A Tribe Called Judah: My debut cinema experience with Funke's box office hit

I heard my auntie and cousins speak very bad English and laugh about it. When I asked how they manage to speak it with a rehearsed perfection, they asked: 'Ah, you don't watch Jenifa's Dairy?'

Of course I did not, didn't know why I should, what did I care about Jenifa, who clearly was exciting them with bad English, English that my nephews and nieces will cringe at.

Jenifa, it turned out that I knew by face from Nollywood but she didn't rank anywhere close to the Genevieve Nnajis, Omotolas, Mercy Johnsons, Rita Dominics and Patience Ozorkwors that I grew up watching, add the evergreen Kate Henshaw.

Jenifa was Funke Akindele and when I watched an episode or is it read an episode of her diary from YouTube, I binged on it. I went to the first episode from her Ayietoro Town days through to arriving in Lagos, her saloon worker days through to saloon owner days - whiles brutalizing the English language.

Funke's story lines in Jenifa's diary were as diverse as were her talents; from social justice, love, immigration, social values and vices, striving for excellence, law, education, respect for parents, drug abuse, politics, marriage, corruption, deception and what have you.

I knew she had some other independent productions - in English and her native Yoruba. Then in recent times her box office cinema movies, from Omo Ghetto, the Saga; the Battle on Buka Street and "A Tribe Called Judah."

The latter, a brilliant piece of Nigeria storytelling marked my first time going to the cinema and boy oh boy, what a memorable way to break my cinema-going virginity. 

T'was at the Accra Mall's Silverbird Cinemas, larger than life images, surround sound system, tucked in the upper seats with my cinema friend - a mad head to boot, we had drinks and popcorn all set. 

Emotions overload from start to finish, from the lamentations of a mother, fixation of her five kids all with different fathers, the anguish of losing a life, desperation of a fraudster, twist and turns of fate, unbreakable cord between granny, mommy and boys; comfy displays of Ejiro's Confidence, plan and plot for a costume party and a planned raid turned bloody faceoff with criminals and the hype of a thug boss as a canoe with stolen dollars left an obscure lake front. 

The end.

I loved the day out, I would relive the experience and Funke with the box office smash hit, long before Jenifa's Diary, has shot up the rankings in my female Nollywood stars list.

Wooo, sooyaa weyrey ni? Yoruba for, 'ahhhhh, you dey craze? 

Abeg yes. Yes ooo, on top Funke matter, I dey craze. 

The end, this time, roll the credits.