Women in the creative space have become a powerful driving force in pushing African culture across the globe. They have made their mark and become an unshakeable pillar in a landscape that has been largely male-dominated. Showing time and time again that whatever setbacks or obstacles they may encounter on the way, they have the talents, the gifts and the grit to push through, make a name for themselves and create a space for the women who will come after them. In celebration of International Women’s Week 2024, we are turning the spotlight on Kuukua Eshun, one of the most impactful filmmakers and directors in Africa today.
Kuukua Eshun is a Ghanaian-American multi award-winning filmmaker based between Ohio and her home Accra. Inspired by emotions and femininity, she continuously raises awareness about social issues and mental health through her writing and film. Her strong visual storytelling ability is carving out a new, honest space in African filmmaking.
In her films, Eshun makes use of elements of magical realism to thrust audiences into stories of home, belonging and womanhood. In 2020, her film Artist, Act of Love won the award at the Worldwide Women’s Films Festival for Best Visual Effect and nabbed 14 international award nominations. In 2021, she directed the music film for Wizkid’s Grammy-nominated album Made In Lagos Deluxe. The same year, her film Unveiling was commissioned by the ANO Institute of Arts & Knowledge and was first shown at the Museum. Ostwall in Dortmund, Germany. The documentary tells the true stories of women who have survived sexual assault. Her experimental film Born of the Earth, which premiered at the 2022 Biennale de Dakar, explores the connection between women of African descent, beauty standards and the earth.
Much of her work, within filmmaking and beyond, is suffused, if not explicitly, with empowerment and gender politics. She is the founder of ‘Filming as Woman,’ a women-led production company based in Ghana. In 2020, she collaborated with UNFPA Ghana to hold a healing session for young women who are survivors of sexual assault. She is also the co-founder of Skate Gal Club, an NGO which creates a safe space for women to skate in Ghana.
For iMullar, Frederick Adjavon caught up recently with Kuukua Eshun on what it means to be a woman in the creative space, the highs, the lows and what she believes the future holds for Women in the industry.
The following Q&A has been slightly edited for length and clarity.
What have been some of your proudest contributions to the creative space so far?
The fact that I own my own production company, as a woman who is black, young and African is a beautiful testimony and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to tell African stories. I run a woman-led production company based [in Ghana]. For a lot of my projects, well all my projects, I hire Ghanaians, sometimes handling between 50 to 150 people. So providing jobs for the Ghanaian community, seeing other young creatives being able to express their creativity, being able to bring people together, to show them that we can do it as creatives is a blessing. I’d like to say I’m honored to be an example of what being a young woman, ambitious, African creative and go-getter looks like.
Absolutely, and also showing up. Obviously in the creative space, there’s not a lot of young women doing what I’m doing. So, I think it’s important to have that representation and I’m grateful to be at the forefront of that alongside others who are doing the work and of course, those who have gone ahead of me to create the space I’m navigating at the moment..
Can you describe some of the lows you’ve had?
I’d say some low moments are definitely navigating a space that’s male-dominated and being able to find your footing. It’s like, okay, you are boss enough as a woman, but you’re also soft enough. Finding that balance between being a boss lady, creating space for others and extending grace to people. Being understanding, being patient, being gentle even when the men you work with sometimes look at you like you don’t know what you’re doing because you are a woman. There’s definitely been a lot of moments where I just felt I had to do more. I had to work hard. I had to show up as the boss every single second for me to be seen and for there to be space for me. I am grateful I am finally navigating the space better as I grow as a person.
I’ve said this before: “I am Young. I am Woman. I am Black. I am Boss and I’m here to stay.” Reminding myself of that every single day. It’s been difficult, but I think year after year, I am learning to navigate the complexities.
How have you been able to turn those low moments into highs?
Every time I get challenged, it definitely motivates me to do better, to show other young women that this can be done. It’s why I’ve gotten this far. I don’t want to give up. I believe that being a filmmaker is a calling for me. It’s very spiritual for me. It’s a calling that God has given me and I have a responsibility to continue to keep going and running with the baton because there’s so many other young women, who are behind me and are counting on me to continue the race.
Seeing so many people who are open and just excited about a young woman being a film director. Seeing the people that love my work, some of the clients I work with, people I have never met before all over the internet, all across Africa, Europe and America. Seeing the way that they appreciate the creativity and the hard work that I’ve been able to put in the last six, seven years. I think that’s my high moment. Seeing the impact I’ve made to the Ghanaian and African community in my own little way. It means a lot to me.
What was the creative space like for women when you first started?
When I first started, there were a lot of OG women who have gone ahead of me in film like Victoria Q-Nai, a legendary filmmaker and producer, Shirley Frimpong Manso, Leila Djansi, Maame Dokonoo – all these great women in film. But it was difficult because I didn’t really have people my age in the space and that was a challenge. I had to keep pushing. Instead of waiting for an example, I decided to become one.
What is it like now? How have things changed?
I think there’s a long way to go. We need a lot of improvement in our community but the fact that space has been made for someone like me, it’s already telling. There are so many young creatives, some of which are young women who are producers, stylists, makeup artists, fashion designers, production managers, production coordinators, and cinematographers. There are so many young people who are doing an incredible job of putting Africa on the map, continuously. I believe that slow progress is better than no progress. So although we have a long way to go, I’m so grateful that we are finally here as young African creatives and we are definitely showing people all across the continent and across the globe what we’re made of and what we have to offer. l’m grateful that space is being made for us as a young African creatives.
What do you believe a future holds for women in the creative space?
Honestly, I am super grateful for where we’re at right now. I believe that there’s no limit to what we can achieve. I am super excited to see all the opportunities and all the ways that we can grow as young creatives, as women, and as Africans. I say this all the time and I’m gonna say it again: there has never been a better time to be young, to be African, to be determined, to be talented, to be a woman, and to be a go-getter. I believe that more and more people are making space for us as women, and as creatives. There is respect and value. The need for us is being created every day. I also believe that we’re not waiting for people to invite us to the table, we are creating our own table, which is awesome. We are setting our standards. We are running our race and we’re changing the narrative by being in charge of what it means to be a woman African creative. I believe the future is beyond the limits of what it has been. It’s only gonna get better from here and I’m excited to be a part of that. We’re only scratching the surface right now.
What inspires you?
I believe so strongly that gifts and talents are a calling from God. A calling is an assignment and I have to fulfill the assignment. The reason I’m so optimistic and I have such strong beliefs about the African creative scene when it comes to expanding and exceeding the expectations of everyone, is because I believe that God has something big coming for us as young African creatives and especially women. I believe that we’re going to have divine help to navigate this.
What is your go-to quote or mantra that keeps you going every day?
I have so many of them, but I think if I were to choose one: “There has never been a better time, to be young, to be African, to be talented, to be determined, to be woman, to be go-getter. If it’s not your will then it’s not your bill. God gave us this gift so it’s His bill to see it through.”
