I never knew I was black till i moved to Nigeria - Sika Osei

Multi-talented Ghanaian TV host and Actress, has revealed that she has never been aware of her skin complexion till her career moved her to Nigeria. 

The Ebony Skinned beauty who moved to Nigeria in 2014 to co-host M-NET's 53 extra made this revelation while answering questions on the negative stereotypes she has faced in an interview with Genevieve Magazine’s July 2016 issue.

The magazine which was covered by four young ladies – Adesua Etomi, Sika Osei, Mo’Cheddah and Beverly Naya –had them talk to Genevieve magazine about their careers, the negative stereotypes they have faced, their thoughts on feminism and so much more.

Below are excerpts of the magazine;

ON NEGATIVE STEREOTYPES THEY’VE FACED:

Beverly: That ‘actresses are hoes looking for money all the time’. Or that because you have foreign accent, you are a snob.

Mo: If you are successful you must be sleeping with someone. My biggest issue is not being taken seriously; getting paid for an appearance and being pushed to perform. Honey Boo Boo, this is my livelihood! A performance is different from an appearance!

Adesua: Or because you are ‘yellow’ you are snobbish. And once you are dark they say… We can’t lighten you. You are too black.

Sika: I have had many people tell me to brighten up a little.

ON THEIR CAREER-CHANGING MOMENT:

Mo: It was a single for me; Won Beri. I had been working on my album and I just did a feature on a song. I was in secondary school at the time. Months later people would point at me and say ‘That’s the Won Beri girl’.

Adesua: Maybe, winning the AMVCA…

Beverly: In a strange way, Tinsel helped a lot. Prior to Tinsel there were films that took decades to get released. Not to give them a big head, but it was Tinsel.

Sika: I think it was moving to Nigeria to do 53 extra.

ON WOMEN NOT SUPPORTING EACH OTHER:

Adesua: Yes! In all honesty, and it is really sad. I never believed it till I moved to Nigeria. When I moved back, I realised that women attack women like crazy. I don’t know what it is? They would go as far as attacking your child. There are very few women who will stand up and clap at the success of another woman. I have become so conscious of things I never even thought about when I was outside Nigeria.

Beverly: Same! I never believed it till I moved to Nigeria.

Mo: It is an African thing. Female artists are bigger than male artists everywhere in the world, because the female fans are more than the male fans, and the female fans love the female artists. But in Nigeria, you find the female fans loving the boys and hating on the girls.

Sika: I didn’t even know I was black until I moved to Nigeria. (Roaring Laughter) Yes and I have lived in five different countries.

ON FEMINISM:

Adesua: The fight for women’s right isn’t something we can escape. It is always going to be that way. Society for a long time has been so male-dominated; it has gotten to the point where women would like a fair chance. I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. It is such a big deal now because most women are standing up for themselves.  Women want more options than being a wife and a mother.

Beverly: You can achieve anything you want to achieve and not focus on what the men are doing, just achieve your goals.

Sika: Not to be anti-feminist, but I actually hate the word, Feminism. I don’t understand what feminism is, to start with. And we, women, are hypocritical; when it favours us, we are all for female rights, but when it doesn’t, we are quiet. I still want a man to open the door for me. I still want him to be the man of the house. As many of the women I look up to will say, you actually need a good man as your backbone to succeed in life. Can I put a little dent in this conversation? Most women will say make sure the man loves you more. If we all believe in that, that’s not bringing ‘equality’ into the relationship.

Mo: Men need women as much as women need men. Some women just hide behind feminism when a man treats them badly.