Yvonne Chinyere Okoro likes to refer to herself as an African. This stems from her Nigerian/Ghanaian roots. The award-winning actress, who first appeared on the big screen in 2002, has received some of the highest accolades in her career in Ghana and Nigeria. She just produced the comedy, Ghana Must Go, which will hit cinemas next month across Nigeria. In this interview with Assistant Life Editor, TERH AGBEDEH, she talks about the new flick, among many other issues.
How easy was it to combine English with linguistics at the University of Ghana?
It is hard, very difficult. But I think because at that time I wasn’t 100 per cent into acting; so I had, let’s say, that time. So, it is very difficult. It could be boring sometimes, too. I had no choice or my father won’t allow me in the house.
Is he still ‘angry’ about your choice of career?
(Laughs) No, he is very proud now, unlike in the beginning when I think his concern was how I was going to mix school with acting. We all know it is very important and I think there was not enough money in it and there was this negative perception about acting. But now he is delighted.
You were interested in acting when you were only a child; where did that come from?
I think I just loved the whole ideology of just being someone else; you wake up and you are not you, but acting as somebody. I have always loved it, so I think it comes as no surprise to my family because they expected it. They feel that I am full of drama, so this is the right path for me.
Do you speak French?
(Starts speaking French)
When did you learn that; was it when you went to Nantes?
Yea, when I went to Nantes.
Do your Nigerian-Ghanaian root influence the movie, Ghana Must Go?
Yes, it does. My parents are always battling, whose food tastes better. And I think I have the best of both worlds. You wake up in the morning and you have no choice but to greet your father. I think that also stems from the Nigerian background, like you can’t just walk by your father, that is impossible; you will be in trouble. So, you wake up in the morning, any elder that you see, irrespective of who they are, you say, ‘good morning daddy, good morning mummy’. My siblings would also greet me. So we have learned that. We inculcated the Ghanaian culture as well. So I think it helps; we learn here, we learn there, we pick some of the negatives and some of the positives. I think the negative is that with the Igbo culture, we like money, isn’t it? Yeah (laughter). And then obviously because they are very hardworking. Either way, these are very good qualities.
You recently provided water to Walewale community in the Northern region of Ghana; will you be doing the same in Nigeria?
Definitely, I have plans to also come to my fatherland and give out the most fulfilling thing ever.
I wondered about the cars in Ghana Must Go, the steering wheel on the left, was it shot in Nigeria since Ghanaian cars have the steering wheel on the right?
We are left-handed in Ghana.
How did the film come about?
I got up one day, had a bunch of stories, concepts in my head and I thought, who can write this story? So I heard of Tunde Babalola, a scriptwriter, and I said I needed to speak to him. I told him the story, the concept that I had: I wanted people to laugh, enjoy the movie but also learn something from it. So that was really what happened.
Did you include your personal experience in the movie?
Definitely, because my dad is a Nigerian, my mum is a Ghanaian and I come from an inter-racial marriage. So I understand.
Do you think the stigma is still there?
I don’t think there is any stigma. I think we have changed, I mean, we have evolved. It is a modern world and we have stopped that stigmatisation. It is important that we unite as a country and then as a continent.
In Ghana, those bags are called ‘Who Sent You to Nigeria’; is that true?
We call them Ghana Must Go, too.
This is 2016. Are there Ghanaians still holding on to what happened in the 1980s?
That would be an individual thing. I can’t really conclude for every Ghanaian or every Nigerian. It depends on each individual, but I think we love each other.
How long did it take to shoot Ghana Must Go?
It was a little bit over a month. It was extremely stressful. But I don’t want to discourage anyone who wants to go into it. If you have the passion, go ahead.
How did you get the funding for the film?
It is from the company my sister and I own, Desamour Company Limited. We have done the movie, Contract, before.
You started movie production quite early in your career; what is responsible for that?
I wanted to control what I do and who I use in a movie as well as see if I can make some money from it.
Are you making money?
God willing.
