Joy Isi Bewaji

EARLY LIFE

Joy Isi Bewaji (born June 8, 1977) had her high school education at Lagos State Model College, Kankon, Badagry. She studied Mass Communication in The Polytechnic, Ibadan.

CAREER

Joy Isi Bewaji is a Nigerian essayist, screenwriter, playwright, new media entrepreneur, and social affairs activist, with credits in Nollywood as a writer and occasional actress. Bewaji was Managing Director at Happenings radio and an editor at Happenings magazine. She was previously the managing editor for Genevieve magazine. She is also the initiator of The Conversation, centered around feminism, sexism, and misogyny in Nigerian society. In 2016, she addressed the United Nations on issues around the girl-child. In 2014, she unveiled Tina’s Shoes & Love Issues, an audio series for women. In 2016, she organized and moderated a session titled Gender Equality And The Funk of Feminism. Her play, Story of my Vagina (2016), explored gender discrimination, domestic violence, religious segmentation, and cultural oppression towards women. At the 2016 UN International Youth Day, Bewaji identified religion, culture, and patriarchy as major causes of poverty in Nigeria. Her play Marriage Onions In Wedding Blues (2017) addressed challenges faced by married Nigerian women. In 2019, Bewaji released "Las Las, We'll be Alright", a handbook documenting her thoughts as a social and cultural critic. In Nollywood, she wrote the script for MIMI (2024), though she later announced a break from commercial screenwriting due to production frustrations, citing it as "gaslighting" when her vision was altered. Other writing credits include a collaboration with Uche Jombo on a script written over jollof rice.

PERSONAL LIFE

Joy Isi Bewaji identifies as a feminist and is a vocal critic of religious practices in Nigeria. She is divorced with two kids. In a 2016 interview, she stated that "she functions better alone".

In 2024, she expressed heartbreak over Nollywood's production challenges despite rooting for the industry's growth. Recent X discussions praise her as one of Nollywood's top scriptwriters. At 48 years old as of 2025, she continues advocating for women's evolution beyond stereotypes.