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First Communion with My Sister: A Meeting with Oyafunmike Ogunlano

by: akosua ngozi

Every time we are able to commune with an elder member of our spiritual family, that meeting is blessed. I recently had the opportunity to speak with Oyafunmike Ogunlano, the actress known best as Mona/Shola in Haile Gerima’s early 1990’s film ‘Sankofa’, a film about an African woman in America who is called on a spiritual journey to recover her true African identity. Oyafunmike greeted me with warm energy and taught me lessons on life, learning, and love in the hour or so in which we spoke. Mostly she talked about returning to our culture in order to move forward in the future- the true meaning of the Akan concept of sankofa..

It is a regular Wednesday evening for Sister Oyafunmike, and she is open and welcoming as I introduce myself to question her about the film that changed her life and the lives of all who have seen it. There is no awkward silence or nervous energy between us upon this initial meeting; we are like two sisters coming together after a long break. Or better, she is my wise teacher and I, the eager student in pursuit of knowledge for an understanding of this world. My fingers do not seem to move fast enough as I attempt to put to paper the stream of powerful words she has to share.

“[My character] Shola was deep,” she says, sounds of laughter playing in the background of her voice as if in recalling Shola’s depths, an ancient message, meant only for her to understand, comes forth. I think back to the film and nod my head in affirmation, “What do you like most about her?”

No hesitation, “Oh, her transformation that she got to kill the white man- that she finally got the courage”

Courage- something we end up speaking a long time about in unspecified ways. What it means to have to the courage to move from one three-line part in a little-known filmmaker’s script to becoming the central character of what is now a cultural classic. Courage to begin a production company of one’s own and defy the face of an industry that is afraid to see truth radiating from African black skin; courage to embrace a true destiny.

“I had a destiny reading in 1975 and I was told that I would bring people back to Africa by the millions. I was like, who- me? But now it’s happening and I’m sitting here watching my destiny unfold.” As she acknowledges the reality of what her life continues to do, I let my mind rest for a moment and ponder what it must be like to be a Yoruba priestess living in New York City, a cast member of various plays focused on African spirituality, a once member of the college lecture circuit, and an actress who has embodied the energy of a woman who lives in each of us. This sister’s life is charmed, I think to myself, she is fulfilling her purpose every day.

For although it took almost a decade to put the film together, Gerima’s ‘Sankofa’ is critically acclaimed as a wonder in the film world. More specifically it is a hit among African-directed productions for actualizing complex issues of identity and waging war against European forces of destruction that have worked to demolish African peoples through time.

I ask Oyafunmike to tell me why she believes ‘Sankofa’ has been embraced this way in African communities around the world. Expecting an answer along the lines of “good script” or “excellent camera-work”, she blows me over with, “We put a lot of magic in it.” Point blank.

And Sister Oyafunmike, daughter of the wind, goes on to tell me about African people old as Mama Earth who inspired her throughout the making of the film. She takes me on a journey through time and space, introducing me to the priests and priestesses who rubbed protection on her head when she thought she could not enter the slave castles in Ghana to film scenes again. She terms the month on location in Jamaica as “guerrilla filmmaking” in one hundred plus degree weather: no bathrooms, no shoes. All points to show that there was a certain kind of raw energy that made the piece come alive. “I didn’t care about the money and all that then, I just wanted to be in the film, you know?”

As she speaks I begin to see the film materialize. Go back, go back... The wings of my memory open up like a bird before my birth and with her guidance, my newfound elder sister leads me to a place where we have met before, beyond the week day, beyond the movie, beyond the moment of right now.

Silence...

“What is your vision for African people around the world?” I ask as we return to present time.

“That we wake up and start loving ourselves,” she says. “We are a damaged people. Genocide is alive and well and we want to hip-hop and la-tee-da through life while they got it down to a science...they got us killing each other now; that’s genocide at it’s best. We need to wake up and smell the coffee.”

I give a low mmhmm in agreement. “What does sankofa mean to you?”

“That we must go back in order to move forward. They would like to have us think that we’re a tree without roots. They tried to tell us we were nothing; if you believe that then you are nothing.” She takes a minute to collect her thoughts, then she takes me back to courage. “We need to go back to our culture. Culture is healing. Culture gives you a power that otherwise you’d be powerless without”. We need to have the courage to make that journey back to our culture and back to true selves.

This is the meaning of sankofa, the spirit behind Oyafunmike Ogunlano, the woman she plays on screen, and the spirit behind the film. Return and learn so we may move forward and earn. It is really just as simple and as powerful as that.