by Francesca Uriri

The distinctive, warm voice of Wana Udobang is one many radio listeners are familiar with. But beyond being an On-Air Personality, she is completely focused on living her purpose and fulfilling her dreams. As the Leading Lady Africa for the week, Wana talks radio, arts, culture and how to be your most authentic self. Be inspired!

 

Everyone who listens to Inspiration FM knows you. Why WanaWana, why not just Wana?

I started off with Wana. I think it was one day my colleague Heavy man said WanaWana and then for some reason everyone started calling me by that name. It actually took me a while to get used to but eventually I realised I might at well get used to it. Plus it does kinda have ring to it. Lol!

 I’m not going to ask if you’re a feminist; I know you are. My question is: do you think the issues that feminism address; are the same in, for example, Nigeria and Norway?

I think ultimately they seek to address the same issues which is fundamentally ‘Inequality’ but I think we all have culturally specific issues so the means it devices in solving those issues will differ both in methodology and execution. Plus the priorities will be different as well for different cultures and countries. But I think that ultimately it’s about creating a fairer and somewhat more balanced world that gives women as much access to opportunities.

Recently on your Instagram page, you shared how tough it was for you to see yourself through school and start off your career. Tell us about that?

 

Well so I don’t sound like i am sensationalising it, I call it the jand hustle. I was working long hours and going to school at the same time.  I think at some point in the supermarket where I worked, the manager said I was taking all the overtime so I had to leave a bit for my other colleagues.

 

The not so great part is that you become responsible a little too quickly so you don’t get as much time to just be a young person. So you feel a little envious of your friends who can go out shopping, traveling or clubbing when they wish, because they get an allowance from their parents and if they work, that’s just extra disposable income and your wages are going towards tuition and rent. The good thing about it though is that I am fiercely independent and as my mother always puts it, however far you throw me into the water I will swim. But I have to constantly remind myself that its okay to live a little.

As with my career, I think I have been pretty lucky. Even when I did other kinds of work after school, I always had freelance media gigs and that was because I did a lot of internships. Honestly though, when I think about it now none of it is a unique experience to me. Lots of people experienced the same.

 You now anchor the hugely popular ‘Sharing Life Issues’ on Inspiration FM, how has hosting the show impacted you?

It’s been a huge learning and eye opening experience. But mostly in terms of how secretive and silent we are about situations and the kinds of destruction it has caused to the lives of not just people themselves, but also families. I realise that I take the fact that I and my own circle are comfortable with being open and vulnerable, that we sometimes take that fact for granted. We also take for granted the little knowledge we have been lucky to acquire  presuming that everyone else is that fortunate.

The show also makes me realise how insignificant I am in the grand scheme of things but it has been a great push to know that you still have a lot more work to do in terms of contributing your own quota to the planet.

How did you get on radio? There is always the assumption that people who came “from the abroad” had an easier chance, would you agree?

Well I studied journalism and my majors were radio broadcast and production and I did minors in print features and photo journalism. I worked as a programme content producer, documentary radio producer and features producer as well. I did quite a lot of podcasting on the internet and I interned at Rhythm 93.7 in 2007 which was my baptism into how radio worked here in Nigeria; but especially it was my entry into personality style radio as most of my experience was producing factual radio content and documentary radio.

I am aware of the assumption and I do agree that there was a point where it seemed like a foreign degree made things a little easier but I don’t think it is the case anymore. Employers have gone beyond looking at paper. The truth is that employers also need people who are conversant with the consumption culture of the audience or consumers on ground so no one wants you to use your class room case study to run down their business  as that has happened a lot. One big mistake people make when moving to Nigeria is assuming that you know how to make things better forgetting that there have been  cultures and systems that have existed way before you and that are entrenched in that society.

So honestly I don’t think coming ‘From the abroad’ is that much of an advantage. When I started working at IFM, I was a co-host for quite some time on both drive time beats. So this for me was another two years or so of extra study, learning the audiances tastes, wants and needs. This also meant I had to learn how to integrate parts of my knowledge which was relevant into the work as opposed to being imposing. Truth is some of the work I was doing when I lived in England has no market here.

In a society that puts so much pressure on you to conform or to “bubble-gum” yourself up a bit, how do you manage to stay authentic and true to who you really are?

I think for me, I’m very in tune with my purpose and what it is I am here to do. So if anything isnt adding to that or pushing me closer to that purpose, then for me it is a bit of waste of my time. This isnt to say that im overly serious and I don’t have any fun. I often tell my friends that if an activity isnt adding to my life or work, then I should genuinly be having fun and having an awesome time or sleeping.

I’m also really terrible at faking it. I think life is too short to pretend because that is what is cool. I’m someone that advocates for diversity as I think its just boring when everyone is doing the same things. Most importantly though, in my own experience, I find that you really connect with people when you are your most authentic self. It’s that thing about the kind of energy you give out coming back to you. I genuinely believe that.

Let’s talk about the Words and Inspirations Series – from Love Is, to Tales From a Dark Planet, to Not For Sale, you use spoken word to address important and sometimes, difficult topics. How are you able to express yourself in this way?

It’s not something I think conciously about. Poetry for me started as a means of catharsis from dealing with things in my own life. I honestly didn’t think it would be something that other people would connect with in that kind of way. What I like about poetry is that I can arrange the words the way I want it; it’s just the story I want to share or the subject I want to talk about. Then you can also just take what it is you want from it. I almost feel like I have no obligation with poetry. Its possibly the medium where I find the most freedom so I am just able to do what I want. Maybe that is because there are different devices to play with.

Name 3 women you admire and why?

Oh gosh, soo many women. My mother just because of her strength and her openness. I feel like she really isnt ashamed of anything even if she can be melodramatic but I think she is quite funny as a person.

Professionally I’m really inspired by Issa Rae. I follow her youtube channel and I love how she has just created her own universe.

I’m also very inspired by Queen Latifah because of her interdisciplinary approach to her work. Being a rapper, a pretty awesome jazz singer, actor, producer, and now a talk show host. Just that idea of living a life of possibility and a life without boarders is very motivating.

but honestly im always inspired by any woman that is open, honest and constantly seeking to push against the grain.

Your friendship with Glory Edozien is widely celebrated and admired. Do you think women can truly be supportive of one another, and help each other grow?

Absolutely. I feel like I am a product of supportive women. Or maybe I have always been very lucky. My female friends are my biggest cheerleaders and vice versa. You really can’t go far on your own. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, when you realise you’re here for a particular purpose and you find that path, then you know you aren’t in competition with anyone. You realise you need as much support to make a bigger impact or for the desired transformation to happen. Humanity is interconnected, nothing exists in its own orbit.  I also think that we need to learn to manage expectations. I say this because support means different things to different people. So for instance someone may not take out their savings for you to kick off your business but they could give you their time, their counsel, their contacts or other resources. Some people are just in the side-lines cheering you on. I think it all counts as support. Everyones contribution is vital to the survival of your eco system. Its very easy to place this burden of expectations on to other women and that’s when you start feeling like no one is in your corner. Sometimes a simple ‘well done’ or ‘I’m proud of what you are doing’ is all the support you need.

 You are a connoisseur of arts; the culture, the events, and the expression – what

does all of it mean to you?

Oh my goodness, if you follow me on instagram you would know my recurring hashtag is #artistlife. All forms of expression for me is simply freedom. I found my own freedom and healing through art and expression so it is deeply personal to me. So it is probably why I go above and beyond to promote culture and the arts. I tell everyone that storytelling saved my life and being able to expore that in different mediums is always exciting to me.

At your core, you seem like a true artist – the one who sees, dreams and feels much more than the average person. How do you balance this in a world that sometimes seems so shallow?

(Now rolling on the floor and laughing hysterically) That’s so interesting because that’s what everyone says. I agree, I am always trying to hide my intense artist side and full nerd but it doesn’t quite work out.

 I think that we all have different sides of ourselves and I really don’t believe that you should allow anyone confine you to one thing. But I am as much a dreamer as I am a realist. So I think being a realist automatically gives me a sense of balance. I’m constantly thinking of how to make things work as opposed to dwelling on why they don’t work, how to engage with people and connect with them whether they are shallow so to speak, cerebral, wealthy, poor, or otherwise. I don’t like isolation or gangs.

 

I really believe you are robbing the world if you don’t share your gifts with them and I’m always frightened that the good Lord will take it away from me if I don’t use it well (cue in parable of the talents). But truth is that if you are a puritan like me, you get very frustrated very easily especially when you feel like you are in a system that doesn’t accommodate you or what it is you are trying to create. But I’m learning sometimes you have to push back, sometimes the pendulum eventually swings your way and sometimes you have to adapt. Adaptation is very important to me. It’s a constant challenge but a rewarding one.

Your latest short film, Shrink talks candidly about body issues women face, why did you decide to bring something so sensitive to light? And why did you choose to use yourself as the subject matter?

Shrink was a short story I had written about two years ago, submitted it to journals, entered it for competitions and nothing came out of that. I eventualluy sent it to brittlepaper.com where it was published and I just really felt very strong about the story and thought that i could do something more with it.

I really wasn’t intentional about the subject, infact I was quite scared as to how people would receive it because the world is not very sympathetic towards body image issues. It’s mostly categorised as such a shallow subject.

 Especially for us here, it is such a first world problem. For us bombs are going off, children are dying from malnutrition and then you want to show me a character who has eaten to their fill and now hates themselves. It’s like: “oh give me a break we have more serious issues to deal with!”

As for using myself, I didn’t think I would find any chubby actress willing to bare their bodies open or not wear makeup. Plus I couldn’t afford to pay anyone so I figured I was on my own. Lol!!

Earlier on in the year, you produced a short film called “Sensitive Skin,” tell us about that?

Sensitive skin is a documentary about my friend Glory and her ten year journey with the auto-immune skin disease psoriasis. I always say that it was as much about psoriasis as it was about the triumph of the human spirit.

You seem very sparky and full of energy; are there days when you are down in the dumps? And how do you get your spirits back up?

Haha! For a very long time, I had regular bouts with the dumps so I make it a point of duty to be happy. I just surround myself with clean and positive energy. I also learned to rewire my brain. Which means I learn to pick my battles, I cry when I need to as it is very cathertic, and then writing my thoughts down or creating something out of the experience is also very therapeutic. I also do a lot of meditating and reflecting because when im going through the blues as I like to call it, I need to be able to draw out the lessons from the experience. I genuinly believe that there is always something to learn plus there is always beauty that can come out of dark places. Being in the dumps for me is always time to re-access and recalibrate.

Words of advice for younger women who want to follow in your footsteps?

Work hard because no one owes you anything, be adaptable.

Don’t idealise the outcome.

Believe in yourself, be genuine and be your most authentic self.

Seek to create your own opportunities.

If something doesn’t work just let it marinade and be willing to re-access.

You have nothing to prove to anyone just constantly challenge yourself

Stay consistent

 A good attitude will take you very far.

And, finally … it always gets better.

 

The Leading Ladies Africa Series is a weekly interview series that focuses on women of African descent, showcases their experiences across all socio-economic sectors, highlights their personal and professional achievements and offers useful advice on how to make life more satisfying for women.

It is an off-shoot of Leading Ladies Africa; an initiative that seeks to effectively mentor and inspire women, with particular emphasis on the African continent.

Do you know any woman of African descent doing phenomenal things? Send an email to [email protected] and we just might feature her.