Nigeria: Growing Into Stardom

29 December 2013
opinion

She has been receiving positive critical remarks for her acting in Hollywood. The Telegraph UK described her role in the much vaunted slavery film, 12 Years a Slave, as "devastating work". She is Nigerian, and she wears the green-white-green so proudly, you would have thought she was raised in Ajegunle. She is making us proud on the world stage. She is Adepero Oduoye.

Having virtually lived her whole life in the United States (though she used to come to Nigeria when she was young), I caught up with Adepero at the recently concluded Ake Arts and Festival, where she was one of the invited guests. Exuding an enchanting personality and carriage, she had a smile all through our conversation, drawling her speech, thinking hard before replying to a question, and satisfying my sometimes egregious curiosity. "For me personally, it's been amazing," she said about the Ake Festival. "I have never been to Nigeria to interact with artists, and for me that is incredible. I have been meeting so many amazing artists and writers who are Nigerian and also from other countries, and I have been learning so much. It's been really eye-opening and inspirational, especially the school visits. I saw things first-hand, and to see how much talent and potential there is in this country has been so inspiring for me. I am happy to be here."

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