{"id":17430,"date":"2025-07-23T09:19:07","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T09:19:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iafulcrum.com\/mag\/?p=17430"},"modified":"2025-07-23T09:22:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T09:22:08","slug":"monalisa-smile-how-one-nigerian-storyteller-is-using-film-to-move-heal-and-empower","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iafulcrum.com\/mag\/monalisa-smile-how-one-nigerian-storyteller-is-using-film-to-move-heal-and-empower\/","title":{"rendered":"Monalisa Smile: How One Nigerian Storyteller is Using Film to Move, Heal, and Empower"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Monalisa Chinda doesn\u2019t just act; she tells stories that cut deep, stories that explore who we are, what we carry, and how we move forward. With a career stretching over decades, Monalisa has become one of the most recognizable figures in Nigerian entertainment, but she wears that status lightly. She’s more focused on the stories she still wants to tell and the lives she hopes to touch along the way.<\/span><\/p>

When <\/span>Fulcrum Magazine<\/span><\/i> sat down with her, it became clear: Monalisa isn\u2019t just chasing roles. She\u2019s building something much bigger, a body of work rooted in truth, purpose, and a fierce love for the African continent.<\/span><\/span><\/p>

\u201cThe allure of storytelling, the thrill of becoming someone else, and the power to evoke emotions in others,\u201d that\u2019s how it all started for her. From the beginning, acting wasn\u2019t about fame; it was about connection. And as she grew, so did her need to tell stories that reflected her world.<\/span><\/p>

That desire eventually led to <\/span>MonalisaCode Productions<\/b>, her own platform for shaping narratives that go beyond the usual. \u201cI\u2019m driven by a desire to challenge stereotypes and showcase the richness and complexity of our continent,\u201d she says. Her films and series are unapologetically African but speak to something universal: identity, struggle, love, and survival. \u201cOur stories can heal, educate, inspire,\u201d she adds. \u201cI\u2019m committed to sharing them with the world.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/b>Monalisa has watched Nollywood shift from scrappy beginnings to an industry with real international attention. \u201cThe growth is incredible,\u201d she says. Better production. Stronger scripts. Wider distribution. But she\u2019s not na\u00efve about the work still ahead.<\/span><\/span><\/p>

\u201cWe need to build stronger infrastructure, invest in our talent, and form real partnerships outside Nigeria,\u201d she says. For her, it\u2019s about making content that resonates globally without losing what makes it deeply Nigerian. \u201cWe have something unique here. We just need to keep refining it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

If there\u2019s one project that shook her to her core, it\u2019s <\/span>Anointed Liars<\/span><\/i>. Tackling themes like corruption and redemption pushed her creatively and emotionally. \u201cIt was challenging,\u201d she admits. \u201cBut it reminded me why I do this.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>

The film\u2019s impact on audiences was immediate and lasting. It made her double down on her mission: to create work that means something, that sticks with people after the credits roll.<\/span><\/p>

Monalisa\u2019s drive doesn\u2019t stop at filmmaking. Through the <\/span>Arise Monalisa Foundation<\/b>, she\u2019s working to support women and children across Nigeria. \u201cI saw the gaps early on education, healthcare, opportunity,\u201d she says. \u201cI couldn\u2019t just look away.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>

The foundation has helped thousands through scholarships, healthcare drives, and economic empowerment programs. But there\u2019s one story that always stays with her: a young girl who received a scholarship and later became a doctor. \u201cDespite everything stacked against her, she made it. That\u2019s what keeps me going.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Partnering with international organizations like the United Nations has helped the foundation grow its reach. \u201cThese partnerships have opened doors to more resources, awareness, and momentum,\u201d she says. \u201cOne connection can ripple out and change so many lives.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Ask Monalisa what keeps her balanced, and she doesn\u2019t hesitate: her faith, her family, her daughter. \u201cThey keep me anchored,\u201d she says. \u201cThey remind me what really matters.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Growing up in a home that valued education and service, Monalisa found her first role models in her parents. Later, she looked to women like Oprah Winfrey, Maya Angelou, and Wangari Maathai, women who found strength in their voices and used them to lift others.<\/span><\/p>

If she hadn\u2019t found herself in film? \u201cMaybe I\u2019d be a diplomat. Or a human rights lawyer,\u201d she says with a smile. \u201cSomething where I could fight for people, make change.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

But you get the sense that Monalisa would have found her way back to stories even in another life. For her, storytelling isn\u2019t a career move. It is a way to speak truth, build bridges, and, most of all, make people feel seen.<\/span><\/p>

And in a world where so much still goes unsaid, that might be the most powerful thing of all.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Monalisa Chinda doesn\u2019t just act; she tells stories that cut deep, stories that explore who we are, what we carry, and how we move forward. With a career stretching over decades, Monalisa has become one of the most recognizable figures in Nigerian entertainment, but she wears that status lightly. She’s more focused on the stories…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17439,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[301],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-16th-edition"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iafulcrum.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iafulcrum.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iafulcrum.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iafulcrum.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iafulcrum.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17430"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/iafulcrum.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17430\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17442,"href":"https:\/\/iafulcrum.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17430\/revisions\/17442"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iafulcrum.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iafulcrum.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iafulcrum.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iafulcrum.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}