The Rise And Rise of Ireti Doyle

I am thoroughly smitten by women whose careers do not wane as time ebbs away; women who taste richer than fine wine through the passage of space. This crop of dames conquer the cliché narrative of society that urges women to race against the clock frenetically before they wither and run out of their season. And this portrayal of distinct women fits Ireti Doyle like a glove.

Ireti, who turned 50 this year, has become sharper than she came, ignoring constraining norms as she constantly whets the edge of her craft by delivering stellar performances both on screen and on stage.

Growing up, I watched Oge on RSTV, the lifestyle show Ireti Doyle hosted and Fuji House of Commotion, the comedy show that ruled the airwaves in the 90s and aughts, chronicling the confusion that daily rocked a Nigerian polygamous family. Ireti played the chief's mistress, Carol who served glamour on a platter,  whereby intimidating the chief's three wives into fits of envy.

Born on May 3, 1967, she spent her first eleven years in the US but returned with her parents to Nigeria. Ireti still considers herself a Jos girl, the town where she spent most of her formative years. Rising above a dispiriting episode of youthful romance that left her abused and suddenly a young mother, she bagged a diploma in Mass Communications and a Bachelors degree in Theatre Arts from the University Of Jos.

On stage, she has played in the highly acclaimed Vagina Monologues and recently on screen, she sizzled in her roles in the blockbuster movies Fifty and The Wedding Party.

The aptness of her delivery and the rich quality of her diction remain the few reasons I can watch her again and again. There is no slowing down for this big girl for time only adds more gust to her sail.

Image source : stargist.com