Nollywood’s popular A-list actress Patience Ozokwor also known as mama G has expressed concern about the divorce culture in contemporary marriages saying she fears for what the younger generation are learning from their parents.
The 62 year old Nollywood star was speaking about her marriage convictions in a recent interview “That is not marriage for me, it is a relationship that could be broken at any time. For me, marriage is forever till death do us part, that’s the way I brought up my children, what we have today baffles me”, the actress said.
“I feel for the children they are giving birth to because I don’t know how they would learn something better from their parents. We are praying for this generation and the one to come, that is our duty as good mothers. I mean what you see today would be a child’s play, the future would be worse and that is what we don’t want”.
Ozokwor made a comparison with her time when marriages were arranged by parents and relatives while couples are left with no choice. She also said she never divorced her own husband when he was battling a terminal illness. When you find that the man is already sick with a terminal disease, you are left with no choice that to battle with training the children and helping him out.
“He s your husband and you cannot deny it and you must do your duty as a wife, coming from a Christian background, we are not allowed to divorce, that gave me the courage to really do what I could. I remember the first time he went into coma , when he recovered and came back he said he wouldn’t believe it if anyone told him I would be able to take care of him like that, everyone thought I was going to burst out and say I am done with this, but I couldn’t” she said.
Further recounting her own experience, Ozokwor said she was forced into marriage at a very young age. According to her, love didn’t matter in the union such that she only grew into companionship with her husband. “It was my parents decision. I come from polygamous family where the daughter of my mother’s mate get married and she would want her own daughter to get married too. They said I couldn’t wait for my love”, she revealed.
The one that presented himself then, I was forced into marriage, being married off that young was horrible, our own time was horrible, our own time was the time when you didn’t have to decide who marries you.