Photo Credit: Blessing Uzi (Instagram)
“We wanted to expand Zikoko’s emotional universe and give these real-life truths the space they deserve, that is cinematic, beautiful, and disruptive.” – Anita E. Eboigbe, Show Creator, Zikoko Life.
Zikoko has become known for one thing: documenting the truth of Nigerian lives. They reach for stories and experiences—perspectives you might not expect, realities you thought you were alone in, pains quietly shared, and dreams that are familiar in nature yet novel in expression. At the heart of it all is hope. Hope for a beautiful life in a beautiful country.
These stories are funneled into their flagship content series: Naira Life, Sex Life, and Love Life. Recently, Zikoko brought these strands together to create Zikoko Life, a short film series that takes these lived experiences into cinematic form.
The project is reminiscent of The New York Times’ Modern Love, the television anthology that premiered on Amazon in 2019. Adapted from the column that began in 2004, the franchise has archived more than 900 essays on love and modern relationships. In a conversation with Daniel Jones (Senior Editor of the column), Trip Gabriel, then Sunday Styles Editor at the NYT, said of the show:
“Modern Love is a testament to the fact there’s going to be a lot of ways to connect to readers for a long time.”
That enduring connection is what Zikoko maneuvers with its Life series. Blessing Uzzi, showrunner of the project, describes it as an intentional reach for impact:
“The project involves things that people can relate to and connect to, spotlighting real-life experiences of African women. It’s impactful… The stories are inspired by Zikoko articles, so they’re authentic.”
The aim was clear: to reach, touch, and shift. To move people and help them navigate a changing, unpredictable world
Uzzi reflects, “…the priority for everything was still how we wanted to shift the story. The question we asked ourselves was what exactly it was we were trying to change.”
The anthology opens with What’s Left of Us, written and co-directed by Victor Daniel. Alongside Olamide Adio, he brings to life a culturally sensitive story about a woman reclaiming her autonomy, quietly pushing back against a society that insists a woman’s choices must come second—even when it concerns her own body. Tolu Asanu and Caleb Richards deliver performances that embody, true to the title, what remains of a woman when reduced to “wife” and “mother” rather than being recognized as a full person with her own being.
Next is Something Sweet, starring Michelle Zede as Ziora and Ogranya Osai as Leke. Together, they navigate an inter-generational romance in a society quick to pass judgment, both subtly and openly. Dika Ofoma paints a striking portrait of “forbidden love” within the framework of patriarchal Nigeria, daring to suggest that couples can shape their own mold—one that reflects true desires rather than societal expectations.
The anthology closes with its most talked-about title, My Body, God’s Temple. It follows Omasilu and Zion as they struggle to reconcile religious upbringing with their ideas of love, sex, and intimacy. In a defining line, Zion tells Omasilu: “Your body is my temple and my body is your temple. We can do whatever we want and God won’t mind.”
Uzoamaka Power anchors the film with a compelling performance, embodying Omasilu while also directing the piece. Boldly exploring marriage, faith, and sexuality, the film doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable questions. Instead, it reframes them with a sensitivity that honors the female perspective in marriage.
Through the Zikoko Life series, Big Cabal Media—led by Anita E. Eboigbe as creator and Blessing Uzzi as show-runner—sets a new example of what depth, truth, and sincerity can look like in Nollywood storytelling. By drawing from the intimate experiences of young Nigerians, the anthology holds up a mirror while offering inspiration: a reminder that navigating love and life in Nigeria is possible without surrendering personal truths to the weight of societal preference
