In this edition of HHPeople, Chidinma Emeli of Heirs Technologies sits with Mercy Ajiboye to explore the films that quietly and sometimes boldly, shaped her understanding of womanhood. From courtroom courage to quiet resilience, Mercy reflects on the scenes, stories and women who influenced how she sees strength, ambition and possibility.
Let’s dive in…
Chidinma Emeli: What was the first movie you watched that made you think, “Ah, women can be this?”
Mercy Ajiboye: For me, it’s Hidden Figures.
Not just because it was inspiring, but because it was real.
Hidden Figures tells the story of three African American women mathematicians who worked at NASA in the 1960s. At a time when both racial and gender discrimination were deeply entrenched, these women were doing complex calculations that helped launch astronauts into space. Watching that shifted something for me. It wasn’t fiction dressed up as empowerment. It was history.
It proved that brilliance, courage and technical excellence have always existed in women, even when the world tried to pretend otherwise.
CE: Did you ever see a female character growing up that completely changed how you understood womanhood?
MA: Growing up, one woman who deeply shaped my understanding of womanhood wasn’t just a character, but an actress: Viola Davis. Watching her performances, and later learning about her journey in Hollywood, was powerful. Here was a Black woman navigating an industry that often sidelines women who look like her, facing both racial and gender discrimination, yet refusing to shrink.
Despite criticism, despite the subtle (and not-so-subtle) messages that she didn’t “belong,” Viola Davis rose. She silenced the noise. She became undeniable. She won some of the highest honours in Hollywood. For me, that story matters just as much as any script.
CE: Was there a particular scene or moment from a film that stayed with you — and why?
MA: Oh yes. Definitely.
There’s this scene in Hidden Figures where Mary Jackson goes to court to justify why she should be allowed to attend an all-white school so she can take the engineering classes she needs.
She explains that she wants to become an engineer, but she cannot do that without those classes. She says she cannot change the colour of her skin, so her only option is to become the first Black woman to attend that school.
And then she tells the judge, “Your Honour, you of all people should understand the importance of being first.”
That line? Wow.
She even goes further to ask him which cases, 100 years from now, will still matter. And obviously, the one that will matter most is the one that makes him the first judge to allow a Black woman into an all-white school.
For me, it was storytelling. She put him inside history. It was bold, but also very strategic.
CE: Have your perceptions of “strong women” evolved as you grew older and watched more films?
MA: Actually, I’ve realised something interesting about that phrase “strong woman.”
The word “strong” is used like an adjective qualifying certain woman, as if some women are strong and others are not.
I would rather say all women are strong. Strength is innate. When we say, “strong woman,” it almost sounds like strength is optional or unexpected. And I don’t think that should be the case.
CE: Are there movies you now look back on and realise were problematic?
MA: There are a lot of them. There really are.
But funny enough, I can’t even remember them specifically. And that’s because I’m very intentional about what I watch. I don’t just watch movies for entertainment. I watch them for education.
If a movie reinforces narratives that distort how I see myself as a woman, I avoid it. So yes, those movies exist, but I try not to dwell on them.
CE: What films do you think every young girl today should watch — and why?
MA: Definitely Hidden Figures, Self Made, and The Six Triple Eight.
I know there are many more with similar themes, but those are the ones I’ve personally seen. And the reason is simple: they show that there is more to what we as women can do.
We have the ability to dream. And because we can dream it, we can achieve it.
They also show that on the road to achieving those dreams, there will be obstacles, especially the ones that come simply from being a woman. But the women in those films show that it’s possible to overcome those hurdles.
CE: If you could meet any female character from the movies that shaped you, who would it be — and what would you ask her?
MA: Wow… that’s an interesting question.
Hmm… let me think. I’ve seen a lot of movies. But honestly, I would say Viola Davis.
I would ask her for an autographed copy of her book, Finding Me. And I would let her know my age at the time I meet her. Then I would ask her: if she were advising her younger self at that same age, what would she say?
And I would want her to write that answer inside the book.
That would mean a lot to me.
Mercy’s words remind us that sometimes, the women who shape us aren’t fictional after all. Sometimes, they are real women who dared to be first, and in doing so, made space for the rest of us.
