"Dolapo Is Fine' is a film short that shows the natural beauty of young women and the brightness of young people to accept who they are rather than succumb to who the world tells them they have to be.
This film centers on Dolapo, a young African teen who wants to work in finance. We find that Dolapo has experienced a 'leg up' as she is in a posh boarding school, has a best friend she hangs with, and gets an opportunity to meet with a woman she admired to help mentor her in her finance career goals.
She meets with her 'hero' Daisy (who we can determine right off the bat that the adage of "never meet your heroes" fits). Daisy begins by telling her she needs to 'assimilate first' to be taken seriously 'downtown,' and that should start with changing Dolapo's name and hairstyle. Why? Because that is what she did.
This film's beauty is in watching this young lady stumble a bit but decide on what works for her instead of being told what does. What worked for Daisy may not work for Dolapo, but this is what Dolapo has to discover. And the vile and bitterness of the mentors, thank goodness, did not work for her.
While the main character is a young African girl with natural hair Afro asked to assimilate (straighten her hair and come up with a more palatable sounding nick-name) to gain acceptance into the career of finance she seeks, it is a universal occurrence. One can easily replace her with ANY young woman from any Country.
"Assimilation first" just happened to be one of those things a lousy mentor will harp on. So what does one do when they are first starting? Who to listen to? When faced with it, it is up to young people to decide - be yourself or "assimilate". What works for you? If it worked for them, can you be sure it works for you? If one chooses assimilation, does it make you fade into the crowd, lose your identity, or do you wish to stand out in the group - or do you want just to be you and show them what you can do to help them grow.
You'll find that in this film short, this young person, Dolapo, is fine. And that is a refreshing side to show as it lets you know you are fine too.
This film centers on Dolapo, a young African teen who wants to work in finance. We find that Dolapo has experienced a 'leg up' as she is in a posh boarding school, has a best friend she hangs with, and gets an opportunity to meet with a woman she admired to help mentor her in her finance career goals.
She meets with her 'hero' Daisy (who we can determine right off the bat that the adage of "never meet your heroes" fits). Daisy begins by telling her she needs to 'assimilate first' to be taken seriously 'downtown,' and that should start with changing Dolapo's name and hairstyle. Why? Because that is what she did.
This film's beauty is in watching this young lady stumble a bit but decide on what works for her instead of being told what does. What worked for Daisy may not work for Dolapo, but this is what Dolapo has to discover. And the vile and bitterness of the mentors, thank goodness, did not work for her.
While the main character is a young African girl with natural hair Afro asked to assimilate (straighten her hair and come up with a more palatable sounding nick-name) to gain acceptance into the career of finance she seeks, it is a universal occurrence. One can easily replace her with ANY young woman from any Country.
"Assimilation first" just happened to be one of those things a lousy mentor will harp on. So what does one do when they are first starting? Who to listen to? When faced with it, it is up to young people to decide - be yourself or "assimilate". What works for you? If it worked for them, can you be sure it works for you? If one chooses assimilation, does it make you fade into the crowd, lose your identity, or do you wish to stand out in the group - or do you want just to be you and show them what you can do to help them grow.
You'll find that in this film short, this young person, Dolapo, is fine. And that is a refreshing side to show as it lets you know you are fine too.