Uzoamaka Power said that she had invited only 19 people. I wasn鈥檛 one of them. But when I saw her at the entrance of the room and told her I worked with 91大神, she gave me a very warm welcome.
She is one of the directors of the 91大神 Life anthology, a series of short films based on stories that have already been published on 91大神. She also wrote her short, . We are at an invite-only private screening for the film.
Blessing Uzzi, the producer of the anthology, had sent Power a bunch of stories published on this website and asked her which ones she would love to adapt into a short film. Initially, she considered the story that became , another short from the anthology written and directed by Dika Ufoma.
My Body, God鈥檚 Temple follows Omasilu, played by Power, a young wife who grew up Catholic, marries Zion, played by Andrew Yaw Bunting, and begins to face a mild form of vaginismus in her marriage. During sex, her knees clench.
There have been instances of women suffering from vaginismus where the vagina completely locks up and is impenetrable in some extreme cases. Sometimes the entire lower body is clenched.
Globally, research speculates that around seven per cent of women suffer from the condition. But in countries like Ghana, Turkey, and Iran, the number of women who suffer from it is way higher.
The film shows Omasilu as she contends with religion and the new challenge at hand鈥攈ow to get fucked.
ALSO READ: The 10 Best Nollywood Movies to Watch on YouTube (August 2025)
When it鈥檚 time to watch My Body, God鈥檚 Temple, almost all 19 people Power had invited had come. Her manager, Onah Uzonwanne, is present as a kind of co-host, putting things in order. The actor Ogranya, who stars in Something Sweet, is present. One of her close friends, the actress Angel Anosike, is present. There were some other actors, her stylist Vche Uba, Dwin the Stoic鈥攁 friend she met at the Farafina Workshop, the writing program hosted by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, which she was a part of in 2015鈥攊s here. He is a former editor-in-chief of 91大神 but is now a musician. There were other filmmakers and people who work in Nollywood present.
So it was fitting that in a den of creatives, the icebreaker would be to sing a line from a song. I, who could not sing publicly even if a gun were held to my head, decided to decline.
鈥淭hank you so much for coming,鈥 Power said. We watched mostly in silence. Occasionally someone would break the silence to throw jabs at the characters and their various decisions and indecisions.
鈥淚鈥檓 not sure where you would find this type of Nigerian man, but I wrote him,鈥 Power said jokingly. Later, she added that Bunting was that type of man, after which someone promptly reminded her that even he was not Nigerian. 鈥淚 love Andrew so much,鈥 she said.
A rising leading man who is Ghanaian but has been able to snag some high-profile roles in Nollywood, including starring opposite Tiwa Savage in her film Water and Garri, Power had been a fan of his work for a while. But she didn鈥檛 want him for this short film. 鈥淚 was saving him,鈥 was how she put it. A man of his acting talent鈥攕he wanted him for another project, perhaps a feature-length film. But they had spent too long looking for a male lead who fit the role.
At the last minute, she snapped out of the decision to keep him for something else and sent him the script. He wanted more details, understandably. He didn鈥檛 want to be the kind of actor who didn鈥檛 care enough about their characters to ask what the goal of the project was. But Power didn鈥檛 have the time. They had started shooting.
So he flew to Nigeria, and he became her Zion.
The arrival of this film also marks a shift in her career. When Power went to that Farafina workshop a decade ago in June, she wasn鈥檛 even Uzoamaka yet. It had always been her name, but she went by Doris. 鈥10: DORIS ANIUNOH鈥 is how her name is listed on . But she was going to be travelling to the UK for a Master鈥檚 in Creative Writing at Birmingham University. So Chimamanda suggested that she go with Uzoamaka instead, because 鈥渢here would be a lot of Dorises in Birmingham.鈥
When she started working in Nollywood, she started to sign her posts on Instagram with #uzoamakapower. 鈥淚t meant that I was doing things,鈥 she said. But then it became more for her鈥攁 new identity, a new person鈥攕o she adopted it as her name. In the credits for My Body, God鈥檚 Temple, her name is written as Uzoamaka Power.
What I found most beautiful about the film is how it tackles consent in marriage. There are many who have claimed that rape is not possible in marriage. 鈥淚 have heard people say he was very patient. But as opposed to what?鈥 she said of Zion, who supported his wife as she struggled to unclench her knees during sex. 鈥淐onsent is sexy,鈥 she added.
We also spoke about a scene where Omasilu walks in on Zion masturbating in the bathroom. Someone asked why the character interpreted it as him cheating. 鈥淪he felt alienated,鈥 Power said. The character, she added, had understood that it was a problem they were both seeking a solution to. But seeing him get off made her realise it was really a problem she had to fix. She felt betrayed by it. As we spoke, we ate and drank and ate more and drank more.
When the producer Uzzi walked in with Laken Afolabi, the director of Freedom Way, a few of us had left. They took pictures. Someone asked about small chops. I realised I had packed most of the small chops in my ziplock bag. 鈥淵ou did some destruction in that place,鈥 Ogranya said to me.
My phone was buzzing. My Uber was downstairs. I said good night. Power hugged me again. 鈥淭hanks so much for coming,鈥 she said. 鈥淐ongrats on the film,鈥 I said.
