Jennifer Eneanya is a
media-mogul-in-the-making. She is also an Editor, freelance writer –with a few
award-winning short stories- a lawyer, an author and a content creator for a
brand Agency.
She is skilled in several things…but
this is not a resume.
I have a yet unrealized hunger for
filmmaking, directing and producing features stories.
 I am a wife of one, mother of two and a
daughter of God and for this reason; I believe that I am unstoppable.
I am an advocate for love, life,
living and letting others live. I have a lot of stories to tell and I cannot
wait to start. I am a natural hair aficionado and a lover of fashion and style.
I believe I might have been a model/fashion designer in another life…I might
yet be!!!
I am Jennifer Eneanya and there has
never been nor will there ever be such a one as me. I am the ‘Original!’
[Laughs]
WHAT FUELS ME?
Youthfulness: I hope to never lose that part of me that is so
young, so trusting, so idealistic. I hope to continually live life with the joy
of youth, screeching and laughing, jumping and dancing, and having pure
unadulterated fun.
Knowledge and Learning: may become tedious and stressful but I
must never despair of learning for I have yet a great ways to go and I must
acquire abundant knowledge to tide me along the way.
Purpose: is what every woman must discover and live…can one have
more than a singular purpose? I think so. My purpose as a wife varies from my
purpose as a mother which varies from my purpose as a writer and so on. The
greatest purpose is to make all these purposes work together in fulfilling the
purpose for which God placed us on this earth!!!
MY
GREATEST INFLUENCE:
I think my belief, faith in and
relationship with God has had the most profound influence on me, affecting and
directing the most crucial decisions of my life.
MY TOP THREE ROLE MODELS:
I honestly have never been in the
habit of ascribing role models to myself; I admire people for different things
but I understand that everyone has a different role to play and a different story
to write. Even two people in the same industry will have drastically different
ways of achieving their goal. I admire hardworking mothers everywhere who are
raising the next generation while striving to make an impact in their
generation.
I admire Mo Abudu of EbonyLife TV –I
would love to intern with her-. I admire Saran Kaba Jones of FACE Africa- she
is a study in creating focused and scalable social impact. Finally, I admire my
mother. She just completed her master’s program and is a signpost to all
mothers who may have dedicated the earlier years of their lives to raising
their children. Plus she did such an amazing job with me- I need to learn
parenting tips from her for my children!!!
IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS…..
Well, I hope to have shot a couple of awe-inspiring
short films, won the CommonWealth Short Story Prize, penned a few bestsellers,
probably have another baby and laid solid foundations for a pan-African media
company that will provide wholesome entertainment for African children.
I think my husband is my
‘Accountability Manager’ but I don’t know if he has been doing a very good job!
[Laughs]
THE
AFRICAN WOMAN’S CHALLENGE:
African women contend with society,
culture and mindsets. For years, we have been groomed to ‘behave’ so we can
marry good husbands. We have been told that when a woman is raped, it is her
fault for acting like a slut or dressing provocatively. We were taught that our
place is in the kitchen and a woman should be seen and not heard.
In some towns in Nigeria, education is
thought to be wasted on young girls and sexual exploitation is on the increase.
In most of northern Nigeria, early child marriage persists and remains a huge
challenge.
African women contend with a lot, but
the truth is we are fighters; we are strong, we go against the norm. Most of my
short stories in recent times have focused on the lives of women in Nigeria-
the childless woman, the prostitute, the baby factory worker, the mother whose
daughter has been abused and more. I hope that by telling these stories –and
subsequently making them into short films- the narrative will start to change.
Also, the stories I write via
KonnectAfrica.Net celebrates Africans -women, girls, boys and men- who have
surpassed great odds to achieve their dreams. At 14, Laetitia Mukungu started a
rabbit-rearing business to provide educational materials and a means of
livelihood for the children and women of her village. At 19, Ugandan Entrepreneur
Best Ayioworth, a High School drop-out started a business that changed the
lives of the women in her community and earned her public acclaim. These
stories are intended to encourage African women everywhere to rise up and
overcome despite the limes life may have thrown their way.
WHAT I
DO TO RELAX:
Ah! I love to watch movies! I love to
read my novels! I love to dance! I love to gist and have a good laugh! Any or
all of these will be sure to help me unwind. It’s just sometimes it seems there
is but little time to indulge…but I try.
MY  
–   I.C.E. [INSPIRE|CELEBRATE|EMPOWER]
VISION
This is easy! We are strong, we are
beautiful, we are so smart, we are fighters, and we have what it takes to take
to make sure Africa keeps rising. We are the mothers of the future
Africa…literally and figuratively.
MY
AFRICAN UNION PLANS:
Hmmm… I would seek to empower young
girls- to change whatever negative or defective outlook that they have about
their talents, skills and future.  I
would seek to steer them away from the ‘Baby Mama’ syndrome, from baby
factories, from accepting and living with abuse and from dependency on Sugar
Daddies. They will be exposed to skills
acquisition workshops, entrepreneurship forums and mentorship programs. They
will learn to love themselves as they are and project a positive self and body
image. I would seek to be responsible for
grooming the mothers of Africa’s future.
FINAL WORDS OF ADVICE:
First, do not try to keep up with the
Joneses… in whatever sector or sphere. Find your calling, work in your space, be
a ‘you’ peg in a ‘you’ hole. You are not in competition with anyone.
Secondly, make love not war. In a
world brimming with hatred and terrorism, let us be an oasis of love, care,
compassion and warmth.
Thirdly, be careful about the things
you say on social media…social media does not forget. That careless picture,
that nasty word, is already screen-munched and saved on someone’s device.
Finally, be the best you that you can
be…but remember nobody can be you but you. No pressure.