eCREATIVE
immigrants. Omalu, played by actor Will
Smith, and Eke are both from the Igbo
(often pronounced “Ibo”) tribe in
southeastern Nigeria. Both men are
trailblazers in their own fields, Omalu in
medicine, Eke in cinema
Eke believes filmmakers have a
responsibility to portray all aspects of
black life. “We don’t want to compete
with African American films,” he said.
“We want to respect that.” However, he
admits to a certain frustration with the
lack of opportunities for African actors in
more of our own stories.”
Now filming in Dallas, Eke’s
latest film, The Stepchild, is a complex
story that addresses the Black Lives
Matter movement in the United
States. “Many of the victims of police
brutality come from broken homes,”
he said.
“Something is wrong with our
families. We have to look at how we
label and treat each other, and
respect ourselves. It’s easy to destroy
and fight. It’s more difficult to build.
Eke’s films are at
several U.S. Ivy
League universities
where future
generations will see
and study his work.
Hollywood’s films. Concussion will be
well-received in Nigeria, he noted,
because “it recognizes one of our own.
But why couldn’t ‘Nollywood’ tell that
story? A Nigerian actor playing [Dr.
Omalu’s] role would authenticate it even
more with a natural accent and Igbo
dialect in some scenes. We need to tell
We need to work in our own
communities and families at the same
time we are calling attention to the
injustice of police brutality.”
“Bad cops” do not represent
the majority of U.S. police officers
who are working to keep citizens safe