My eight years relationship inspired ‘This is not you’ – LGBT filmmaker, Ogara

Following the anti-LGBT+ rights bill signed into law by former Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan in 2014, potentially threatening queer existence in the nation, more LGBTQ+ creatives have continued to show up as best as they can, churning out content to remind the nation of their existence acknowledged or not.

One such queer creative is a Nigerian gay rights activist and lesbian filmmaker, Amara Ogara popularly known as ”Amara the Lesbian.”

In this interview with Tope Delano the budding queer filmmaker revealed her journey into the film world with her latest project and the first queer film ”This Is Not You, inspired by her romantic relationship, the film is centered around relationships and their many faces.

Amara also touched on the historical lack of queer representation in the entertainment scene and its impact on today’s political and social climate, some of the controversies surrounding the LGBTQ+ community, amongst other topics in this insightful interview.

This is your first attempt at filmmaking, what was the experience like?

It was an incredible experience. This whole journey has been filled with so much excitement, learning, and growth. The process of bringing a story to life through visual storytelling is an intense and heavy one but I can say that it has been so rewarding.

I had the opportunity to collaborate with a talented team of individuals some of whom are LGBTQ+ creators like myself. Together we reached into our shared passion for storytelling to create this film where we explore important themes and shed light on the experiences of marginalized communities in Nigeria.

Creating this film has been an incredible learning experience. It provided me with a newfound appreciation for art and a deeper understanding of the impact that films can have on individuals and society as a whole. I am grateful for the opportunity and look forward to continuing my journey as a filmmaker, exploring new stories, and making a positive impact through my work.

What inspired the film ”This is not you?”

I’ve been in a relationship for over 8 years now with a woman I met at university.

The year we met we were so young and foolish. We also didn’t have community or support from friends and family even though we weren’t in the closet. They knew about us but they didn’t know how to support us. In addition to all of that, my partner and I experienced a time when we triggered each other so much.

All our childhood wounds came alive and started living with us. We fought a lot that time. Raised our voices at each other and there were times we got violent with each other. It was extremely shameful I tell you. We both thought we were invincible, we thought nothing bad could happen because we knew how much we loved each other.

We knew it was our traumas making us clash so much but then something terrible happened. We learned the hard way that we weren’t invincible and actions come with possible consequences. But more importantly, we learned that we couldn’t do it alone. We needed help. We couldn’t love each other alone; we needed friends and family and therapy. We needed community and support.

It was a terrible time for us as an out and isolated lesbian couple and I knew that one day, I would tell stories that initiates conversations, challenge societal norms, and foster empathy and understanding. Stories that humanize the experiences of queer individuals, encourage viewers to reflect on their own biases and assumptions.

As a creative in Nigeria today, how important will you say LGBTQ+ representation in the entertainment industry in today’s political and social climate?

LGBTQ+ representation in the entertainment industry is of utmost importance today. It has the power to foster empathy amongst members of society.

It allows individuals from the community to see themselves reflected in the stories being told. It validates their identities, experiences, and challenges, promoting a sense of belonging and self-acceptance. Authentic representation also helps combat harmful stereotypes and misconceptions.

By creating diverse and authentic narratives, the industry can positively impact society and contribute to a more inclusive and equitable world.

Many across the globe believe that content churned out by queer creatives or allies is influencing kids, ”turning” them gay, what are your thoughts on this?

Teaching children about LGBTQ+ individuals would help foster inclusivity and acceptance from an early age. It would promote an understanding that diverse identities and experiences exist and they are all valid.

It would teach these kids to respect all humans from an early age, reducing the likelihood of prejudice, discrimination, and bullying. Think about it, we believe and respect what we have been taught since childhood. If you believe members of the LGBTQ+ communities are valid and deserve respect, why don’t you want to add their experiences and realities to the educational curriculum of young children the way we teach the realities of heterosexuality?

We are not asking you to tell your kids to be gay, no. We are asking that you teach your kids to respect gay people. Teach your kids that life is more than boy or girl so when they grow up and experience a non-binary person, they don’t disrespect them. Simple.

The film touched on a few issues experienced in relationships; including domestic abuse, to name a few…where do you stand on domestic abuse in particular…is it a work-on-it situation, or an immediate end to such a relationship, for you?

I’m almost done with my 20s, and a few things are never a work-on-it situation for me. Domestic violence is one of those things. Violence in general is a no for me now.

However, I have experienced violence in a relationship and I can say it’s a complex place to be in, it’s a place with more than one face. And there are so many layers to what happens in a space like that, especially in queer relationships.

It’s why this work is so important to me. It holds so much grace for people in places like that. This film attempts to show queer people who are in spaces like that, that there are ways out. Get out.

This film says get out, from the first day you step into that darkness, everybody turns back and gets out. Your childhood traumas are not your fault but do not stay in that mud, it’s dirty. Get out. And here’s what you need. Here’s how to get out. Here’s who to call. This is who we should be with. This is how we need each other. In a world as broken as ours, this is how we heal each other.

The nation’s law on homosexuality criminalizes the lives of gay and lesbian people, are you hopeful that your work can get through to the right people and make a difference?

Oh yes. My works are coming to my heart. At the end of the day, I’d like to believe that some of these lawmakers are mothers and fathers, uncles and Aunties, people with loved ones, and people with hearts.

I would like to believe that when they watch our laughter it might remind them of their daughters. When they see our pain, it would remind them that we are people too. We deserve to be protected. We deserve support from family, friends, and society in general.

What do you think happens to people who are cast out to the streets, to the side, to the outside? What do you think happens outside? When you disown your gay children and send them off into the streets, what do you think happens to kids on the streets?

And the ones who are empowered to have apartments and have relationships where they have no one to talk to when it’s heavy, what do you think happens to them? What kind of relationship do you think they would have?

We deserve to have relationships and be able to talk to our mothers about them. We deserve to cry to our mothers when our heart gets broken. We deserve to have family protection. Societal protection. Government protection. So yes, I do hope my works get through to the right people and some kind of change can come out from them.

Should we be expecting more projects from you?

Oh Yes. Expect more from Amara Ogara Films. Expect documentaries. Expect to see projects that will unite African LGBTQ+ creatives because who better to tell our stories than us?