7 Wonder Women Awards 2025: Isabella Adediji – Winner, The Business of Culture - video Dailymotion

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Watch 7 Wonder Women Awards 2025: Isabella Adediji – Winner, The Business of Culture - Guardian Nigeria on Dailymotion

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00:00Good morning Isabella. Good morning Nijoman. Thank you for joining us at the Guardian Head

00:06Office and right here we're at the Guardian TV Studios. Thank you so much also for being

00:12the recipient of the seven wonder women awards and investing in women initiative you know

00:18celebrating women who have made the mark in what in their various fields and for us here

00:25we see that in the business of culture you are one woman who has stood out for us and that's why we

00:32have given you this award right so we'd like to have your thoughts about the awards. First of all

00:41thank you so much it's my first time being here at the Guardian TV Studios and I'm really excited to

00:48be receiving this award it's truly an honor because a lot of times you think nobody is watching

00:55and you're just in your own little corner having left my job about 10 years ago almost 10 years ago

01:03it's been a lonely journey being an entrepreneur and you're not quite sure what you're doing and

01:09you're trying different things out so one minute I'm hosting and producing Africana Literati promoting

01:16African literature the next minute I'm trying my hands out at the movie boss show asking questions

01:22around different fans in Nollywood and just trying my hands at different things that you're thinking

01:29who sent me work literally and to see that somehow you know it's being rewarded someone is looking

01:37I mean I first of all have to give props to Guardian newspaper because throughout my journey Guardian

01:44has stood by me as a woman as a young person whenever I had a new show out Guardian always supported

01:52me with media and this is just like coming back home for me if you ask me because it's it's a full

02:00circle moment and I'm really grateful to the management for the stellar work they are doing

02:05my gratitude also goes out to Anita Ibru for setting this up I mean last year I was one of the emcees

02:13at the festival and I learned so much I was exposed to different women who had excelled in their fields

02:20and a lot of times we don't get enough media mileage but great work here doing Nijoma with Guardian Woman

02:27and just to see week in week out the kind of success that women are achieving despite all the challenges

02:36that we face so this came as a surprise I won't lie I think the nomination list was quite vast and I kept saying

02:43there's no way I was going to win because I mean some of my mentors were on the list people that I look

02:49up to so having won it I'm really humbled that people not only recognize my work but went a step

02:57further to vote for me I'm not the most popular person on social media and to see this was a huge

03:03surprise I'm I'm really grateful for this platform and I'm grateful to everyone who has believed in me

03:10um has supported me I'm still figuring it out as you can imagine but this is just the encouragement

03:16I need that I should keep going and you know we'll be 10 years next year that's Yellow Tamarine

03:23Productions and I can't wait for what the next 10 years will hold absolutely thank you so much

03:30we're quite honored so we like to also know um in in your field of course arts entertainment you know

03:39more women play in that field and just like you said even on on that um on the list you even found

03:46your mentors that shows you how much you know more women are in it how well do you think that women are

03:52you know are showing up and are doing their best you know especially in your field to be able to give

03:59themselves the kind of recognition that they need or that they deserve that's a very good question

04:05Nijoma because for the longest time I've also suffered from this and I think I speak for a lot

04:10of women because society expects you to keep quiet women are to be seen not heard so if a man comes out

04:18and says I did this I did that it's okay but as a woman I'll be like no one is too much now you the first

04:23person too and a lot of times women are doing amazing work in entertainment in media in culture

04:31in lifestyle but the culture makes us keep quiet and not own it with our full chest so having an

04:38award like this I think it sends a signal that you know what it's okay as a woman to own your success

04:44to own your journey to own your mistakes and to be proud of yourself so I'm really glad that you know

04:51more women are telling their stories platforms like guardian woman allow women to tell their stories

04:56and they are not keeping quiet again because women have been doing so much but they don't always get

05:03credit sometimes there's a team and it's the person that is the loudest most times it's that man that is

05:09okay you know bragging but the woman will just you know go back in the corner and be like it's a

05:14it's a team effort meanwhile the woman is probably doing all the work and let's not forget about the

05:21different things we face as women whether you're a single woman a married woman um you're separated

05:27you're divorced at some point the woman is expected to be a caregiver so whether they are taking care of

05:33children or relatives and being able to still do that have a life and excel I think that's something

05:40that we should be celebrating all the time you nailed it absolutely absolutely so just in in rounding up

05:47to support you to do you know do differently and you know what more should you expect from

05:53the Isabella Adetiji brand wow I think this award is encouragement to do more I've pushed myself you

06:04know starting off leaving my job a nine-to-five job in corporate communications where funny enough I used

06:11to deal with the media I used to do media relations and now I've moved to the media so sometimes I'm on TV

06:17I'm on radio I'm on the field sometimes I'm producing content that shows Africa so it's literature

06:24it's books it's film and other times I'm with the mic so I'm an emcee I'm also an alaga which is a

06:31traditional wedding compare alaga sisibela alaga lo ibo alaga to law Cambridge and people are always

06:37surprised because I studied education with English and drama at the University of Cambridge so when people

06:42hear oh you left your job to now become an alaga to be an emcee to produce content to be in the media

06:48they're always surprised and I won't lie sometimes I ask myself who sent me message but I feel like

06:54looking back at the past 10 years it's just been it's been a roller coaster ride there are some times

07:04that I've failed but I've learned from my failures I've learned how to be better in the business of

07:09culture so not just doing the culture work but also seeing how you can make money because there's

07:14an entire economy around culture and I think the next 10 years I definitely want to push myself

07:21to go into telling our stories on a global platform I already do that through journalism through my TV

07:28and radio shows but I think I want to go into film I want to go into series of course I'll continue to

07:32hosting events I'll continue doing the alaga work and really I always have something that I get up to

07:40I like teaching too so I and I feel like more women need to give back whether it's through mentorship or

07:46you know honoring invitations like this to speak and share our stories because you never know that

07:51little girl is watching or that young woman or it could even be an older woman who has you know

07:57forgotten her dreams because of raising a family or just doing other things to put money on the table

08:04and this says you know what if she can do it I too can do it so I'm really honored I feel like I'm the

08:09youngest person to have been awarded and it just shows that age is a number it should not stop you

08:16and your community will show up for you as I said I'm not popular on social media but somehow people

08:23came together for me and carried this thing on their head and they're like look we want you to

08:28win we believe in you and having this opportunity I think is just that next 10 years that you know

08:36bigger better bolder and to make women proud really thank you thank you so so much we appreciate you

08:44thank you for coming thank you for being here with us and speaking and we look forward to always

08:49spotlighting you and seeing all the bigger dreams that you have in the picture especially as it

08:54relates to women thank you so much we appreciate you thank you Joma

7 Wonder Women Awards 2025: Isabella Adediji – Winner, The Business of Culture

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