Popular singer and actress, Ms. Onyeka Onwenu, is the Director-General of National Centre for Women Development. She tells FRIDAY OLOKOR about women in Nigeria and her role in Chimamanda Adichie’s epic movie, “Half of a Yellow Sun”
Even though the NCWD is strictly for women, it appears men still dominate the place. What is the problem?
I have been fighting that since I came in. I am speaking out so that when I make my noise, they will understand. Most people on the management board are men. Even the acting DG before my appointment was a man. I am insisting that they must include women in the centre’s new postings. I tease the men about it and they know that I am serious. There are only three women on the management board and I am included.
Are you not threatened by that?
The men are the ones that ought to be threatened. They know that I am right. Sometimes they jokingly say that they are honourable men and I tell them no, they are not when it comes to receiving; they become women. I do not know who made that mistake, but it is going to change. Any new appointment must be a woman. We are going to protest if they send a man.
Tell us about the significance of your role in the movie, “Half Of A Yellow Sun”?
The movie is a very wonderful one. The movie reminds me of my role in ‘Conspiracy’ where I played the role of a mad woman. She was made mad because she swore to an oath with a witch doctor. It is a movie people still talk about today. In “Half of a Yellow Sun,” there was no Onyeka Onwenu. Even my dressing and physical appearance was so believable. Everybody has a mother who wants to be in control. In this case, this was the woman’s only male child and you know how important male children are to Nigerian women. She wanted to stop her son from getting married to the educated woman. She wanted a local girl who she could have total control over. She did everything to make her son love the local girl. Eventually, she loved the wife the son married. It was such a redeeming theme. We were almost in tears when we were acting the scene.
Does that mean you are coming back to the screen full time soon?
I never left it. I do not just take on any film. I look for good stories. If you bring a good story now, I will go to Mr. President and beg for a leave of absence. I am sure the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (Anyim Pius Anyim) will agree. It is all for the good image of the country.
How long did the shooting of the movie take?
You know there was a lot of preparation and sourcing for the money. The movie was done about two years ago and it is coming out now. For me, I was on and off set. Whenever they needed me, I was there.
Having been around during the Nigerian Civil War, did the movie bring back some painful memories?
Yes, it did. I was moved to tears sometimes. Many more people will understand what happened during that period and what people went through. Then they can appreciate it better. For me, it was pathetic. It brought me some healing. I was just reliving the moment in a good way. I remember how my appendix was removed and I was in a hospital in Onitsha. I was still on the table. Suddenly, there was a bomb raid. I had to jump out of bed with the stitches and I was bleeding. So, watching that scene helped me to pray against war. That is what we should be doing for this country. All of us should watch that film and experience what I experienced. Then we can say, okay, that happened in our past and it will never happen again. You see some of us preaching peace all the time; it is because of what we experienced. Many Nigerians walk around today and talk about war.
With the growing rate of violence against women, are there plans to teach Nigerian women on how they should defend themselves?
I am up for self-defence. Let a woman take that decision. Go and train in martial arts. If you cannot, buy a maze. It can save your life. For self-protection, I think the government can help us to train women on how to use them. They also need to license them so we can know who is carrying it and who is not. It is important that as we develop as a society, we need to explore these options. The kidnapping of young girls has to stop. These young girls are not politically involved. Why kidnap them? If you target this sector, we are in trouble. These are the people that will raise the future leaders. Why are we not protecting them? Do we expect these young girls to be locked inside and not go to school? This country is in trouble. We better start making arrangement on what to do with this situation. Our young ladies ought to know that they are important. Government at all levels must understand that there is the need to protect the girl-child.
You are a popular music icon and you are still doing that on a higher pedestal scale.
Let me first and foremost say that I do not write songs, I download them from God. That is the honest truth. The music passes through me as a vessel. That’s why I do not like taking credit for the songs. I leave myself open for the inspiration. Sometimes, I go into the studio not knowing what to do. When I set up the committee to organise the national youth concert, everyone turned around and said I was going to write the song. I had to remind myself that I was not the one writing the songs, so I did not have to worry. The same way that God did the theme song for the centenary celebration, He did it. I went into the studio on a Sunday and I was to play it for the committee on Wednesday. I prayed very hard. I told God not to let me down. What came into my mind was that I should open my mouth and sing. The first thing that came out was ‘Don’t call me Patience, call me Mama Peace.’ Within five minutes, I just sang the song. That was how the song came.
Do we see you going into mainstream politics soon?
I am a politician. In my state (Imo), they were scared and I was not allowed to become a council chairman for eight years. That was in Ideato North LGA. The two times I contested, I was the front runner. For local government, I am done. But something else might come. I do not know. The fact that I was not elected does not mean I did not win. I thank God. The journey for me was a destination. I believe at some point, they will have to either scrap the local government system or give them full independence. They should not be under the state government anymore.
What influenced your decision to return to Nigeria even when you had a lucrative job at the United Nations?
It is good to want to go out. There is nothing wrong with that. But go and come back. Do not go and be stuck in someone else’s country that they built. Come and build your own. That was what drew me back. There were so many people who could do what I was doing at the UN. I never regretted coming back home. I am saying to Nigerians in the Diaspora, do what you have to do and come back home. This is where you need to be. The resources and opportunities are here. Nigerians have become very lazy. We do not want to work. We just want to show off. Hard work has become a scarce commodity in this country. Young people should open their eyes and take advantage of the opportunity that abound. Commodity trading is one area where young people should be looking at. Agriculture is huge. If you cannot farm, can you process? People are looking at oil and gas. If you cannot find work at the Immigration, does it mean there is no more work in Nigeria?
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