Chiege Alisigwe started out as an actress, alongside Ramsey Nouah in 1998, while waiting for her examination results into the university. Today, she is a known face having acted in many movies. The wife and mother, in this interview with Women Editor, TEMITOPE DAVID-ADEGBOYE, talks about what she is doing with her organisation, Chiege’s Redefined, among other interesting issues.
Tell us about your non-governmental organisation (NGO)?
It is called Chiege’s Redefined, and what we are into is trying to help victims out of hardship. Again, we are trying to redefine the way people reason, the way they think, trying to make them have something to do in life. I am equally trying to let them know that you don’t have to wait for government to be able to better your life. So we try to redefine that reasoning of ‘you have so many masters, therefore you just can’t do any work’. In my programme, you can do any work; you can start from there.
How do you go about it?
I have empowered a whole lot of people. We have empowered a widow by providing her with a house and a sewing machine to start up something in life. Again, I have already empowered a lot of youths by speaking on their behalf to different firms. As I speak with you, a whole lot of them, those who qualify, are working. Ordinarily, if they walk in their own, they will be turned down. So I try to use my face and name to do that for them. I am grateful to God. The widow has a daughter that sews, but they didn’t have anything, not even a sewing machine to start up with. I did that with the support of Kenoj Showers of Love, an NGO in Abuja, though she lives in Lagos.
How do you identify those you empower?
With things like this, you advertise. So a whole lot of them came to my talk show. I didn’t know them before then. I provided jobs for them. That is how I provide jobs for people.
When did you start the talk show?
I started the talk show in March.
Where is it airing?
I haven’t started airing it. We are still acquiring a whole lot of things. I will start to air it by next year, but I still want to impact a whole lot. However, I have another programme coming up on December 5, and it is called Chiege Redefined Couples’ Night Out. It is still under the umbrella of Chiege’s Redefined Talk Show, but this particular one is for couples. I’m doing this because of what I reckon is going on right now; a lot of couples lack tolerance in their relationships and it has caused a whole lot of damages. All these prompted me to come up with this programme so that couples can learn to how to tolerant and start loving again so that we can have a peaceful and healthy living environment.
Who are you expecting at the couples’ night?
The way I run my things, anybody is welcome.
Are they going to pay?
Yes, there are tickets for couples; it is N14, 000. I didn’t want to make it so expensive. A psychologist will talk on relationship and there will be counselling sessions. They will be entertained by a comedian too. I also noticed that Nigerian couples do not play games together, so we are going to have them play games and also dance. Couples are always rigid in Nigeria, but I am not that rigid. I see my husband as my boyfriend; my best friend and we play like children do. But I am emphasising on the talk because a lot has been going on. We must do our best to put an end or minimise the divorce rates as it presently obtains. I plan to be running it once a year.
The film industry, which we know you with, happens to be one that is in the limelight, and so many couples there are separated or divorced. What do you think is responsible?
In as much as Nigerians claim to be enlightened, you notice that we are not enlightened in this country because if we truly are, a lot of us will get to know that this is a make-belief life. We tend to imitate the white men, but we cannot imitate them to the last. So, when a man sees his wife on screen, he tends to think she is messing around. But she is working; she is not messing up. So if you ask me, it is lack of tolerance. You went for her because you saw her on the screen, which is number one. If not, you would not have known the person. Then you married her expecting her not to do that which gives her or him joy. It happens to men as well. At least, I have heard some of them that said my wife said I should stop acting. It doesn’t make sense. No matter what your husband is doing, accept him, tolerate him and then you can live with him.
Moreover, we actors and actresses are not the only people who are in the news for broken homes, but because we are in the limelight, it looks as if ours is the worst. It is not; it happens everywhere, everyday. People in the limelight and those ones out there should learn how to tolerate.
How did you get into acting?
That was 1998. It has been a long time. I just left secondary school then. I took my GCE and JAMB as usual. While waiting for my result, a family friend, Kelvin Ugwu, who was already an actor, came and talked me into it. I grabbed the opportunity because I didn’t want to waste time doing nothing while waiting for JAMB results. I am lucky because I have parents that really backed me up. My parents are educated, so they didn’t see anything wrong with it. But what I was advised by my dad was that no matter what, I must ensure i go to school. And that was what I did. As soon as I made my result, I combined schooling and acting.
How would you describe your experience so far?
I have learned to develop thick skin; I used to be extremely soft. I am still soft, but now with a difference. Before then, any little thing made me cry because. But now, you can say whatever you want, I don’t care. So, I’ll say so far, so good. It’s been fun. It has its advantages and disadvantages because a lot of people will keep castigating you while others may love you. But as the years passed by, I grew to become a matured woman. I have come to understand that I don’t have to kill myself if I hear anything bad, so long as I know my conscience is clear and so long as God knows that I did nothing of such. I listen to God now and not to humans.
Are any of your children into acting?
They are still little. I used my daughter in a film when she was two years old. However, I’m not going to push her. I will encourage her in anything she wants to be in life. I won’t say because I am acting and so she too must be. She loves singing though.
Why do you think your colleagues are going into politics?
I think they are doing that because there are a lot of benefits in it. As known faces, they can use their face to attract governments’ presence into their constituencies and states thereby bringing developments there.
So are you going into politics too?
Actually, I don’t want to talk about mine (laughter).
