Agatha Doowuese Akaahar on Telling Untold Stories from the Middle Belt

Agatha Doowuese Akaahar is a self-taught writer and director who recently completed her sophomore short film, Black Sands, an intimate and layered story capturing the fragile lives of people in Nigeria’s Middle Belt.

 

 In this exclusive conversation with The Nollywood Reporter, she shares her inspiration, creative process, and how she uses personal storytelling to spark change.

 

A Calling Beyond the Craft

For many, filmmaking is a profession, something they stumble into or inherit. But for Akaahar, it is a calling. “To be loved and remembered for your work, that, to me, is one of the greatest honours life can offer,” she says.

 

Although she admired film from afar, she did not pursue it until after earning a degree in History from the University of Ilorin. Still, she always felt drawn to the art form. “I learned by watching films, talking to people, reading, and scouring the internet. Filmmaking has been a rollercoaster, full of mistakes, surprises, and small triumphs. I’ve made two short films so far, Black Sands being one of them.

 

“The first one, I rarely show anyone. I’m not very confident about it, but one day I’ll share it, to remind myself and others that this is where it all began. Even when things felt like they were falling apart, when it seemed like I was making a mess of my life, I never once thought of quitting. Not once. That’s how deeply I love this.”

 

Rooted in Reality

The inspiration for Black Sands is deeply personal. Born in Benue State, Akaahar witnessed firsthand how violence, displacement, and loss quietly shaped her community. “The Middle Belt is often spoken about only in statistics and headlines, numbers of the dead, the displaced, the forgotten, the people left behind. But behind every number is a person, a family, a dream cut short. I wanted to make something that reminded people of that, that mirrored our lives in a certain way. Film, to me, is one of the most powerful ways to do that.”

 

While not intended as a political statement, Black Sands is a human story, one of love, grief, and resilience. “The title came to me very early on, and it struck. It is a metaphor for the Middle Belt itself, a place rich with life and culture but darkened by violence and neglect. It is also about what survives, how, even in the ground covered with soot and ash, things still breathe, grow, and have life.”

 

A Mourning and a Prayer

For Akaahar, the film is both a tribute and a protest, an attempt to give voice to tragedies often treated as distant statistics. “Part of my reason for making this film was to document, to remember. Where I come from, loss is often followed by silence. People move on quickly because survival demands it. But I think silence is also a kind of death. We should be able to talk about all the violence we’ve been exposed to because it is not normal and it is not right.”

 

The film also became a form of personal healing, transforming grief into purpose. “This is my story. My people’s story. Who else would tell it and who would tell it well?”

 

Intentional Storytelling

Every aspect of Black Sands was crafted with purpose, including its first look and trailer, released on October 1, Nigeria’s Independence Day. The trailer, though restrained, carries emotional weight. “For Black Sands, I wanted it to feel like a memory, fragmented, intimate, heavy with emotion but restrained in what it reveals,” she explains.

 

Akaahar views trailers as part of the storytelling process. “They set the tone, invite curiosity, and prepare the audience for the emotional world they are about to enter. I wanted people to walk away from the trailer with questions and that quiet ache that makes you want to know more.”

 

As both writer and director, Akaahar balanced two demanding roles. “Directing required me to see the story from the outside,” she says. “It was a dance between control and collaboration. The biggest challenge was shifting between the introspective space of writing and the collaborative, high-pressure environment of directing.”

 

Filming in Jos

Shot in Jos, Plateau State, the film’s location mirrors the spirit of the Middle Belt, its beauty, culture, and scars. “But Jos, too, carries its own scars. No one ever really knows when the fighting will begin there because it does not announce itself. It creeps in quietly, like a shadow. One moment you are laughing, working, living, and the next, the world around you is burning. That sense of suddenness, of ordinary life interrupted by chaos, is exactly what we tried to capture in the film.”

 

The cast and crew brought lived experience to the project, having endured similar traumas. “They had witnessed the fear, the unrest, the sadness, the profound sense of loss. Everyone knew what the stakes were, and that brought real depth and sincerity to the work.”

 

Making Art from Pain

The film was conceived during a tense time in the region. “There was something powerful about turning that collective pain and memory into art, into a story that might make people feel seen,” she says.

 

Akaahar challenges the notion that the Middle Belt is defined only by conflict. “Yes, conflict exists, but that is not all there is. There is so much life, beauty, and resilience in these communities.”

 

Creating Solutions from Within

Black Sands also highlights the challenges faced by communities in the region and the need for homegrown solutions. “The solutions cannot just come from the top. They have to come from within, from people who understand the land, its rhythms, and its wounds. More investment in education, security, and youth development would go a long way, but so would simply giving people a sense of safety and belonging.”

 

Despite the hardship, Akaahar believes in the enduring spirit of the Middle Belt. “The Middle Belt is a land of vast beauty, vibrant festivals, rich traditions, and a culture that deserves to be celebrated. We want to see more of that reflected in the media, not only through pain, but through the color and spirit of who we are. We want to push our film industry forward to show that art can come from anywhere, even from places the world has forgotten.”

 

She adds a final note of hope. “More than anything, we just want peace. We want so many other things, progress, opportunity, dignity, but first of all, we just want to live. To live in peace.”

 

Looking Ahead

Post-Black Sands, Akaahar is fully immersed in new projects. She is currently part of a writer’s room for a TV series and developing a short film inspired by a painting by Anthony Azekwoh. “It is a project I am deeply excited about and cannot wait to bring to life,” she says.

 

She also hopes to attend film school and explore musicals, children’s stories, and unconventional romance films. “I want to keep telling stories that matter, stories that give voice to people and places that are often overlooked. For me, it is not just about making films, it is about building a body of work that reflects depth, empathy, and truth.”

 

Her advice to aspiring filmmakers is simple yet profound. “Filmmaking, like life, rarely goes exactly as planned. But if you trust your instincts and your people, it often turns out even better than you hoped.”

 

Set for release at the end of October, Black Sands explores themes of unity, identity, and overlooked narratives in Nigeria’s Middle Belt.