People cap a lot about Nigerians. They treat us like we’re archaic, uncivilised—they treat us like we don’t know what we’re doing. But what if I told you I had a shocker? What if I had something that would surprise all our rivals and shock them to the core? Some of these names might even shock you! Here are five global celebrities that are actually Nigerian.
1. Carmen Elizabeth Ejogo.
Carmen’s a libra. She was born on the 22nd of October in London. Carmen is mixed; her mother is British and her father, Charles Ejogo is a Nigerian. Carmen Ejogo is an actress and singer; she began her career in 1993 when she was the host of the Saturday Disney morning show. Since then, she has played significant roles in many films; The purge: Anarchy, Away we go, Love’s Labour’s lost, Alien: Covenant.
A pretty important role the actress played was Coretta Scott King in Boycott and Selma. During the time in which Carmen was preparing for boycott, she met the king and received his blessing for her role. As a singer, Carmen wrote and sang lead vocals in the song candles by English DJ, Alex Reece. She has two children and currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.
2. Hakeem Kae Kazim.
Hakeem is a dual citizen; he is both Nigerian and British. He was born in Lagos and moved to South-London with his family when he was just a baby. Hakeem is currently 61, having been born on the 1st of October 1962. I guess that makes him birthday mates with Nigeria. Hakeem is an actor whose interest in the profession was piqued by school plays. He was trained at the British Old Vic Theatre school.
Hakeem began to appear in episodes of the bill, Love hurts, among many others. In 1994, his acting career really kicked off when he got a role as Mr. Manyeke in the grange hill (17 series) Then he appeared in the ITV production, Trial and retribution.
He’s gone on to play roles in many notable productions including Hotel Rwanda and the pirates of the Caribbean: the world’s end. The actor has also made appearances in popular series, Law and order: special victims’ unit and criminal minds. Hakeem has also gotten involved in some voice over work. He is married to Bronwyn Kae-Kazim and together, they have three daughters.
3. Cynthia Erivo.
Cynthia Erivo was born on the 8th of January 1987. She was born to Nigerian parents in Stockwell, London. Cynthia attended La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls’ School and wanted to attain a degree in music psychology. She ended up training at the royal academy of dramatic art. She is currently an actress and a singer.
The actress has played roles in The colour purple, the Sister act, the outsider, The Wells end musical, I can’t sing, amongst many other roles. She is also featured on the soundtrack of the musical drama, Beyond the lights and she co-wrote and performed the song, fly before you fall. A significant role Cynthia played was the role of Harriet Tubman in the biological film, Harriet. Cynthia Erivo is roman catholic and identifies as queer and bi.
4. Taio Cruz.
Okay, so this one actually shocked me. Taio Cruz is a singer, song writer, record producer, and rapper. He was born on the 23rd of April 1980 in London to a Yoruba, Nigerian father and a Brazilian mother. Taio’s birth name is Adetayo Ayowale Onile-Ere. He relocated to London when he was older and attended Stanmore College.
He was pushed into the spotlight in 2005, when he received a Brit award from co-writing Will Young‘s single, your game. The artist is the founder of Rockstar Music London. Taio is popular for his 2008 debut album, departure, his follow-up album, Rockstarr, and his first single, do what you like. But to me, all his songs and albums are popular *excessive fangirling mode activated*
5. Ross Barkley.
Okay, one more shocker. This one didn’t just shock me; I’m completely bamboozled here. Ross Barkley is a footballer who currently plays for Luton Town as a midfielder. Ross was born in Liverpool to a Nigerian father and European mother. He goes by his mother’s maiden name, instead of his father’s, Effanga. He joined Everton when he was 11 and played for their youth teams. The footballer was expected to make his big debut as an Everton substitute in 2010 but he broke his leg in one place a while before.
Throughout his career he has played for many teams including Everton, Chelsea, Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds United, Aston Villa, Nice. He is currently number 6 for Luton Town. Ross was actually raised during difficult times, having been abandoned by his father as a baby. But he was still able to rise in his field, thus becoming one of the most famous midfielders in the world today.
Thanks for reading! I really hope you found this article entertaining and enlightening. Please don’t hesitate to leave a comment if you know any more Nigerian global celebrities. You could also explore Trybe City for more content and subscribe to the newsletters.
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