I am proud to be a Nigerian - Actor, Chinwetel Ejiofor

        

Chinwetel Ejiofor  is a London-born Nigerian Hollywood star who has made his mark in acting abroad and on Friday said he was proud to be identified and seen as  a Nigerian.The actor said this in Lagos at the premiere of a very anticipated  movie inspired by the wonderful writing masterpiece of a Nigerian novelist, Chimamanda Adichie ,  “Half of a Yellow Sun’’ He said that there was a wrong impression that he claimed not to be a Nigerian in Ellen's show that he meant he was born in London and is Nigerian-British . Read what he said below :

'During the period of publicising “Twelve Years a Slave”, I was asked where I was originally from.I suppose I was trying to give an honest answer about where I was born, and so, I said London, which is where I was born.And to me, it was a surprising reaction that people then concluded that I didn’t identify as Nigerian.Of course, I am Nigerian-British, but if they ask me where I was born, I can’t say Enugu, because I wasn’t born in Enugu, but, it doesn’t mean that I don’t identify as Nigerian.I am proud of being Nigerian that I am extraordinarily happy to be here to make this film.We wanted to make a film in Nigeria for several years, maybe 20 years.Several years we talked about making a film in Nigeria, internationalise the market, we know there is so much, there’s a handful of energy and ability in Nigeria.And, for those of us that were born overseas, we want to get back into all of that and try to work together and make films and internationalise what is a wonderful market community.'

Am sure most Nigerians now will be nodding their heads in affirmation , we love people like Chinwetel who do the nation proud abroad .