This dark skinned, big framed and beautiful actress was named Moji Oyetayo at birth, but only a handful of people are aware of this as the name of the character she plays in popular television drama series, Papa Ajasco, has stuck to her. In this interview, Mama Ajasco, an English graduate and mother of one, tells WOLE ADEPOJU, about her career, her disposition to marriage and why she’s proud to be a plus-size lady. Excerpts:
You do other jobs aside from your role in Papa Ajasco. How do you manage it all?
Luckily for me my being Mama Ajasco has not affected my recordings, because at Wale Adenuga Production, we do bulk shooting in the first season, bulk shooting in the second season and so when I’m through, I have the time to move from one location to the other or do whatever I want to do.
It’s a fallacy that men do not like plus-size women. It’s the biggest fallacy the white man is trying sell to us. An African man is attracted to curves. Don’t be deceived. I am an African woman. Do you know how many people talk to me on a daily basis, even when I am in my car? Honestly, that is a big fallacy. It does not work
Romance roles sometimes elicit controversy. Would you consider taking up such a role?
I am a professional to the core and I do not have sentiment, when it comes to my profession. Despite the fact that I am an African and I know that an African mind expects that you can’t go nude, you cannot have sex on the set of the movie and all of that, I understand my limitations as an African woman, but I also respect my professional side, which means if I get a script that says I should go out of my usual cloth, I will take it and act it professionally well. I shot a job in Calabar sometimes ago. It was a horror movie, but my part was the sex relief part. It was a situation where the governor’s daughter was kidnapped and there was catastrophe in the land and there was a monster killing them in the village and all that. My own part was being the governor’s girlfriend, and the governor felt, in the heat of the problem, he needed to relax, which is a normal practical human being’s attitude and they brought this voluminous, gorgeous girl, which was me. So, I had to start massaging him, give him a head. I had to strip tease, which means I had to take away a little bit of my cloth, and I did this flawlessly. I do not intend to go nude because I am an African woman and I am proud of my curves. I have dignity, which means we should always learn to cover our body. So, I wouldn’t go nude on TV; but I can act anything. You can actually be seen and not be seen. It’s a mental picture.
You are proud of your stature. What is your experience as regards the view that plus-size ladies attract small percentage of men?
It’s a fallacy that men do not like plus-size women. It’s the biggest fallacy the white man is trying sell to us. An African man is attracted to curves. Don’t be deceived. I am an African woman. Do you know how many people talk to me on a daily basis, even when I am in my car? Honestly, that is a big fallacy. It does not work. An African woman is sexy and an African man loves to see curves and hold curves in his bed. So, why would you tell me an African man does not like plus-size women? It is a lie.
What is your take on claims that ladies of today want to remain single when they are comfortable and have just one or two kids?
I will not say that what you said is not true; once we ladies have kids these days, we are just fine. That does not mean we are trying to use the men as the baby factory. The truth of the matter is that when you look at the rate at which marriages are collapsing, you are not really excited to want to run into it. I don’t believe you should not be able to stay under a man, because you have a child or you want to remain in your comfort zone. I intend to marry again, I will marry again officially and I will stay in marriage till death do us part.
Have you had any unpleasant experience as a plus-size lady?
Yes, I experience all sorts. Number one is when I park and I come down to cross the road to the other side or something; can’t a woman walk without attracting attention? I can’t boldly walk without attracting attention and it kills me. If you ask me to go along with you to that boutique opposite, I won’t because I know what will happen. Some stare with glee, some with lust, admiration and the rest. So, you won’t find me walk on the street of Lagos. If my car is not good, I stay at home or call a cab man or a friend. Two, these banks they have this stupid entrance or whatever. It always disgraces themselves (hearty laughter) when I enter into it. It begins to say all sorts of things. It’s only the one at my bank, GTB, that does not do that rubbish. I am not trying to sell them o, but that of Fidelity Bank, especially, when I enter, it begins to say “only one person at a time”. And I would ask myself, ‘how many we dey?’ And of course, it’s loud when it says it and everyone can hear and they start laughing. Because I am a comedy person, I would also be saying ‘how many of us you dey see, open make I pass.’ I would just make fun of the scenario, but it’s really
killing.
What are the plus and minus of playing the role of Mama Ajasco?
The plus is that I get to many places and people recognise me and, of course, it places you on a higher pedestal. Producers deal with me with respect because they believe you have a name and you are good. It’s been good for me because it makes it easier for me to penetrate the industry. So, it opens doors for me and make me relate with people without restriction. Does it have a minus? The only minus there is that people see me and expect to see an Agbalagba (an elderly person).
That’s all.
What aspiration do you have, but which you have yet to achieve?
I have just one aspiration and that is to have my own talk show, and each day I get closer to my dream.
Don’t you think talk shows are becoming proliferated?
I thank the Lord it’s being dabbled into, but the fact that everybody is going into acting does not make everyone an excellent actor. I want to tell you, there are talk shows you will watch and you would not want to go and there are some you watch and you will never be caught watching
it again. In my case, I know what I am up to. For instance, there are a lot of talk shows in America but Oprah is
Oprah.
