WAFRIC Awards 2026 Nominee Spotlight | Actress of the Year — Sierra Leone
Every memorable performance begins with a story, but the actors who leave a lasting impression understand that their responsibility extends beyond delivering lines. They bring characters to life, give emotion a human face and help audiences recognise pieces of their own experiences on screen.
For Sierra Leonean actress, screenwriter and film producer Alimatu Lemakhan Sesay, popularly known as Lema and associated with Lema’s Diary, filmmaking has become more than a performance career. It is also a way to create, develop and share stories rooted in the experiences of Sierra Leoneans.
Her nomination for Actress of the Year at the West African Citizens Awards (WAFRIC Awards) 2026 recognises her place in a creative industry where local filmmakers continue to build opportunities for their stories to reach audiences at home and across borders.
From acting to building a creative platform
Alimatu’s journey reflects a commitment to participating in different stages of filmmaking. Rather than limiting her work to appearing before the camera, she has developed experience as a screenwriter and producer, taking part in shaping the stories she brings to the screen.
Her production identity, Lema’s Diary, has been central to that journey. Through the platform, she has worked on projects that combine acting with the responsibilities of developing scripts and bringing film productions to audiences.
Her early project Wild Emotions, filmed in 2016 and released in 2017 according to a profile published by ImageSALONE, formed part of her early filmmaking journey. Her subsequent work includes Together by Law, Profit Point, Unplugged, Delivery Van and Love in a Glass.
This progression matters because filmmaking involves more than the final performance. It requires decisions about characters, dialogue, production, creative direction and the stories audiences are invited to experience. Working across these areas gives a filmmaker opportunities to exercise creative influence beyond an individual role.
For Alimatu, the combination of acting, writing and producing has helped establish Lema’s Diary as a platform through which she can pursue stories and contribute to Sierra Leone’s film landscape.
Performances that contribute to a growing filmography
Alimatu’s screen career includes productions that have brought her work to different audiences and provided opportunities to explore a range of characters.
In Together by Law, she appeared in a production that also earned her recognition in Sierra Leone’s film-awards circuit. The film was listed among the works associated with the country’s New Era Awards nominations in 2020, including a nomination for Best Lead Role in a Film.
She also wrote and produced Profit Point, released in 2021. Reporting on her career has identified the film as a significant project in her development as a filmmaker, reflecting her ability to contribute to a production both in front of and behind the camera.
Another notable project is Unplugged, a film written and produced by Alimatu and directed by Mortinno Morton. The production featured Ghanaian actor Prince David Osei alongside Alimatu, bringing together performers from different West African film communities.
Cross-border collaborations like this create opportunities for creative exchange. They allow actors and production teams to work across national boundaries while introducing audiences to stories and performers they may not otherwise encounter.
Her more recent credits include Delivery Van and Love in a Glass, extending a filmography that reflects her continued participation in Sierra Leonean filmmaking.
When entertainment opens a conversation
One of the most meaningful aspects of film is its ability to explore subjects that audiences may recognise from their own lives. A fictional character can make a difficult issue easier to discuss, while a carefully developed narrative can encourage people to look beyond first impressions.
Alimatu’s work as a writer and producer has included stories connected to relationships, family life, poverty and the pressures faced by women. These themes are particularly relevant in societies where personal experiences often intersect with wider social and economic realities.
Her film Delivery Van offers a clear example. The story follows Surai, a 17-year-old aspiring filmmaker whose life changes after she becomes pregnant. Through its narrative, the film explores teenage pregnancy, education, family pressure, relationships and maternal health.
The subject matter places the film within a broader conversation about the challenges confronting girls and women, as well as the consequences that difficult circumstances can have for their futures.
Using cinema to engage with such issues does not replace public education or practical solutions. It can, however, give audiences an emotional entry point into conversations that deserve attention. When viewers connect with a character’s circumstances, the story can prompt reflection that extends beyond the screen.
This is one reason local filmmaking matters: stories created within a community can draw on familiar environments, social expectations and lived realities, allowing audiences to recognise their own experiences in the characters and situations presented.
Lema’s Diary and the value of local storytelling
For Sierra Leone’s film industry, the development of locally driven production platforms is important. Filmmakers need opportunities not only to perform but also to write original scripts, organise productions, collaborate with other creatives and make their work accessible to audiences.
Lema’s Diary represents Alimatu’s effort to build such a platform around her own creative work. By taking on writing and production responsibilities alongside acting, she has helped create projects that depend on a broader network of people working across the filmmaking process.
Every film brings together a range of creative contributions, from performances and writing to directing, cinematography, editing and production. Sustaining local productions can therefore create opportunities for other professionals while expanding the range of stories available to audiences.
The journey is not without challenges. Independent and locally rooted filmmakers often have to navigate limited production resources, audience reach and competition from better-established film markets. Continuing to develop projects within that environment requires persistence, organisation and a willingness to keep creating.
Alimatu’s continued involvement in multiple productions provides a basis for recognising her contribution to that ongoing process.
Recognition beyond the screen
Her work has also received public recognition. In 2020, Alimatu was listed among the nominees for Best Actress and Best Lead Role in a Film at the Sierra Leone NEAs for Together by Law. She was subsequently nominated for the Supreme African Actress of the Year award in 2023.
More recently, reporting in Sierra Leone has highlighted Love in a Glass and its reception, as well as Alimatu’s continued development as an actress and filmmaker. These milestones form part of a career in which performance, writing and production have remained closely connected.
Recognition can celebrate an individual achievement, but it can also draw attention to the wider creative environment in which that achievement takes place. When Sierra Leonean productions gain visibility, they help create more opportunities for audiences to engage with local talent and for other aspiring filmmakers to imagine their own place in the industry.
For Alimatu, her career illustrates how an actress can also take ownership of the creative process by helping to develop the very stories she performs.
Why Alimatu Lemakhan Sesay is a WAFRIC Awards 2026 nominee
The Actress of the Year category celebrates performers whose work contributes to the creative landscape of West Africa. Alimatu’s nomination brings attention to a filmmaker whose professional activities extend across acting, writing and producing, with Lema’s Diary providing a platform for her work.
Her journey is significant not simply because she has appeared in films, but because she has also taken on the work of developing stories and bringing productions to life. That combination offers a wider view of the contribution an actress can make to her industry.
Her work on films that engage with relationships, social pressures and women’s experiences also demonstrates how entertainment can create space for stories connected to everyday life in Sierra Leone.
As WAFRIC Awards celebrates creatives from across the sub-region, her nomination offers an opportunity for audiences to discover more about her filmography and the work of Sierra Leone’s film community.
Support Alimatu Lemakhan Sesay
Alimatu Lemakhan Sesay, known through her association with Lema’s Diary, is nominated for Actress of the Year — Sierra Leone at the WAFRIC Awards 2026: Recognizing the Unseen. Celebrating the Exceptional.
Public voting runs from October 12 to November 15, 2026.
🗳️ Visit the official WAFRIC Awards public voting page, locate the Actress of the Year category and cast your vote in support of her work.
To understand how voting contributes to the final selection, read the WAFRIC Awards 2026 Voting Procedures and Criteria.
Public votes contribute to the process but do not solely determine the winners. Final selection follows the published procedures and criteria.
WAFRIC Awards 2026 — Recognizing the Unseen. Celebrating the Exceptional.
