When she left a banking job in 2008 to enter the creative sector, she quickly discovered that her presence in the industry would be overshadowed by her husband’s long-standing reputation. Despite her work as a producer and strategist, she was often introduced simply as “his wife.” Fashugba didn’t like that. That constant erasure made one thing clear to her: women in the arts lacked recognition.
Determined to change that, she launched Women in the Arts in 2015 while working on the Lagos Theatre Festival. What began as a modest attempt to create space for candid conversations about women’s experiences soon grew into an annual forum for connection, networking, and empowerment. Today, it amplifies women’s voices and broadens the vision of what is possible, showing young women that their futures in the creative industry are not limited to the screen; they can be producers, curators, writers, and arts administrators, too.
Culture Custodian spoke to Fashugba about her journey as a founder and her new film incubator and accelerator program.
When you founded Women in the Arts 10 years ago, what was the original vision, and how has that evolved as you’ve witnessed changes in Nigeria’s creative landscape over the past decade?
I think Women in the Arts has grown, but it hasn’t shifted away from its core. From the beginning, the goal was to open up access and show women that there are multiple pathways in the sector. Over time, I’ve come to see that capacity alone isn’t enough. What truly matters is whether the work we do is valued, artistically and economically.
Thank God for the rise of Nollywood and Afrobeats, which have shown that the arts can create real wealth. But long before that, I understood that it wasn’t enough to just show up and “do the work.” Artists, especially women, needed to see that there are pathways to financial freedom and even wealth. That became my focus: what the sector calls market access. For me, that means making sure whatever you create can be sold and monetized.
So Women in the Arts has grown from being a space where women could vent frustrations and find solidarity into a platform that fuels creativity while building economic power. Our tagline now is exactly that: fueling creativity, building economic power.
You recently held a panel at NIFS discussing stereotypes and tropes in Nollywood. What were the key insights that emerged from that discussion, and what surprised you most about the audience’s response?
Well, I’ve been doing this for quite a while, so I wouldn’t say I had any surprises. I think I also wanted to shock them into reality, but from the panel conversation, there was one thing that I hadn’t really paid attention to, which was a realization that the number of box office hits, the films that do well, are about female stories, women’s stories. And from what I can see, it’s about 65% of the box office remuneration. For example, Everybody Loves Jenifa pulled in a billion naira. And it’s a story about a woman.
What are the most damaging stereotypes about women that Nollywood continues to perpetuate, and why do you think these tropes persist despite growing awareness?
The most damaging for me will be the gold digger. I’m not saying gold diggers don’t exist, but they’re not the majority. And yet, that stereotype keeps showing up on our screens. One of the rules of good storytelling is recognition; characters should feel real, drawn from people we actually know. When you watch a film, you should be able to say, “I know someone who talks like this, dresses like this, has this quirk.” But when it comes to women, too often the default character is the gold digger.
Think about it: Nigeria has over 200 million people, almost half of them women. Are we really saying 100 million women are gold diggers? Of course not. But the assumption sticks. The moment a young, beautiful, successful woman starts to rise, did she sleep her way to the top? Does she have a sugar daddy? Is there a man behind her success? Even proximity to a man is enough for people to dismiss her achievements. That’s why I think the gold digger stereotype is one of the most damaging. The higher a woman climbs, the louder the questions about who’s “sponsoring” her. It’s ridiculous, and it undermines hard-earned success.
Tell us about your new film incubator and accelerator program, FRAME. What specific gaps in the industry does this program address, and how will it practically amplify women’s voices in the media?
We’re recruiting participants, and we’re hopeful that as we continue, we’ll get more funding partners to help us realize the dream. The idea is that you come into the cohort and learn how to build characters properly, and also help you translate whatever you’ve created onto the screen. However, one of the gaps that has been noticed is that sometimes we receive really good scripts, and then directing them becomes a problem. Somehow, everything gets lost in that translation. So the incubator is going to support correcting that, helping women find the highest level of quality education that we can afford in this framework. Because, of course, it’s not a formal school, but hopefully, with the help of industry experts locally and internationally, they’re able to develop the skills to tell the stories properly and to also translate it onto the screen.
How will FRAME select participants, and what kind of mentorship, funding, or resources will you provide to ensure these women filmmakers can successfully bring their stories to screen?
Our selection process is primarily centered on the strength and originality of the story ideas that applicants bring forward, as well as their ability to develop these ideas into compelling narratives. While this inaugural edition focuses on women filmmakers, our main goal is to ensure the quality and impact of the work that comes through the program.
Participants will gain access to mentorship from established industry writers and professionals along with training in technical skills such as script development and storytelling for a global audience from a local perspective. We’re especially excited about creating opportunities for participants to pitch their stories to potential partners and investors.
In terms of resources, we’re actively raising funds to support the program. Selected participants will be eligible for development grants and production support, with a particular focus on television content as our initial output. We believe television remains an underexplored but powerful medium in our market, and through FRAME, we hope to revive its potential.
Beyond funding and opportunities, what are the deeper systemic barriers that prevent women from advancing in Nigeria’s film and arts industries? How does Women in the Arts address these structural challenges?
One of the biggest barriers is mindset. Despite a few success stories, there’s no clear pipeline for women to enter or advance in film; many don’t know the available career paths or how to turn their content into something sustainable. Years of conditioning also mean women are still written as stereotypes rather than full human beings.
Women in the Arts addresses this by creating clear entry points, offering mentorship and training, and supporting the development of complex, liberating stories that can shift mindsets and transform how women are represented in Nigeria’s film and arts industries.
Looking ahead to the next decade, what legacy do you hope to leave in Nigeria’s creative industries?
Wow, that’s a serious question. Over the next decade, my hope is to empower at least 50,000 women in Nigeria’s creative industries by creating opportunities, jobs, and sustainable livelihoods. But beyond the numbers, I want to build a strong cycle of women who mentor, sponsor, and support the next generation, so that this impact multiplies long after us. That, to me, would be the legacy.
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