Do you remember what you were doing at 14-years-old? Well, we bet that Zuriel Elise Oduwole has got you beat. Oduwole, hailing from Nigerian decent, living in Los Angeles, CA, holds the title as the world’s youngest professional independent filmmaker today and much more.
At the age of 9-years-old, Oduwole began interviewing celebrities, the presidents, and the prime ministers from many countries on the continent of Africa and beyond about education and female rights. Because of this journalistic spirit, Oduwole became known as a prolific advocate for girl’s education, which was only solidified through her Dream Up, Speak Up, Stand up project. As a result of her advocacy, Oduwole became the youngest person in the world to be featured in Forbes Africa.
At the age of 12-years-old, Oduwole self-produced and self-edited her first documentary, as a part of a school project, entitled, The Ghana Revolution, where she met with two former presidents of Ghana—Jerry Rawlings and John Kufour. Oduwole went on to produce additional documentaries: The 1963 OU Formation and A Promising Africa, which was screened in five different countries.
