The term ‘babymama’ (baby mama), used in referring to a mother who is not married to the father of her child, became a mainstream American term decades ago, but is now a global slang and it is mostly infused with other meanings.
According to this article by The Root which attempts to trace the origin of the word, it cites rap group Outkast’s 2000 smash hit single, “Ms. Jackson,” that was outrageously dedicated to “all the baby mamas’ mamas”, but the piece also noted that Indonesian (language spoken widely in Indonesia) identifies the mother of a child, when directly translated, as ‘baby’s mother’, baby’s mama.’
However, ‘Baby mama’ is often used in the pejorative sense.
In his June 2015 article shared on his Instagram page, iconic comedian Ali Baba, listed ‘baba mamas’ as one of the factors he says is responsible for the downfall of an artiste.
Ali Baba’s position sparked conversation on social media about Nigerian artistes who have children outside wedlock, with the women blamed for getting pregnant by the men. And so it wasn’t surprising when the Davido/Sophie Momodu child custody drama surfaced on social media and many people stood by the man, while the woman was referred to as the single, irresponsible lady who was leeching on the man’s success.
A quick check on the internet and it would be difficult to find Sophie Momodu’s name appearing on an headline without the luggage ‘Davido’s babymama’ attached to it. Same is applicable for other women, including former beauty Anna Banner, Sandra Okagbue, Sola Ogudu and Binta Diamond.
But are these women’s entire existence hinged on that one point? Who are they beyond the media drama? A woman is never about one thing, but, sadly, a woman’s worth is mostly attached to the seams of a man’s clothing, hence the above women are largle addressed by the title “Babymama”, for their names to be worthy of a headline.
And so we have attempted to take a keen look at the lives of these women beyond their being mothers of celebrity children.
Sophie Momodu
Ms Momodu took social media by surprise when she tenaciously fought to get back her child who was allegedly snatched out of her hands by the powerful Adeleke family. Her resilience earned her massive criticism from Davido’s fans, but she refused to back down, until both families, with the major intervention of her uncle Dele Momodu, reached a peaceful resolution.
Today, Ms Momodu runs her own high street fashion line called ‘Precious Jewels’ which she launched in April. The mother of one is also set to launch a foundation of same name. And also, she is a proud mum who occasionally shares growing up photos of her bonding with her daughter Imade, who will turn a year old this May.
Anna Banner
Though Anna Ebiere Banner is a famous, former Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria, the mother of one is mostly reduced to one role: Flavour’s babymama.
The drama surrounding Banner’s relationship with the singer reached fevered pitch after she featured in his music video and was subsequently reported to have gotten pregnant for him. In August 2015, she welcomed their daughter in faraway United States, and weekly, shares with her fans the photos of her beautiful daughter who is growing up too fast.
Beyond being a mother, Banner is a favourite magazine/cover girl and has been featured in top publications, including House of Maliq and ThisDay Style. Banner has worked with high profile stylists including Moashy Styling, shot spreads for magazines and make up houses.
Sandra Okagbue
Pegged as Anna Banner’s rival, Okagbue, an ex-Delta soap model, gave birth to her daughter with Flavour in 2014. Her name had become synonymous with ‘Flavour’s Ugbegbe’, an alias she earned following her Instagram post where she declared her undying affection for the singer, even though he had already met and had a child with Banner.
Though Okagbue keeps her business life away from social media, she posts adorable photos of her daughter, a tact which has perfectly worked for her.
Binta Diamond
Binta Diamond’s story is a moving one. The Guinean-American surfaced on social media earlier this year with her beautiful son, Ayodeji Ibrahim Jr., whom she allegedly had with singer Wizkid. The former video vixen relocated to Nigeria in a bid to get the ‘Ojuelegba’ singer to take responsibility for their son, but when he refused, she returnedto the United States.
Diamond has since returned to her life abroad, working to care for her daughter from a previous relationship, and the new boy. Each day, she inundates her fans with new photos of the boy, and reaffirms in each post, the allure of a powerful mother that refused to cower under trying times. “Miss Independent,” she called herself days ago.
Sola Ogudu
Ms Ogudu was with child in her final year in university, but pregnancy wasn’t a stumbling block as she successfully completed her degree program and graduated. The young mum stays away from drama, avoiding occurrences that would smack her back in the spotlight as Wizkid’s babymama, like last March when she quickly deleted the tweet many people assume is targeted at the singer.
Beyond social media, Ms Ogudu works in Lagos and caters for their son Boluwatife who is five years old. In each Instagram post she makes, the young mum is seen with her adorable boy; proving that she can also be a happy, single and working mother.
These women are much more than celebrity babymamas; they are strong, single women who continue to wax stronger, no matter the tag.
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