Joke Silva

Nigerian actress, director and producer Joke Silva stands proud as one of the icons in the entertainment industry for her remarkable contributions, especially in acting. Born in 1961, she started acting in 1981 on stage and television series. She obtained a Diploma in Performing Arts from the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Arts in London and later on a degree in English from the University of Lagos.

With over 50 movies to her credit, Joke has acted in far more stage plays. She has received several awards and nominations for her work as an actress including the awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the African Movie Academy Awards in 2006, and Best Actress in a Supporting Role at the African Movie Academy Awards in 2008. Some of her recent movies include “White Waters”, “Phone Swap” and “The Amazing Grace”. In this exclusive interview, she chats with BellaNaija’s Adeola Adeyemo about her career, family, marriage and more.

As one of the most loved actresses in Nigeria with an impressive reputation in her over three decade-long career, I was so pleased to make contact with Joke Silva a few weeks ago and she happily obliged to an interview. “She travels to Ilorin every week,” her Personal Assistant later told me when we were trying to fix a date, but despite her busy schedule, she found time for a chat. My interview with her is one that left me feeling like I had gone through some kind of life school in just one hour. She shared from her wealth of knowledge, experiences and advice. I learnt a lot from her and I hope you do too.