Veteran Nollywood actress, Patience Ozokwor also known as Mama G, has explained how she rejected being labelled the “Liz Benson of Enugu” early in her career, choosing instead to forge her own unique identity.
In an interview with NWAFO TV, the actress said her journey began in Enugu state, Nigeria, where her talent blossomed, adding that her recognition grew and some people began to compare her to the established actress Liz Benson-Emeya, who is popularly known for the Nollywood films, Karishika, Diamond Ring, and Glamour Girls.
Ozokwor said: “I don’t know how it started, but all I knew was that when I started people started recognising this woman from Enugu. So there was a time I came to Lagos for a shoot and I came to where we normally gather in Lagos and they started saying, ‘Hey, that’s the Enugu woman, the Liz Benson of Enugu.’ So they came and said, ‘Ha, you are Liz Benson of Enugu.”
According to her she politely refused to be called that, putting a firm shutdown to the comparison.
“No, with all due respect, Liz Benson, I don’t want to be like her. I want to be myself. I am Patience Ozokwor of Enugu,” she said.
This decision proved wise. Today, the Nollywood actress, Ozokwor is a household name in Nigeria.
She has been featured in multiple Nollywood films, such as Ukwa, Billionaires Club, Blood Sister, Private Sin, Wedding Party 2, Chief Daddy 2: Going for Broke, and Battle on Buka Street.
There’s no doubt that she carved her path, becoming the one and only “Patience Ozokwor of Enugu.”
