conversation.

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VOL 2 NO.13 • MARCH 27 - APRIL 02, 2022

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COVER

SIMPLY

SIMI

The Singer, and Nigerian Idol Judge Talks Motherhood, Women in Music and Her Favourite Contestant This Season

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riginally starting her career as a gospel singer, this effervescent mother of one is one of Nigeria’s best musical exports. While busy in her mum's daycare in the Mainland area of Ketu, young Simisola was taking herself through all the nooks and crannies of music production and her resonant voice was her test subject. Recording cover after cover, the now-married 33-year-old, popularly known as ‘Simi’ was putting herself through the furnace to stand out and stand up for herself where others might have lost their voice. The singer, songwriter, sound engineer, and actress had a chat with DOWNTOWN’s Tilewa Kazeem to discuss being the only female judge on M-Net/Africa Magic's highly coveted music reality show, Nigerian Idol, motherhood, female biases, and having a solid work ethic.

because I have never, and I don't know if it is something I could have done.

But then, you're a fantastic performer. You've performed at shows and up on stage,you look pretty confident and brave.

To be honest, it took me a lot of work to get there because I used to have really bad stage fright. I remember early on; when I'm singing on stage, I’d freeze, forget my lyrics or forget the notes I'm supposed to sing. Next thing, I'm singing off-key so it was a really hard thing for me to overcome.

But I think because of how much I love music I refused to let that stop me and I would do it more and more.

And the more I did it, the easier it became.

Image Courtesy MultiChoice Nigeria

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ooking at all the thousands of contestants vying for the title of Nigerian Idol winner must give you a sense of nostalgia. Did you ever put yourself out there to be judged by a panel for a reality music show in the early stages of your career?

Actually, I never did that because I've always felt like it takes a level of bravery to be a performer like that. And I don't think I'm designed to go under that kind of pressure. That's why I always admire anyone who puts themselves in that type of position

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You mentioned having stage fright and not being brave enough early in your career. I'm sure having stage fright isn't something you want to have when competing for the top spot on Nigerian Idol. What other qualities do you believe these contestants should possess to achieve, and possibly exceed Simi status?

I think confidence is very necessary but most importantly, you must know how to sing. It's not a platform where you're coming to be famous or looking for people to be nice to you or you're just fishing for compliments; because everyone you're up against is chasing their dreams. There's nobody there that doesn't want to win. So you have to come with talent.

Be confident, be skilled and also have a great work ethic. On this show, we've seen people that performed better than when they first came in because they've seen the competition is fierce and they've had to rise to the challenge. In addition, be open to learning as well.

I'd be putting it mildly if I say you're Nigeria's sweetheart. You have thousands of fans who follow you and your music religiously. Then there was the Duduke challenge where you had your fans participate in what was a special and life-changing experience for you. Are you a bit worried that your responsibility as a judge might affect that reputation?

The truth is, I try to be as honest in whatever I'm doing. I try to be as authentic as possible so my truth is not necessarily perfect. The fact that it is honest doesn't make it perfect so I don't expect that everything I say or do would rub everybody the right way or would make everybody like me. Even when you're not talking, not doing anything people will still talk. So my goal is not to pretend to be something so people can like me or present to be something so people can dislike me. I'm not trying to prove anything, I'm just trying to be myself. I feel like that, over time, has worked out for me. Being authentic, people that love me, do love me, and people that don't like this, you know, aren't supposed to be in my corner and that's fine. If anything actually, I feel like this is an opportunity to see more of my personality and either work with it or decide that it is not for them. But all in all, I'll be honest and authentic in everything that I'm doing.

You're the only female judge. Do you feel any form of intimidation, like you need to prove yourself a bit more seen as it is a more male-dominated judging panel, so to speak, do you feel like you have to do extra to get people to notice ‘hey, Simi is here’?

If there's anything where I have to do extra it's more physical stuff not how I present myself. I don't say anything to try to stick out more or stick out

VOL 2 NO.13 • MARCH 27 - APRIL 02, 2022

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COVER the truth so regardless of whoever you remove, someone's going to get mad. So I think what I'll say is, to me in my opinion, we have a richer variety of talents in this season.

I have several favourites but they keep changing. I remember when we started the live show, the very first one we had, this past Sunday, Obi Asika, D’banj, and I were talking, and I was like I'm keeping my mind open... Honestly, I probably have like five favourites but it keeps changing because I like all of them for different reasons” less. But you know if it's, for example, to get ready I have to do more getting ready because I have to get my hair and makeup ready, you know it's exhausting but then guys they just come in, ten minutes and they've put their clothes on. If I do, the same people wouldn't have the same opinion that they have about the guys. So that's where I would say takes the most work as being the only female judge; it takes more time to get ready, to get on set but in how I'm communicating and my relations with maybe the contestants or the judges I feel I'm the same Simi that I am everywhere else.

Seeing as you have joined the illustrious list of female judges, what do you hope to do differently from the other female judges in the past this season?

I wouldn't say I've watched previous shows looking at just the female judges and seeing what I can do differently from them. Like I said before, I'll just be authentic and I'm not trying to follow in anybody's footsteps… I'm only following in Simi's footsteps. All the former judges have come here and done what felt true to them and acted the way they felt comfortable with and that's perfect for them. I'm going to come and do my thing regardless of whether I'm around other guys or not. I'm not coming to upstage anybody.

After what was a long pruning process, you and the other judges got your final twelve. What would you say set this selected superstars-in-view apart from those of the previous six seasons?

I feel like this is probably one of the months that people would have a hard time deciding who to vote for because there are so many credible talents. And I know past seasons they've had great talents but it was really hard to whittle down to the number we have now. When we got to the top twelve a lot of people were in my comment sections; one of my closest friends sent me a voice note saying “how could you remove my girl, how could you remove my boy” you know.

Everyone is someone's boy or girl that's

That's interesting to note. So would you happen to have a favourite so far?

I have several favourites but they keep changing.

I remember when we started the live show, the very first one we had, this past Sunday, Obi Asika, D’banj, and I were talking, and I was like I'm keeping my mind open because they've seen what's on the table and what they are up against.

So people that were lackadaisical before or the people that were nonchalant about this before are going to up their game and that was exactly what happened. And at the end of the show, all of us were like ‘Now, I don't know’ and I feel like that is so exciting. Honestly, I probably have like five favourites but it keeps changing because I like all of them for different reasons.

Let's imagine that a girl won the show this year. What would you say she needs to do as a woman to stand out in the music industry? You've carved your niche, you have your ethics. What would you say she needs to do to stay afloat, to constantly be in the creative space, to avoid scandals, and just keep breaking glass ceilings?

It's not a secret, it is something I've said constantly that women have to do more to get even half of what men usually get which is very unfortunate but you can either throw a pity party or you can get up and work. That's my take. You have to do the work that it takes if you want it bad enough. So as a woman, you have to do more and put yourself out there. You're saying this is what I'm capable of, this is what I deserve then you're going to put the work in because nobody hands things to us just because they like us or our smile or our voice is nice. People just don't give us things, we have to go the extra mile. Put the work in and have a great work ethic. So if a woman wins this— and there are very great female contenders so that is a really big possibility— then they are going to have to prove that they want this. Even after they’ve won, they’re going to have to prove that they want a space in the Nigerian music industry. A great work ethic is necessary.

I’ve met artists that can sing all these notes but they’re not putting the work in and then there are people that may not be as talented as the next person but are winning more, thanks to a great work ethic. Always improve yourself and as a woman, I’d advise that you also learn the back-end of music, stuff beyond singing and take up perhaps production, behind-the-scenes or mixing and mastering that way, people would respect you because they know you put your money where your mouth is.

Would you say you've experienced any form of bias in the industry? I know you mentioned as women we can either sit on our backside or get up and work. But has there been anyone that has made you say 'you know what, I'll show just who I am?'

Yes. Usually, when people ask me this question, the one instance that comes to my mind most recently is when I gave birth to my child. The funny thing was I hadn't even announced it yet.

Someone had called my manager for an event and he was talking to them about the fee, and then the person said: “how would she charge that, is she not pregnant?” The mere fact that I’m carrying a child made him value me less. I still don't understand the rationale. If anything, I should be paid more because that's a major health risk. It's not like I can sing less. That's just one example. I also remember when I was getting signed to someone that told my boss that I didn't have that whole sexy vibe —you know, I was singing with the whole mellow church-vibe— that I couldn't sell the market. I don't feel like a

Images Courtesy MultiChoice Nigeria

I think being a mum is the most important thing I’ve done with my life. It's the most spiritual. I say to my friends that I’d rather be a failed artist than a failed mum. I think that if you choose to do it... When you choose to have a child you have to be 100 percent there...”

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VOL 2 NO.13 • MARCH 27 - APRIL 02, 2022

THEWILL DOWNTOWN • www.thewilldowntown.com

COVER before I got signed, I'd sleep at four in the morning. Our house was in Ikorodu at the time and I knew there was nothing in Ikorodu. My mum had a daycare in Ketu, on the mainland so I used to stay there.

Bless her heart. She let me stay in one of the rooms, I'll be recording covers day and night, I taught myself how to mix. I would call people and ask them, ‘do you want me to write for you for free? Just put me on your album.’ I'd download beats off of YouTube and sing over them because no one was there to give things to me, you have to demand those things.

However, for people to pay attention to your demands, you have to prove that you deserve them. Those are the things you have to do constantly because you know that there will be bias. People are going to judge you first because you're a woman and not just men, even women.

One of the things I always say is as women, we need to call ourselves out. If we are allowed to pick between a man and a woman, usually our first thought sometimes is ‘are you sure a woman can handle this?’ It's human behaviour.

It's not because we've worked with men who can handle things. We have been groomed in our minds that women aren't as capable because we are fragile. Some people even say we're the weaker sex— which I think is crazy! I've not met anyone who has touched my voice and mixed it better than me. If I wasn't a singer and people hadn't already realised that I can mix, they'd question me if I mentioned that I can mix. So yeah.

Someone had called my manager for an event and he was talking to them about the fee, and then the person said: “ how would she charge that, is she not pregnant?” The mere fact that I'm carrying a child made him value me less. I still don't understand the rationale.

If anything, I should be paid more because that's a major health risk. It's not like I can sing less” man would have gotten the same scrutiny.

And it's not just me, I've heard stories of men in the industry that say “oh no, I don't want to sign a girl because their wahala is too much. Once dem done marry now, you no go see them again. When dem marry you dem no go hear word again. No oo. Dem too like wahala any small thing, makeup” but if you don't want to wear makeup you'll hear 'you're not girly enough'; so you can't win.

That's what I mean when I say; your work has to speak for you. There's no choice, if all you're bringing to the table is your voice, then there are thousands of people that can sing better than you. That's not enough.

Your work has to speak for you. I remember

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In the spirit of Mothering Sunday, we’d like to know what it is like for you to be a mother. What would you say excites you the most about being a mother?

I think being a mum is the most important thing I’ve done with my life. It's the most spiritual. I say to my friends that I’d rather be a failed artist than a failed mum. I think that if you choose to do it— this is why I think no one should be forced or coerced into having children because it’s a big responsibility and while people ask for kids, kids don't ask to be born.

And a lot of people take it personally, but it’s true— So when you choose to have a child you have to be 100 percent there because until they’re a certain age, you are responsible for their emotional health, and making sure they aren’t traumatized.

The type of environment you put them in, you have to be very careful with those kinds of things and they are watching your every move.

Having a child is helping me become more present and prioritise. I want to be a lively part of her life and not in and out.

And this is one of the things that might humble us as women. I remember before I became a mum I used to say women can do all things, and I one hundred percent agree but you cannot do all of the things at the same time. The kind of time that I had for work before obviously is not the kind of time that I have now. I have to reprioritize. When my child was still an infant there were things I had to say no to because I wanted to be there for her. And that was hard for me. So I guess again it's different for everybody.

There's this illustration that I heard someone say, it's like when you're working you have glass balls and rubber

balls for both things. Glass balls are things that when you drop them, you're going shatter while the rubber balls are the things that if you drop them, they bounce back. They might scratch a bit but there's no damage.

So you have both things for both things in your life. As a parent, say a glass ball is me not being there to nurture my child, I'm never in her life because I'm working all the time. If I drop that ball that's bad. A rubber ball, on the other hand, would be, maybe a child has a school play that you can't go to because you have a glass ball for work where you have to drop your album that day.

You can drop that ball. As long as it's not something you're doing all the time. So that mentality just helps me prioritise. And if it comes down to my child or my work, it's my child every time. Every single time and because this is a choice that I've made to have her, I wasn't doing it under pressure or anything so it comes easy to me. It's just a beautiful experience being able to love someone so deeply and with so much vulnerability. I'm generally a strong person with things like that but with her, I'm very vulnerable. She has made me more vulnerable than I've ever been in my life because this is someone I'll do anything for.

We are just curious, considering that you and your husband are both singers, has the baby started singing or cooing rhythmically?

She loves music. There are certain songs that I have that are her favourite because I'm working on my album right now, there are songs I play and she’d shout ‘aye’ because she's heard them before. She knows some of my and her dad’s songs. She is not at an age where she can sing and hold notes yet but I can already tell that she's going to like music to a certain level. I don't know if she's going to be a singer or anything but it doesn't really matter. My hope is for her to be happy regardless of what she chooses to be. I just don't want her to be a pilot because it would give me anxiety. Not that I don't want her to love it but it would give me anxiety. Anything she wants to do, any dream she has regardless of what it is, I just want her to be happy and full in life. Life is so short, we chase things and we don't have enough time to enjoy them.

Images Courtesy MultiChoice Nigeria

VOL 2 NO.13 • MARCH 27 - APRIL 02, 2022

THEWILL DOWNTOWN • www.thewilldowntown.com

SHOPPING

THE PERFECT GIFT IDEAS FOR A

WORKING MUM

BY IDOWU LAMI

I

Baies Scented Candle DIPTYQUE PARIS

t's never too early or too late to give gifts, and with Women's Month here, there's all the more reason to show the women in your life that you care about and cherish them. Spoiling the women with gifts is one way to do that. But for full points, get them gifts that show your support for their career.

Retro Round Blue Light Blocking Glasses ROJOS

Pyjamas Set BANKE KUKU The Productivity Project CHRIS BAILEY

Soho Cosmic Diary SMYTHSON

Watch Series 6 APPLE

Large Dark Olive Shopping Bag TELFAR

Camille Quartz Rose MICHAEL KORS

Black Opium Eau de Parfum YVES SAINT LAURENT PAGE 11

VOL 2 NO.13 • MARCH 27 - APRIL 02, 2022

THEWILL DOWNTOWN • www.thewilldowntown.com

SPOTLIGHT

Talking Motherhood And Career With

EBELECHUKWU T

NWACHUKWU

hrough the course of the month, we have been talking about women with big-enough strength to power through the biases that society has conditioned them to—one of those biases is with motherhood and its journey, or lack of. The human design which has women as both carriers and primary caregivers of children has oftentimes manifested as a perceived biological disadvantage, especially for women leaders in the corporate world.

This didn't stop NSIA Insurance Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Ebelechukwu Nwachukwu in her decade-long wait to become a mother.

Ebelechukwu Nwachukwu’s influence in the insurance sector cannot be overstated. Her track record of success could easily serve as a blueprint for young women not just in the Insurance industry alone, but for anyone with lofty dreams.

When Nwachukwu, who is set to be named the first-ever female Chairman of the Nigerian Insurers Association, had this virtual chat with DOWNTOWN’s writer Kehindé Fagbule, her graciousness shone through the screen as her little humans warmed up to their mum at intervals. The conversation includes the boom of the insurance sector in Nigeria, her rise up the ranks over her 28-year–and counting–career, and today being Mothering Sunday, the 11-year pregnancy wait that ended during the lockdown when she, together with her husband, welcomed three beautiful kids at once.

You hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in Linguistics from UNIBEN and then an MBA from the ESUT Business School, Enugu. Why did you choose insurance at a time when it wasn't exactly commonplace in Nigeria?

After I graduated from the University of Benin, I got posted to Lagos for my national youth service program. I lived with my aunt, Franca Alayo, who reached out to family friends to help me get an office for my primary assignment. A great man called Dr Festus Okubor then invited me to serve in International Standard Insurance. Before that, quite frankly, I had not heard much about insurance, neither did I know much except I knew the name Bendel Insurance which existed in Benin City where I schooled.

Of course, I was so happy to have a great place to serve, and that's how I got into the business. At the time, Dr Okubor was the head of the health insurance department, so naturally, I joined his department, and that's how it happened. It was an unintentional foray into insurance, but I loved it, and I have stayed for so long; this is my 28th year.

It's been such a long time ago… What improvements do you reckon the insurance industry has seen ever since?

We've grown due to the industry's evolution - there are more products, awareness, firms, world-class service infrastructure, and well-read people. As an industry, we are still not where we should be, but we have greatly improved since 1994 when I began my career.

However, many individuals still need to embrace insurance as a necessity, from health insurance to life insurance, to ensure that all their assets are protected. I believe that using insurance as a tool to expand a business and plan for different stages of life is critical. The word is progressively reaching Nigerians, but we, the insurance firms, still have a lot of work to do.

Your career progression is evident, and so are your results. What were some of the strategies you deployed?

My focus has always been on doing the right things, working hard, putting the firm, and the results required of me first. One of my guiding beliefs is to give my all in everything I do. Studying also

PAGE 12

aided me in fully comprehending my job.

Most significantly, I must acknowledge that I have received a great deal of favour from the Almighty God, as many have worked just as hard as I have. That, I believe, is why I am where I am now. I am appreciative of every opportunity that has come my way.

You are now the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NSIA Insurance Company Limited. How is this new role different from the ones you've held in the past?

My previous experiences have prepared me to do well at NSIA. My job is to create and implement strategies that help the company and its people grow. My primary obligation is to ensure that the company grows, employees advance, that shareholders receive a good return on their investment and that we uphold regulatory obligations.

You are the second Deputy Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Insurers Association. Later this year, you are going to be the first-ever female Chairman. It takes a great deal of focus and integrity to be where you are today. What are some of the principles you live by?

Simply put, integrity, hard effort, respect for others, attention, and a desire to achieve results. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve my whole industry in this capacity.

You got married in 2009 but only had children in 2020. What was the waiting period like?

It was not intentional. The first expectation that you have as a woman when you get married is that within the first year or two years, you will conceive and have a baby. When the first couple of years went by and we didn't have kids, I was under tremendous pressure, but my journey was made easier because my husband and I worked very closely.

It was a challenge that we both took as ours, there was no fault-finding or finger-pointing, we just kept trusting God that we'd eventually become parents; it was not easy.

The highest criticism I got interestingly was from fellow women. I had lots of women who would say to me “why wouldn't you leave your job and go try to have a child?”. On one occasion, I said to one “you have four children and you were working when you had all four of them, why do I have to leave my job to have mine?” I've had many who said, “if you don't want to be pregnant, why don't you get a surrogate?” because they generally assumed that the reason I didn't have children was that I was focused on my career.

It was a difficult time. There was a lot of disrespect and hurtful comments, but I stayed happy and focused at work.

I was confident that the almighty God would remember me someday. In fact, when I had kids, a lot of people were surprised to know that I didn't have kids all those years because it never showed.

I celebrated children all the time—with

VOL 2 NO.13 • MARCH 27 - APRIL 02, 2022

THEWILL DOWNTOWN • www.thewilldowntown.com

my colleagues and my siblings. It wasn't easy at all.

Were there times you and your husband almost gave up?

Interestingly, just before we got pregnant in 2019, I had told my husband that I didn't want to try anymore, because we had been to see doctors to help us, and I was ready to give up because the process wasn’t easy.

Fast forward to June 2019 my husband asked me what I wanted for my birthday because my birth month is June. I said to him, “let's try one more time.” I guess it is God that made us try one more time because that ‘one more time’ is the reason we have three children today.

What made you keep trying, and when you conceived, what was that moment like for you?

That's a question I've been asked too many times. Like I've said, we had some medical interventions, and I kept repeating those procedures even if many of them failed.

What really kept us going was our desire to have children. When you want something, and you don't have it yet, you keep trying.

So, we kept trying and remained steadfast knowing that God would eventually give them to us. We just did our part and kept at it.

When you conceived, what was that moment like for you?

I never understood when people say, “I was speechless” until it happened to me. When we went to the hospital to do the blood test, they told us the test would be ready in 30 minutes. My husband and I left the hospital despite the persuasion from the nurses to stay and wait for the result. We were a bit tense [laughs]. So, we went to have breakfast and we were sitting there for more than an hour because we didn't want to rush back to the hospital. We eventually went back, and the doctor looked at both of us and said “congratulations.” My jaw literally dropped, we were in shock like “how did this happen?” It was very exciting and scary at the same time.

I really don't know how to express it, but I was speechless. It was then made stronger three weeks later when we did the first scan and the doctor told us we were going to have three babies. That was quite shocking.

It was a great moment. Immediately, we told our families and everyone that had been on the journey with us. It was exciting, scary, confusing. It was many things at the same time. It was unbelievable.

We always had prayed for twins. I was a regular at the Redeemed camp Shiloh hour and I joined every Halleluyah challenge with Nathaniel Bassey. Our Children are a testimony of the goodness and faithfulness of God. From the moment you find out, you then deal with the anxiety of ‘how are they going to be’ ‘are they going to be healthy because I was an older pregnant woman?’ ‘What else do I need to do?’ It was an amazing journey full of anxious moments, but then we held onto our faith. The pregnancy went well, and our children were born all in good health.

How has motherhood been so far? Tell us about your children.

It's been beautiful, it's been a blessing. I feel very grateful to have them in my life. They have distinct personalities, even though

SPOTLIGHT they grew up in the same womb and were born on the same day. They are a blessing and I'm just happy to be their mum. They are beginning to speak now, so they can say “mummy” and I think that is the greatest honour of my life yet; to be called mum. Sleep is a luxury I long for now but I am too grateful to complain.

You raise three beautiful children at the same time that you are responsible for illuminating Nigerians on insurance. How do you navigate through these interwoven realities when they sort of collide?

It's interesting because I'm a very hands-on mum and also a very hands-on CEO at the same time, so even I wonder how I do it. Let me start by saying sleep is a distant luxury for me now. However, the kids were born during the COVID-19 lockdown period, and that helped me in a lot of ways because I had to work from home— the entire country was working remotely anyway. It gave me some time to get adjusted. I was used to working and taking care of my kids before we resumed physically, so it wasn't so difficult to continue.

The key thing is really prioritising my tasks, doing what I should do when I should do it. When I wake up early in the morning, my focus is on my children. I bathe and dress them for the day and then I head out to work. I come back from work and pick up from where I left off in the morning. Yeah, I'm coping [laughs]. If they tell you it's easy, it's a lie. My career should not stop because I have kids and I don't think I should be absent in my children's lives because I'm a CEO. I think that women have the absolute capacity to do many things at the same time and can multitask. It is important that you remain in the mind space where you're encouraged to still fulfil your full potential even after having kids, it makes it a lot easier to manage when your mind is fixed.

My organization makes it quite easy too. They make it easy for women to reintegrate into work after they've had kids. We have a crèche in the office for mothers who have just had babies. After maternity leave, they can come back to work with their babies. They can still take out time to go nurse their babies, while they're at work.

For me, I didn't think that my work should stop, or my responsibilities should change, I just had to make sure that I know first and foremost that I'm a mother, a wife and also an executive. I'm coping with all. I thank God for His grace.

Today is Mothering Sunday. What do you think about the maternity leave law in Nigeria and its effect on the women's population in the corporate world?

I think the maternity leave law is not too bad. Six weeks before delivery and six weeks after, I don't think it is too bad. What I think they need to expand is probably the paternity leave law for men, so they can be free to help

as well. Not only should the woman stop working, but I think the man should also be there to make it easier for the woman.

Women find different ways to cope, no one should judge them, because it really is not easy. It's a lot of adjustments when you have kids. So, if a woman decides to use an external crèche or solicit the help of family, whatever works for them, I think nobody should judge a woman for going back to work after they've had children. I think the maternity leave law is fair, at least for now.

Oftentimes we tell women how to behave and react to men and their usually misogynistic actions, with some stemming from implicit biases. We forget that if we don't teach boys how to behave, nothing changes.

As you've once mentioned, your dad's influence in your life helped you get to where you are today. How do you raise a son today with a view of creating a world void of bias?

Growing up, you'll find that in some homes, they will give specific chores and tasks to the girl child, and not give the same chores and tasks to the boy child. So, boys grow up thinking certain things are for women to do. I think that needs to change. Boys should be taught to cook and clean as the girls are taught the same.

Even though we wish for a world where there is no bias against women, I don't think it's going to go away. So, it is really not for us to wish that the men will change, it is for us to constantly realise our power, and continue to push the best that we can. I think all women should determine to always push boundaries, push beyond difficulties, and continue to strive to be all that God has created us to be.

This is what I'll teach my son while teaching my daughters not to let anyone stop them.

Sadly, your dad passed away before you became a teenager and your mum had to raise you as a single mum. How did growing up with a single mother (without a father figure) shape you to become the woman you are today?

Well, my dad was very pro-women, he was very keen on us growing up not thinking of ourselves as being disadvantaged because we're female. Then he passed, and my mum had to be twice as focused and hard-working. All we did was just emulate her.

We made her life as a single mum easy. We were very empathetic towards our mum, very respectful, we basically did everything that she said. We loved her deeply and dearly. Growing up with a strong mum who made sure we went to school, made us realize that we are unstoppable and capable to do all things.

What do you think about the stigma and bias against women who place their careers over procreation?

No one should judge a woman who decides not to have kids because having kids is a responsibility for which you have to be prepared. You have to love the children, give your time, and allow lots of changes to your body. Hence, you have to be ready in spirit, soul and body to be a mother.

For women who choose not to have kids, I really don't think anyone should judge them for that decision. I will also say that these women should try to constantly review that decision, so they don't get to the end of life and then regret it, as life goals change/evolve per season. No one should judge anyone who decides not to have kids or are unable to have kids - those judgments should not exist at all.

What do you say to women with dreams as lofty as yours?

I would say “go for it.” Continue to strive to be the best version of yourself. There is no limit to what any woman can achieve. You do what you need to do to uphold your dignity to get to where you think you deserve to be. Whatever limit you think you've set for yourself as a woman, nothing should stop you from pushing to get there. I wish them all the best!

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VOL 2 NO.13 • MARCH 27 - APRIL 02, 2022

THEWILL DOWNTOWN • www.thewilldowntown.com

FEATURE

FEMINISM WHAT REALLY DOES IT MEAN?

BY SOPHIA EDISI

T

he very first time I heard about female mutilation, an act that involves the partial or total cutting away of the external female genitalia, I was beyond frightened. Although I was quite familiar with male circumcision and the medical need for it, unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for female mutilation. And being a young girl, I remember having difficulties making sense of it all. I couldn’t understand why a practice that is often performed without anesthetic under poor medical conditions by quacks with little or no knowledge of human anatomy could be condoned. A practice that causes death or permanent health problems, as well as severe pain to a child, is seen as a rite of passage preparing young girls for womanhood and marriage or a way to tame the sexual desires of a woman. A practice that has been so integrated into our society as a way of culture, ethnic identity, and religious obligation.

This incident brought about my first encounter with the word 'feminist'.

Presently in Nigeria, feminism is often misinterpreted as a 'medium or way in which women desire to rule over men'. This single-story and stereotype is gradually making being called a feminist almost feel more of an insult to any woman. The word has been ridiculed and compared with mere social media drama. And now, not only men but a vast majority of women are disassociating themselves from it.

SO WHO IS A FEMINIST?

“Feminist” is derived from the Latin word ‘femina’ which means woman.

This Latin word was later adapted to the struggle and agitation of women all over the world for an egalitarian society. Feminism is a belief in the political, economic, and cultural equality of women and the movement represents the long demand for the upliftment of the suppressed section of women and girls in society.

Over the years, women have had to endure the trauma of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, violence on women, the legal and social biases against women, and the enhancement of women’s legal rights and recognition in the society. Gender discrimination, undue disadvantage at birth, discrimination at the workplace, social gatherings, public institution, women being uprooted from their home, non-consensual sexual intimacy, and child bride forced marriages which inevitably denies female children of school age their right to the education for their personal development, and the opportunity to dream and take control of their future.

Feminism is a movement for the rights of women. It stands for equal opportunity for both sexes without favouring one over the other, which means that women should not have less political, economic, and civil rights ambitions because they are women. It demands the annihilation of the gender hierarchy, seeks visibility, bridges pay gaps, raising the girl and boy child with equal opportunity, value, integrity, and mutual respect.

It’s funny how much we have turned a blind eye to the struggles of women all around Nigeria and Africa. The worst forms are battering, trafficking, child marriages, sexual abuse, and murder (as seen in the recent case of Bamise amongst others). We are living in a crazy time, life has become a daily struggle, women are constantly in fear and have lost all sense of security.

The point is, If we think about the circumstances in which the movement is based and we reserve judgment, we will begin to understand that women's desires are good for themselves and society. Five gender equality bills were ruled out during the constitutional review which led to a protest at the National Assembly. Women stormed the house, asking questions, challenging authorities in an attempt to 'break the bias' of all injustice towards women and children. These are intense yet less spoken about issues, which are the very core essence of feminism.

PAGE 14

CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE "My own definition is, a feminist is a man or a woman who says, yes, there’s a problem with gender as it is today and we must fix it, we must do better. All of us, women and men must do better.”

We Should All Be Feminists is a book-length essay by the Nigerian author that talks about the definition of feminism for the 21st century. She uses her work to inspire women around the world in breaking gender, stereotypes, and sexualities that have been made to subjugate women in society.

VOL 2 NO.13 • MARCH 27 - APRIL 02, 2022

THEWILL DOWNTOWN • www.thewilldowntown.com

FEATURE AISHA YESUFU A political activist whose main interest is about getting people with character, competence, capacity, empathy, and patriotism into office regardless of gender. She was actively involved in the 'Bring Back Our Girls' campaign in 2014 after school girls were kidnapped from a secondary school in Northeast Nigeria to demand the release of the girls.

NKIRU MORDI ITORO EZE ANABA

Kiki Mordi, as she is popularly known, is an investigative journalist known for the BBC Africa Eye programme, Sex for Grades documentary which amplified the voices of victims of sexual assault in tertiary institutions. This led the authorities to review the sexual harassment policy and put effective strategies in place to prevent future occurrences.

“It’s difficult to talk about sexual abuse without shading tears.

Sometimes, when survivors share their stories with us, we take a minute or two to just cry and then continue listening.”

Itoro Eze Anaba has contributed greatly towards ending domestic & sexual violence against women and children.

She is also promoting women’s participation in governance and decision-making.

THERESA KACHINDAMOTO “I have terminated 840 marriages and all of them have gone back to school and for that I am happy.”

Locally known as 'The Terminator', Theresa who is a senior chief of Dedza district of Malawi has fought for the well-being of young girls and women in Malawi. She has annulled over 800 child marriages and sent hundreds of young women back to school.

She made strides to abolish cleansing rituals that required girls as young as sevenyears-old to go to sexual initiation camps. She successfully made her sub-chiefs sign an agreement to end child marriages and also convinced community leaders to ban early marriages.

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THEWILL THEWILLDOWNTOWN DOWNTOWN• •www.thewilldowntown.com www.thewilldowntown.com

VOL 22 NO.13 NO.13 •• MARCH MARCH 27 27 -- APRIL APRIL 02, 02, 2022 2022 VOL

FASHION

BY BOLUWATIFE ADESINA Movie Review:

Scan this with your camera to access the playlist (Apple Music)

TURNING RED

As was prophesied at the very end of 2015’s Inside Out, Pixar has ventured into the wilds of puberty. This makes a certain timeline sense, as many of the kids weaned on early wonderments from the studio—like Toy Story, which was released nearly 27 years ago—are now adults with kids of their own and might be worried about how to handle that most harrowing of youthful transitions, this time from the grownup side of things.

To allay some of that parental anxiety, or at least package it in something familiar, the new film Turning Red—written by Domee Shi and Julia Cho, and directed by Shi—situates itself in cozy nostalgia. The film takes place in Toronto in 2002, at a time when the world was mad for boy bands and Tamagotchis, while cellphones and the Internet crept closer (ominously or not) toward world-domination.

The children of today may not connect with much out of the film’s recent-period trappings. But the adults will, and they must be considered too.

That is the main thematic thrust of Turning Red: the vexing disconnect, and necessary compromises, between adolescent and parent, teens running headlong into the world while their folks at home grasp for them and try to yank them back. No matter how strict or hovering the parent, the forces of time cannot be stopped. The hormones, the moody willfulness, the casual forsaking of home for the possibilities beyond will come to bear eventually—parents, really, can only ready themselves for that inevitability.

The body stuff of puberty is most obviously made metaphor in the film. Newly 13, middle-schooler Mei (Rosalie Chiang) is having some epiphanies. It’s not just the faraway idols of her favorite boy band, 4*Town, whom she’s gaga over; there are boys right there in her actual life who, quite suddenly, seem awfully interesting, too.

Mei’s passions are running high—for music, for friends, for guys with cute hair—when she awakes one morning in the form of a giant red panda. Real puberty is, of course, a bit more gradual than that. But at the time, it can feel just as total and out-of-nowhere as Mei’s

PAGE 16

overnight metamorphosis. What has she become? And is it something to be ashamed of?

That is plenty enough for one movie to grapple with. But Turning Red layers the riot of Mei’s physical being with a tricky, and familiar, emotional tension. As is the wont of teenagers, Mei is having some trouble with her mom, Ming (Sandra Oh), a traditionalist who expects academic rigor and family obligation to take precedence over all else in her daughter’s life. The women in Ming’s family find themselves, around the time of puberty, turning into red pandas when they get a bit too excited. But that can be controlled, even eradicated, by some sort of spell done under a red moon. Mei will have her wildness tempered, just as her mother did—and perhaps as all young women are told they should before things get out of hand and a reputation, or worse, is ruined.

Turning Red eschews the wistful murmur of many past Pixar films in favor of antic energy.

It’s a loud film, maybe to best reflect the noisy fireworks of the teenage mind. One longs for a lighter touch here and there, though.

The film manages a handful of poignant scenes, but then too quickly, too eagerly goes bouncing off before the moment has really sunk in. I suppose that hastiness is another analogy for the mercurial flash of a young person scrambling into self-realization. But even the most amped-up of kids slows down once in a while.

Beyond making a pandering appeal to the Millennials in the audience, it’s not clear why the film is set 20 years ago. With that choice, the filmmakers conveniently sidestep having any dialogue about the specific pitfalls of contemporary teenage life. Maybe they trusted that Turning Red’s messages are universal enough that a tackling of TikTok was unnecessary. I hope kids do feel spoken to by the film, but the closeness of its time period— and yet, what a distance—could, oddly, prove more alienating than a movie set hundreds of years ago.

Though, I suspect tweens and teens are not the real targets anyway. The film often seems squarely, deliberately, aimed at their parents instead, offering them a gentle (if busy) reminder that they were young once too, once bursting at the seams with enthusiasm and curiosity.

Guide your children as well as you can, Turning Red advises. But also take care, and pains, to recognize that they are emergent people unto themselves, entitled to make mistakes of their own, to pursue their nascent desires and interests, to leave some things— many things, even—secret and hidden from your field of vision. That’s a worthy sentiment, no matter the decade. And anyway, what’s old is new again, as ever: Mei may have her 4*Town, but millions of kids now have BTS. So, maybe let them go to the concert and scream their heart out. And then, perhaps, have the particularly uncomfortable talk that Pixar, for all its clever allegory, is never going to have for you.

Now streaming on Disney+ Rating 8/10

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Playlist for the week

Yard - Poco lee, Black Sherrif

Cant Call it - Mackgee, Quincy

Sungba- Asake

With You-Kaid

Watch of the Week Top Boy Season 2 Relative to all that’s gone down before, things are calm when we return to Summerhouse for the new season of Top Boy. Jamie (Michael Ward), the young drug gang leader who spent most of the last season locked in a fraught battle for supremacy of the fictional east London estate, has just been released from prison. Dushane (Ashley Walters), the steely-eyed, long-time linchpin of the area — whose Machiavellian scheme put Jamie behind bars — is pleased with how the lack of local competition has led to both booming business and “not one murder in the ends” over the last six months. He even has plans to leave a life of crime behind, and “go legit” within a year.

It’s no spoiler to reveal that things don’t pan out like that; season four (or season two, if you’re counting from when Netflix rebooted it) is not a story about Dushane’s run for London Mayor. Top Boy has always been a show about the tangled web — crime, masculinity, poverty, violence, loyalty, power — and how, once you get caught up in it all, it’s more or less impossible to wriggle free. And so this new season goes, focusing on Dushane’s efforts to secure his empire while bringing multiple plot lines together in a gathering storm of fear and fury, pain and paranoia.

The scope has widened slightly, at least in a geographical sense, with the drama now spilling over into Spain and Morocco, as well as London. Largely, though, things are still sharply focused on societal ills in the English capital. The scourge of drug violence is never too far away, but significant time is also dedicated to the cruelty of a billion-pound redevelopment

of Summerhouse, the bosses of which embark on a campaign of intimidation to force out existing residents.

Mental health, domestic abuse, and racism all rear their heads, too.

Like its predecessors, then, this new season feels scathingly real. Much of that is thanks to the continuing involvement of the original creative team — the same people who helped the original Top Boy, which first aired on Channel 4 in 2011, finds its place among the vanguard of British TV and film, intent on telling stories previously ignored by the mainstream. Ronan Bennett, the show’s creator and chief writer, once again delivers scripts that match severity with sensitivity. His characters, as fierce as they are fallible, dredge deeper than the one-note anti-heroes we’re sometimes given in these kinds of dramas.

And his cast lives up to the writing. Kane Robinson, otherwise known as the grime pioneer Kano, is a renewed marvel as Sully, Dushane’s on-and-off business partner, caught between crime and redemption. His eyes, deep as wells, constantly look as if they’re about to overflow with rage, regret, or both. He’s

Baddest Boy Remix- Davido

Yard- Goldlink

the best character on the show, a man whose flickers of humanity spark against a rough exterior, and Robinson plays him to perfection.

In fact, there are stand-outs all over the ensemble. Walters is as good as we’ve come to expect, and Simbi Ajikawo, the BRIT Awardwinning rapper Little Simz, proves again just how accomplished she is as an actor. But there’s also Jolade Obasola, understatedly devastating as a worried mother; newcomer Conya Toccara, who shines as Tia, a wayward but stoic teen guardian; and Howard Charles, freshly cast for this season, who arrives as a supremely menacing new villain, Curtis.

There are plenty of tensioncranking cliffhangers, power-play plot twists, and highly strung set pieces — one scene, in which a character tries to escape the clutches of another, is about as heart-in-mouth as it gets — but some aspects are slightly predictable. After all, this is basically the same story as all the other seasons. Maybe that’s the point. Trouble arrives on the horizon and, with a sense of helplessness, we watch the characters (especially the young ones) get drawn in. These paths into wrongdoing are depressingly well-worn, and the indirect criticisms of the broken system that allows those cycles to repeat are many.

It’s all bleak, but it’s also riveting.

By the eighth and final episode, things reach breaking point. The ending — and what an ending it is — suggests another season could be in the offing. You’d be surprised if it wasn’t. Top Boy tells painful stories, but ones that need to be told.