“I Wanted To Forfeit Travelling Out Because Of RMD”: Nigerian Actress Inspires Ukrainians To Fight For Freedom
- Onah Uzy Assumpta is a Nigerian who has been able to make a name for herself in Ukraine's entertainment industry
- Assumpta, who moved to Ukraine to study medicine, is now an actress, XL model and a comedian
- In an interview with Legit.ng, Assumpta shared details about living in Ukraine, her career, and Nollywood stars she would love to work with, among others
- Assumpta shared how the war in Ukraine has affected her, including losing an opportunity to feature on a reality show
- The Nigerian actress, however, refused to lose heart as a video showed her encouraging others who were equally affected by Russia's aggression on Ukraine
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Nigerian-born actress Onah Uzy Assumpta also known as Blaqsauce is a medical student in Ukraine who has made a name for herself in her host country with her entertaining content.
Aside from being an actress, Assumpta, an XL model and comedian, shared some interesting details about herself and her career during an interview with Legit.ng.
Source: Instagram
Assumpta speaks about her love for entertainment
The Nigerian actress recounted some of her childhood experiences as proof of her love for entertainment despite being a medical student. She hinted she could go into full acting if given a chance.
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She said:
"It is not like I forfeited medicine, I actually am still a medical student but I have always been an entertainer from childhood. I started teaching dance in primary school and doing stand-up comedy in secondary school while still being a science student. The truth is entertainment is just who I am. I could definitely go into it full-time if I get the chance."
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Assumpta recounts culture shock she had in Ukraine
The Nigerian actress revealed one of her culture shocks in Ukraine was celebrating Christmas on January 7, instead of December 25, and how Ukrainians take their time to make their meals.
Assumpta said:
"Starting from the fact that Christmas is on the 7th of January instead of the 25th of December, so Christmas for the rest of the world is just another day in Ukraine. They share an abundance of sushi. Seat belts don’t matter in Ukraine. PDA (public display of affection) is like the thing here, coming from Nigeria where it’s not common, I mean people barely hold hands in public. I also observed that in most families the women are the breadwinners and also the men once you are 16 or so you are required to join the military for some time or else you have a medical reason not to. This is a must from what I observed. You can’t sleep on the bed sheet with clothes you wear outside. Lastly, they take their time to make meals; all the times I’ve had to eat with Ukrainian families, they literally make appetizers, main meals and desserts from scratch. The table is always full, and they always eat at a round table; nobody eats alone. Oh and finally, Ukrainians don’t drink water from the tap.
How the war in Ukraine has affected her academics and entertainment career
According to the actress, the war has put her life and education on hold.
She said:
"We still study online but it has never been the same. Sometimes teachers are disrupted especially those still in Ukraine, because of the lack of power supply and internet. Then some students are still struggling to get their acts together because everything happened so fast and we all had to leave the home we’ve always known, with nothing! And we are expected to just survive and move on. That’s a lot. And for my entertainment career, I’m trying my best not to lose myself, because I am the content. I don’t want the mourning of what I lost to make me lose myself." Fun fact: I was in a reality tv show in Ukraine called ігри талантів meaning (The game of talents) that was set to premiere just two days after the war and I couldn’t wait for the world to see but then it didn’t show because, of course, the whole country was under Russian attack. I lost a lot that I could cry but I’m choosing to be positive and keep my head high. The gift of life is most important. If I could conquer Ukraine, then I can conquer anywhere in the world, after all I’m Nigerian."
Watch the video Assumpta shared about the war in Ukraine
Assumpta's desire to work with Nollywood stars
Assumpta expressed her desire to work with popular names in the Nigerian movie industry as she recounted how she missed an opportunity to act with veteran actor Richard Mofe-Damijo aka RMD.
She said:
"Of course, it’s been a dream of mine to work with RMD, Funke Akindele, Nancy Isime, Osas Ighodaro. I once got shortlisted to act with RMD in 2017 in a series called Mr X. But I didn’t see the email until I got my visa to Ukraine and I can tell you that I was willing to forfeit my travel for that role but my mum almost lost it with me, lol. She even cried and said her village people were after me because she spent a lot to get me the visa. She wasn’t happy at all so I just decided to travel. And I told myself that one day, I’ll act with him, and still have an international degree, win-win."
How she stays updated with trends in Nigeria
The XL model revealed it hasn’t been easy as she tries her best to catch up.
She said:
"I also have friends that are entertainers as well so I see what's trending on their pages and if I can and I have time I’ll join the trend. I have a mixture of Ukrainian and Nigerian audiences. It can be frustrating because I feel like that’s one of the reasons I’m still not where I need to be. When I join the trends in Nigeria most of my Ukrainian followers don’t relate so I’m torn between creating some content that my Nigerian followers can relate to and some content my Ukrainian followers will also relate to. It gets harder even because now I have even Portuguese audience."
Assumpta applauds actress Funke Akindele's versatile acting prowess
Assumpta named Funke Akindele as one actress she loves and gave compelling reasons.
She said:
"I just fell in love with her right from watching her till she started making her own movies and series. I’m a huge fan of Jenifa's Diaries. See, Funke can be anything, from an ignorant uneducated hustler to a mother, to a rich aunty, to a boss that is sometimes a tout, anything at all. I just love the lady and anything she produces."
"Building a career in Ukraine's entertainment industry is hard"
Assumpta explained how the language barrier made building a career in the Ukrainian entertainment industry hard.
She said:
"Hard is the word especially because it’s not an English-speaking country; they speak mostly Russian and Ukrainian. So if your target is to build your career amongst the foreign community then that will be easy but I really wanted my art to be valued both by the Ukrainian community as well as that of the foreigners, so I studied Russian. Even with the language knowledge, I never had it easy but I agree that it made it easier for them to work with me."
What makes her stand out?
Assumpta said she refused to let her size or beauty hinder her from attaining her goals.
"My confidence in anything I do. I don’t let my size or beauty standards hinder me from anything. Anything at all, I wanted to be a dancer I went for it and had a dance studio where I thought people of different races and sizes, I wanted to be a model I did it, I’ve modelled for many brands and was a guest at the Ukrainian fashion week at the time. I’m still pursuing an acting career but I’ve worked with a few Ukrainian celebrities.
When I come into a room, I walk in with a smile and you’ll see on my face that I believe I can accomplish any task ahead. These were not my words they were in fact the words of a Ukrainian director I once worked with, Alan Badoev. He said that’s what he liked about me.
Assumpta speaks on modelling
Assumpta shared her experience with getting modelling agencies to work with her as an XL model. She said:
"Honestly, just put yourself out there, show out and show off, and if it’s your thing, you’ll get that call. I’m saying this because that’s what I did and it just came, one company messaged me on Instagram and after working with them, many others started messaging me for jobs. And that’s how I became a popular plus-size model in Ukraine
Advice for individuals considering modelling as a career in Ukraine
The plus-sized model advised people considering modelling as a career to at least have a basic knowledge of the local language.
"First of all, learn the language even if it’s basic knowledge. Like I said: show off, post your skills, and tag agencies. Don’t just sit at home and wish."
What inspires her kind of comedy
She revealed her type of comedy is strongly inspired by events happening around her and her imagination.
"Things that happen around me, my imagination. I could sit down and create a whole scene in my head and laugh alone. I also get inspiration from my African home and some funny experience I’ve had as a foreigner living in a non-English speaking country."
RMD speaks on viral scene from Shanty Town
RMD in a previous report via Legit.ng spoke about the viral scene he acted with his junior colleague Nancy Isime in the popular series ‘Shanty Town.'
In the scene, which stirred controversies on social media, Nancy Isime's character was forced to bare it all by RMD, who acted in the role of Chief Fernandez.
RMD, in a post via his Instagram page, shared a short clip of his scene with actor Chidi Mokeme as he revealed that his industry friends want to play his roles so they can touch things as he did.
Source: Legit.ng
