100 Women: Kay Oyegun and Angelica Nwandu on The Power In Our Words

In out latest video, Nigerian media guru and founder of The Shade Room Angelica Nwandu and Kay Oyegun, a Nigerian-Beninese writer and filmmaker, who writes for NBC's This Is Us and OWN's Queen Sugar, sit down for a frank conversation on the power of words and emotional connections, and how we can channel both into action.

"When you can make somebody feel something, you have their attention, and once you have their attention you can persuade them to want to change the world," says Nwandu.

The two share some of their experiences in their respective industries, opening up about how they've dealt with backlash, as well as the pressure put on black creatives to always be at the very top of their game.

"Before I put pen to paper I always think about intention verses impact, what am I intending to do and who is this going to impact. Being mindful of those two things I'm okay with criticism, I'm okay with backlash, because I knew that I was being honest with what I was expressing," says Oyegun.

For her, it's all about staying true to their own points of view, despite how it may be perceived by others."You have to be sort of strong and stick to what you're trying to say—that, at the end of the day is what allows all of the noise to filter out, because you know what you set out to do.

"We're fighting to be ourselves," adds Nwandu.

Watch the full video below.

This article appears as part of OkayAfrica's 100 Women 2018—a project highlighting the impactful work done by African women across the globe. Throughout March, we will be publishing a series of profiles, videos, interviews and feature stories on these inspirational women. Click here to see the entire list of 2018 honorees.