Let these words from Genoveva Umeh at TedxLagos Women inspire and spur you to action this week.
Nigerian-British actress, Genoveva Umeh has detailed her experiences and journey from her childhood days growing up as a young girl in Enugu to being an immigrant in the United Kingdom and finally becoming a Nollywood star in a TEDxLagos Women video that was recently released.
Genoveva who recently won the ‘Best Supporting Actress’ at the 2024 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCAs) for the movie ‘Breathe of Life’ has come a long way in her Nollywood acting career. She is popularly known for her role as ‘Timeyin’ in the Netflix Series ‘Blood Sisters’. Other notable movies she has to her name are ‘Far From Home’, ‘A Tribe Called Judah’ to mention a few.
In the TEDX talk which held in March 2024, she revealed how a 2-hour drama class in high school birthed her love for acting. When a friend also encouraged her to get into drama school, she decided it was time to take ownership of her career. After applying to the school and getting selected, she realized she had another hurdle to overcome: paying the 400-pound entry fee.
Not one to give up easily, she decided to take up a part-time job at Primark, thus allowing her to pay her drama school fees.
Genoveva also talked about her academic struggles, and how failing her first year studying law at the university marked a turning point in her life heralding her dreams of being a Nollywood actress.
One thing is evident, Genevieve’s message on overcoming obstacles and challenges and taking advantage of your moments will inspire you to take action and not give up on your dreams.
Watch the full video below