October 24, (THEWILL) – Popular actress and humanitarian, Linda Osifo, spoke to SHADE METIBOGUN about her foray into entertainment and her experience since returning to Nigeria. Excerpts:
You lived in Canada before relocating to Nigeria. Why did you decide to return to Nigeria?
I was at a very sensitive point in my life when I left Canada for Nigeria. It was that stage of becoming a young adult. I had to pursue life. No more living on mom and dad. It was a stage where you go into the world to find out who you truly are. I had just graduated from the university and I was 22 years-old. I had to ask myself questions to know what I really wanted to do. I had to make my own decisions at that point. My parents could not help me. I had to search deep within me to know what I really loved to do. I had to search for the things that came effortlessly and gave me utmost joy. In relation to entertainment, it was not acting alone because I was engaged in everything as a young child. I have participated in a beauty pageant, hosted an awards show and hosted a television show in Toronto, Canada. I have also gained some experience from my first movie set in New Jersey, USA. I have all those highlights and of course, growing up in church, I was involved in the drama department. I was living my life. I was engaged in some community work as well. You know, those kinds of stuff. It is those kinds of community work that truly define who you really are. I just had to choose when I got the opportunity to come to Lagos to host a show. I decided to take the opportunity and see what it brings. However, coming to Nigeria was not what I expected.
What show was this?
I had the opportunity to host a fashion show that was quite big in Lagos. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to host the show again. Things changed. That was how I got my first introduction to Lagos. I wasn’t conversant with the way things are in Nigeria then. I was so young and I didn’t have any family members, acquaintances or friends to stay with in Nigeria. That made things tough. I couldn’t decide the next step to take because I was already in Lagos. My ticket was for two months, after which I was supposed to go back to Canada. I just had to evaluate the situation. I asked myself: if I had to go back to Canada, what exactly would I go back to do? I was only going back to the health sector with my psychology degree or continue doing my entertainment stuff in America. At that point, I didn’t really know what I was going to do. I just knew that I was in a state of exploring who I am. For me, it was a journey that was about to start. I told myself that no matter the situation, I had options. I am a Canadian citizen; my life is actually there and I was educated there. My family is there, too. It wasn’t a do-or-die affair, but I pretended as if I had no option. If not, I would have given up on every opportunity that frustrated me. Not even the opportunity to get a good job or career, the cultural differences or environmental differences and lifestyle. I didn’t consider the suffering. The mosquito bites were enough to send me back to Canada. I didn’t try use those excuses. I tried to stay focused without considering a Plan B.
Looking back at your decision, would you say you have any regrets?
I have no regrets. At the level that I am now, I do not use such words like regret. I have a better understanding of what motivates me and what inspires me to make certain decisions. I relocated to Nigeria in 2013. I made my final decision to stay through thick and thin in 2015. That was when I got my first major television break on a series, Desperate Housewives Africa. When I got my first official break, I was seen as an actor, which was an amazing feat to me. That was when I thought that I had a reason to keep pressing and keep going.
You stated once that you studied psychology because of your parent’s influence. What was their reaction when you told them that you were going into entertainment instead of practising what you studied?
I will be very honest with you. I can recall the time I spoke with my mother about it. I had a heart-to-heart conversation about it with my mother, who is actually my number one fan. I asked her to tell me what she thinks I should do. And she said she sees me being in the public eye, speaking in entertainment and performing. I was already doing well as a performer. She said that is what she sees me doing. When I got that response, I felt that I had gotten the answer that I needed. She told me that she was aware that I did not like psychology. She also asked me how I was going to do it, who I knew and who would help me. It was just the way that you would ask yourself that she also asked me. My parents believed in me. The reason they believed in me was because of all the things I did at a tender age. For instance, in church, I was the vice president of a youth group, the drama, and dance group. I was coordinating their activities. They had seen me in leadership positions and seen how I handle things. For me, they were experiences that shaped me and would help me later in life. Those things made my parents trust me and know the kind of child I was; the kind of personality I have. When I made the decision to go into acting, it was so easy for them to trust and believe in me and also give me their support.
Which role in a movie has been most challenging for you?
I will say one of the most challenging roles I have acted in was in a movie titled The City of Bastards. However, it is yet to be released to the public. We shot that movie in a city called Makoko, which is known as one of Lagos’ poverty-ravaged areas. It is a ghetto. We were there for one month and got to live there. The character I played had to go on a canoe. We experienced the lifestyle of people in that community. A person would want to use the toilet and it is on the water. It was their regular lifestyle. That made me see life differently and the way it truly is. It was a tough one for me. From the character to the location and also the experience. Everybody fell ill at the end of the day. It was indeed a city of bastard, just like the title.
What are some of the most important things you consider before accepting a script?
I would love to know the impact the story would make. When I started, it wasn’t about the story itself but about the opportunity to showcase what I could do. However, it is now about the impact I can make with the story. How would the story impact my life? How would the story impact the person watching it? How would the story impact my culture and Nigeria as a whole? The storyline is the most important thing for me, and what is different about the story compared to previous ones that I have done.
If you had to do something outside the entertainment industry, what would that be?
Another passion I would have loved to pursue outside entertainment is law, then real estate.
You could run a real estate with your career. Are you planning do that?
Yes, I am.
It is rare for actors to keep their skin colour like you do. Have you ever been tempted to make your skin lighter than it is?
I tried to do that in my early 20s based on the influence I was exposed to in the western world. I was surrounded by different shades of colour, different shades of Caucasian. I was surrounded by different shades of black. That is, the Caribbean and Africans. Over there, you would feel that racism effect, especially in schools. I felt that impact and I wanted to bleach. It was at that stage that I relocated to Nigeria. I would say that Nigeria has shaped me so much. I started seeing more people who looked so much like me. I saw more dark-skinned people. I saw more young ladies like myself. That made me embrace my colour more and I started loving myself more. I have been looking for ways to darken my skin more if I can. With my career, I started seeing a different respect being given here, which is a different ball game in the western world. That mentality affected my skin colour and the way I saw myself back then. I had low self-esteem because of where I was coming from. I had to turn it around and use it as my strength now that I am in Nigeria.
What is your beauty routine?
I try not to use too many things on my skin. That is the problem we have. We use too many unnecessary things on our skin. The more you complicate things, the more errors you make. I believe that we all have this natural ingredient in our skin. We should leave it the way it is and try to eat right. I try by all means to stay away from chemicals. I use natural substances for my skin. I love coconut oil. I love shea butter. Any good oil that goes with the skin, and Nigeria is a good place to live in.
Are you under pressure to get married?
I will consider the question from two perspectives: The family that I come from and the society that we are living in. I come from a different background. My parents are exposed to different cultures and orientations. My family lives in Canada and the mindset over there is not as serious as it is on this side of the globe. I have not been pressured in that regard by my parents. However, on this side of the world where I am, I see some pressure. They are not directly in my face. They can be in the comment section screaming “go and marry oo”. But I haven’t been pressured.
What is your opinion on women being single and successful?
One thing about my personality is that I have always been a goal-oriented individual. Because of that mindset, I have not had this notion about being successful and being single. I believe each individual should be goal-oriented. Before you decide to be someone’s wife, you should make sure that you have your own life. That is how I see things. Until you are ready and until you are in the mood to carry extra luggage, don’t allow anyone to pressure you. If you see that you are not ready, I don’t see the reason you should be pressured. Don’t let society pressure you to get there too. Success is something everyone should attain. Excellence is something everyone should attain, irrespective of their gender. I have always encouraged both males and females to pursue success. If you are a successful woman, it is based on your hard work and not based on your gender. If you are a successful man, it is based on your hard work and not based on the privileges you would get.
There is a new trend in the entertainment industry that requires people go for body enhancement. What is your take on it?
Naturally, I always tell people to do what would make them happy. I was going through some things today and I wrote some words down. One such word is confidence. Confidence is what brings out the true beauty in you. It is not your shape or your colour, but confidence. Confidence only happens when you feel happy with yourself. If what makes you happy involves enhancing the physical appearance and how you look, please go ahead. The truth is if you are given a paper and a pen in secret to write down the things you would want to change about yourself, there is no one that wouldn’t have something to write down. Unfortunately, there are certain things that you cannot change, such as your genes and your genotype. However, you could change the way you appear. If you can change those things and you feel they would increase your confidence to be the best that you can be, by all means, do what makes you happy.
Which procedure would you prefer?
If I was to do any body enhancement, it would be to increase my height. I would love to darken my skin colour more, get my woman bosom to be firmer. I would love to make my lips plumper to have that African look. I would definitely work on my front hairline.
You run a foundation called Love and Oneness Foundation. How far would you say that you have gone in achieving your set goals?
I started my NGO in 2018. I started it because I have always been involved in community work growing up. In high school, I was very much involved in community work. We would go to the neighbourhood and feed homeless individuals. I wanted to continue with such in this part of my world. It was tough because I didn’t know where to start and how to get help. I told my family my plan and they supported me. We started with a small initiative, which is to go out to eliminate poverty and also eradicate illiteracy. That is the basic idea. I started it in my home town, which is Benin City, and I continued it in Lagos. Each month we would pick two orphanages and distribute items to them. I also thought to myself that there are things I could do to eradicate illiteracy. So I started off in a small way. I believe that if you work hard and learn, society and individuals would be better. What we now do is to donate desktops that are installed with e-learning activities from Mathematics to English, Science and the likes for children to learn and participate while they are on break. Each desktop comes with WIFI installed for one year. We are looking at expanding. I would love to hear that Linda Osifo donated ten thousand desktops to an orphanage. I have the desire to spread knowledge as much as I can. I hope that someone will continue from where I stopped.
The project involves a lot of money. How do you raise funds to do it?
We do it annually for now because we have not been able to raise enough funds. I try to save a lot and I try to get families to help, too. We also try to get sponsorship. We gave out seven desktops recently, which is more affordable for me. We are hoping to be able to give out more when we get more sponsorship.
Who is your ideal man?
If I was to define my ideal man, I would want to create him out of clay. He must be an individual that is very supportive. That does not mean financially. I learnt such support from my parents. I have such amazing role models in the area of marriage from my parents. They have been married for years now. I believe that support is the number one thing. I would love such a person to have a great character as well. He must have a great personality and must be God-fearing. He should be able to seek the heart of God first and teach his family to do the same if he is God-fearing. He must be a good person, basically.
