MAMA G: Patience Ozokwor popularly known as MAMA G is an award winning popular Nigerian actress who came into the Nollywood movie industry in 1999 and have since then become one of the most prolific actresses in Nigeria today. She is often known to play bad roles in movies. She has featured in over 200 movies as of 2016. She is also popularly called; MAMA G.
EARLY LIFE AND BACKGROUND
Ozokwor, MAMA G was born on 25 March 1958 Ngwo, Enugu State. Madam Ozokwor, MAMA G caught the bug for acting during her school years when she played the role of Hamlet in Shakespeare’s classic drama, Hamlet in an all girl’s school. Hamlet was received so well, Patience started travelling with the show.
Though Mama G is a widow she did not allow this to deter her resolve to struggle to become a celebrity she is today. This shows that ‘your destiny is in your hands’; it depends on what you do with it.
In this interview, Patience Ozokwos aka MAMA G bares her minds on the triumphs and challenges in Nollywood industry.
When MAMA G was mentioned that day, the crowd gave an ovation in your honor, how exactly did you feel at that point?
I feel elated, I feel excited. It’s unbelievable the way people appreciate me. I think it is not ordinary, it is divine. So I feel happy, knowing that God is behind whatever I’m doing. Otherwise people won’t appreciate me the way they are doing. Even they wrote “The Most Popular Woman in Africa†on my award citation. And from all my trips to South Africa, Rwanda, The Gambia , Ghana , Zimbabwe , Zambia , Namibia, I am popular in all these African countries.
In your opinion, MAMA G what attributes can you say earned you this Centenary award?
I don’t know, the only thing I know is that people appreciate me a lots. Somebody say something, but I do not want to say it because enemies might use it to run you down. I know that many people has said lots of negative and dirty things against me that were lies, people know that all what they have been written about me are lies. I don’t tell lies and God will not allow any lie to lie on my head. God has been so good to me and the way I comport myself in the public. Children, youths, middle aged , so there is no age group that you will not find people who love me.
Why did you decided to stay in Enugu?
I choose to stay there, to make impression that you can live in anywhere and still make it, to send a message to my people in Enugu that they can make it right there. You don’t put yourself in stress by relocation and running around for accommodation, while you can actually stay at where you are and build an empire. So my staying there is to encourage people that there is God wherever you are and you can make it right there.
Any Challenge living in Enugu?
The challenge there is that, it makes me to travel a lot, I can stay out of home for over a month shooting in Lagos or Asaba or Owerri and I don’t regret it because I thank God for GSM, everybody is connected.
There was a report that you were at war with the AGN President Ibinabo, how true was the story?
I don’t know where that story came from; but one thing I would like to state is that I have always been in good terms with Ibinabo. We have no unresolved issues. They misquoted me here and there and when Peter Emeh died, I was the one they gave money to for his family, I have no ambition to become the president, so why should I be quarrelling with her? I have nothing against her and the only thing I’m saying is that we should have a Guild that represents all of us. I have no problem with her and it was just couple of hours ago that she left Kumasi where she has gone to represente us. We should all rally round to support her. Because there is a lot to be done, we need Insurance, funding etc and we can only achieved all these through unity.
There are projects to be done, some certain governors promised to give us lands but today nothing has been done about it, no one is raising the issue up. For instance, I am a card carrying member but I’m not paying my dues. I am not paying it, no one is paying royalty from the movies we have been shooting because no one is asking for it. Nobody is in charge of all these important channels of raising money and when someone dies now, we would all be running around. There is no Insurance policy for the actors, and a Guild like ours are busy doing nothing. Whenever money is being donated to the Guild, they share it the way they like; there is no structure in place to channels all these donated funds to. And if you talk, they would say I am fighting them. All we want is for proper things to be done. Recently I heard some huge amount of money was giving to the guild and it was shared immediately, 2 millions , 1 million, they shared it among themselves. Someone who received 1 million from confirmed it to me. Some received 500,000, others received 300,000. I don’t understand what they are doing. No one is doing anything and Ibinabo is the president. What is the greatest thing that acting has done for you?
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I think first of all, it has given me an easily recognizable face. And that has helped in other areas. If you’ve had a good name for a very long time and people have continued to say good things about you, obviously, if you want to attempt business or any other thing, it will open doors for you and get you a red carpet treatment in most establishments. It’s given me an easily recognizable face that people can identify on the streets.
What hasn’t acting done for you?
I can’t really say. I think for the fact that all the things that I would pray to have achieved from acting I’ve been able to get them. What hasn’t it done for me? I don’t know (Laughing).
What’s the most difficult thing about stardom?
I think sometimes it’s just walking into a place and then all eyes are on you. Sometimes you yourself cannot be yourself when you are in certain places and maybe because people look at you and so much is expected, you just find yourself always being a little bit not yourself in some places. That’s one aspect. When too many eyes are on you and you are a little bit self conscious and you are not very comfortable where you are and you can’t just be like everybody else.
Can you also take up romantic roles?
I’ve played so many romantic roles too. I acted in Love After Love and many others whose titles I cannot really remember.
W hat has made you relevant over the years?
I give God every encomium I receive in the industry. I believe it has been God at work.
Patience is in real life?
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I have come to find out that people do not really know who they are. When I play the roles that I play it is simply meant to show people who they are. The funny but serious thing is that people watch these movies and they do not know that we are exposing their real characters. There is a lot of wickedness in the land and I promised my God that I will expose wickedness. So that is what I am doing. You know me and you know that I am not a wicked person but the fortresses and barns of wickedness must be exposed because when good men keep quiet evil takes over the land.
What has been Patience Ozokwor’s most defining moment as an actress?
Sleeping around for role
Of course some people come to sleep around. They didn’t come to even get roles. Naturally, some people are crazy about stars. They want to come in and sleep with stars, the ones that accept to sleep with them. That gives them joy.
Some people come in to work. If you see those who have come to work you know them. By their fruit you shall know them. Even in Hollywood it is like that. In every sphere of life some come to do a lot of things, to get to where they want to go fast and then they go down fast. It is everywhere, even in your media it is there. You (journalists) always talk about us, you don’t talk about yourselves. You talk about our relationships, whether we sleep around or not. So, tell me, what do you people do? We sleep around while you people walk around? (laughs).
Message to young people in the industry
They should work hard, be articulate, put God first, and not depend on anybody because a lot of them are looking up to people. They say ‘I want you to make me a star.’ They have not even come into the industry yet and they want to become a star.
They should be decent, work hard. It is usually good to rise from the rank than to just jump into stardom and then tomorrow you come down again. It doesn’t pay. So I encourage them to come in if they feel inside them that they can do it. They should register properly and attend audition. Some of them wouldn’t want to attend audition. They claim they know Mr. A or Mr. B and especially the girls fall into wrong hand. There are lots of things happening today.
Last words?
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God has deposited in all of us different talents and you will be surprised that if you bring out yours it might dwarf mine. Just be hard working and focused and it might work out for you. And for my fans I’d like to say that I love you all so much. You first loved me and I promise never to disappoint those who believe in what I am doing. Let us keep that love flowing in every part of the country and the world.
Culled from Pleasure Magazine
www.sojworld.com © August 18, 2018
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