Nigerian Movie Star Profile
Onyeka
Onwenu
A woman of many parts! Yes, that is what Onyeka Onwenu is.
Broadcaster, singer and actress rolled into one. From the onset of her
broadcasting career with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) in the 80s,
to singing career and later Nollywood, Elegant Stallion (as she is fondly
called), ranks among the best artistes that Nigeria has produced.
Ah, wait for this! Onyeka is also a politician, it should be borne in mind.
She really surprised all when she joined the fray in 2003 vying for the
chairmanship of her local government area in Imo State, on the platform of
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
As if all these were not enough for one woman, Onyeka is at it again. This
time, along with other notable female artistes, she is sweating it out in
the studio to release an album in support of the anti-HIV/AIDS campaign.
Also involved in the project are Uche Ibeto, Salawa Abeni, Esse Agesse,
Judith Nwachukwu and others.
They are operating under the banner of Association of Female Musicians in
Nigeria (AFEM)
Amidst her tight schedule, the mother of two spoke last week to Sunday Sun,
revealing her attachment to her late father, career, kids and other issues.
Interestingly, her politician father died about 50 years ago, when she was
barely four years old. But his memory remains stuck with her.
“I wish you knew my father. He usually took me along whenever he went for
his political meetings. He would hand me over to (Dr. K.O.) Mbadiwe when it
was his turn to speak. He was an orator, that if he speaks before anybody,
the next speaker would find it difficult to say anything. The late Tafawa
Balewa called him ‘The Old Teacher.’”
Of all the movies she has starred in, either as lead character or support,
the one most memorable to her is “Conspiracy”. Like two or more of her
movies, Onyeka played the role of a widow who suffered in the hands of her
in-laws. “My mother was widowed when I was only four and a half years old,”
she said.
AFEM’s HIV/AIDS project
“It would be wrong to call AFEM my baby. It was God’s making. But, to answer
you, the idea has been there for a long time. We didn’t want something like
a women wing of PMAN. But nobody was going to take the bull by the horn. So,
one day I decided to write a letter to some female musicians and we sat down
and discussed. We had our first meeting last November, and it was like we
had started years back.
We realised that there wasn’t enough awareness about the HIV/AIDS scourge.
It appeared that some people still doubt whether the virus exists or not. In
spite of the fact that we know somebody who has been infected, or somebody,
who in turn knows somebody somewhere, we still carry on as if we are immune.
“From the statistics that we have, we found out that women were more
infected because they have no control over their sexuality. It was either
because they were married off young, or some places where, if the husband
dies, the other brother took over the wife. Unfortunately, these women have
no say.
“We all came together do something that would throw more light on these
problems. As artistes, they best way we can do it would be by singing, so we
decided to wax an album. The album is entitled “Value for your life”. As
artistes, we are not making anything from the project. We are giving our
time, talent and money, and all the proceeds would be used to make copies of
the work available to people.”
Most recent job
“I have just finished work on a new movie. It is a story about widows who
set out to help themselves. But there was a devilish element that was
introduced by the madam of the group. But for the first time, my character
was not so nice in this movie. I was not the victim here. It was good for a
change.”
Movie roles and widowhood
“You must know a woman somewhere who is a widow. When I was about four and a
half years old, my father died and my mum was widowed. Having been raised by
a widow, and seeing what my mum went through, there is no way to express it.
You have to experience it to know how it feels.”
My dad
“I was only four and a half years old when he died. But his memory is still
very fresh in my head. I was the closest to him. He was a member of the
House of Assembly. He died in a motor accident.
“He was a very charismatic man. If he enters a place, the whole
neighbourhood will liven up with shouts of D.K. At their meetings, heavens
help you if you had to make a speech after him. As a matter of fact, they
made sure he spoke last, because if he spoke before you, nobody would wait
to listen to you. He was incredibly an honest man. But when he died, those
he had helped deserted us. Those he had given scholarships, or sent abroad.”
My sons
“I am very close to my sons, just the same way I was close to my dad. They
are lovely boys. But I know that it is God that has been responsible for the
way they have turned out. I remember that after my father died, my mum
turned us to God. It is the same thing that I have done with them.”
Singing career
“I have not quit singing at all. I have been busy on all fronts. Aside my
albums, I have done several collaborations with many artistes in the past.
“Don’t forget too that I wrote the song for the inauguration of President
Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999.”
Politics and I
“I vied for the chairman of Ideato North Local Government in 2003. I was
sure I won it. God has used that first time to teach me some lessons. He
used it to convince me, even more of what the people wish me to be. Now, I
know that my people are calling for me. I am a strong member of the PDP. It
is the party I support and love. We may be having problems now, I am sure we
are going to settle our differences soon.”
NTA board member
Onyeka had in year 2000 laid siege at the gate of NTA and for over two weeks
she lived in the open, a protest that elicited the support of notable
personalities such as Lagos lawyer Gani Fawehinmi and Charley Boy. Her
grouse was alleged non-payment of royalties to artistes whose works the NTA
was commercially telecasting.
But today, she is a board member of the organisation she was once literally
up in arms against, a case of what goes around comes around.
“I don’t know the nature of the job yet. That will wait until we are
inaugurated. But you know that I’ve worked with NTA. I know its challenges
and what it needs to stand out. My problem with NTA was to ensure that
artistes were treated well. Don’t forget that I am an artiste whose rights
were denied by the NTA. I did what I did at the time so that artiste would
not be denied their rights again in the country. That was what I fought for,
and I can assure you that it won’t happen to any artiste in this country
again. I am grateful to God for allowing me do what I did and I must say
that I don’t regret doing 0it.
“What I intend to do as a board member? Don’t forget that I am a board
member. I’ll wait till our inauguration before I say anything on that.”
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