Venita Akpofure: I get stereotyped due to my looks

Venita Akpofure is a British-Nigerian actress and video vixen. She gained prominence as a housemate in the fourth season of the Big Brother Naija. Akpofure was born in the United Kingdom and also hails from Delta State. She grew up in Benin, Edo State where she attended Our Lady of Apostles for her primary school education before returning to England. She studied Accounting at Kingston Hertfordshire University in the United Kingdom. She plays the lead role of Nengi in Africa Magic’s Unmarried. In this interview with IJEOMA THOMAS-ODIA, she shares misconceptions people have about her and her journey through the Big Brother House, among other issues.

If you have any advice for the new set of housemates coming in, what would it be, knowing what you know?
Knowing what I know, I will say that you cannot get another housemate that you can trust; your partnership can’t take you through today and you’re better off facing it on your own. Whatever you do, don’t shift to a sisterhood, to romance, and do not do man or woman relationships. Throw that one in the trash, it will end in tears and last last, everybody go chop breakfast.

Talking about breakfast, are you speaking from experience?
No, I didn’t enter any relationship; they just put me on top of a lot of ‘ships’. I didn’t quite enter one, so no breakfast for me.

Tell us about your journey in the entertainment space?
I have been here a long time. I am at a space where someone within the age of 18 to 25 has an identity of me. A person that is 35 years old and older has a different identity of me, because I’ve been in this space for a long time. A lot of people know me from before AY’s crib, others the vixen side of me, and others from ‘Unmarried’.

It’s like a lot of people are following me in different ways, and I’m thankful to them. What people forget is that unlike the other housemates, I do have that long span of industry work, so I behave differently. I handle things a little bit differently and I pride myself on being a real human being.

What was your reason for going to the Big Brother house at the time you did?
At that stage of my life, I wanted to be vulnerable for somebody else to see that it’s okay to fall apart and build yourself back. Our culture is very quick to shame, tell you why you don’t have, why you didn’t do, what you shouldn’t have done as a woman or as a wife. And for some of us, we may never get it right, which is okay. So, we just take it easy, be the best of you and keep pushing, that’s it.

How have you evolved since after Big Brother?
Now, I’m a mumpreneur. I’m learning how to juggle creative arts, do my business and still live my life and not give all of it out. So I’m at a very good place. I’m enjoying my life right now.

What is your most memorable day in the Big Brother House?
Let’s say the first day I came in. I had one of the biggest entrances of all time. That was a very proud moment for me. I was on the top 10 as well. And there have been a lot of housemates that have walked six seasons of Big Brother. Let’s see. Somebody’s gonna make a pop up this season.

What is the misconception about you that people usually have?
That I am as rich as Bill Gates or that I am as evil as Lucifer himself but I’m okay with everybody’s misconceptions. Like, what do you want me to do? I have my own misconceptions about people too.

What would you say are the challenges you have faced in the industry over the years?
Challenges I found, for me, is I get stereotyped because of what I look like. But I’m somebody who’s ready to work and also to show people that I do get down and things are not always just as they seem; the grass is not always green. The same way somebody is worried about them, or is worrying about this bill. I got my own stuff that I’m worried about as well.

With your experiences, what do you think is the cause of celebrity marriage crashing?
From my experience and from the experiences of other people close to me, it really is communication. We’re in an industry where everybody wants to be tough and everybody is taking influences from what they feel their relationships should be, based on social media, but a relationship is really a journey. We don’t communicate well when we are hurt and sad, dissatisfied, or unhappy and it’s common in the black community worldwide.

How do you juggle your many roles?
I’m not juggling anything. I’m just figuring it out. Don’t get it right all the time. That’s my opinion. Someone else may disagree. Someone else may say that she could do it, but I don’t get it right. There’s no handbook to this. The plan that worked for my mum and dad cannot be applied to me. This is a different time, different society, but I think it’s very important to prepare the child for the road and not the road for the child. That saves a lot of heartache. So, talk to your children, communicate with them, which Nigerian parents are struggling to do. But tell them the real thing, what marriage is actually about. I’m a realist. That’s the way I learn.

How would you describe your fashion sense?
I like to be relaxed and authentic in my dress sense.

Can you describe yourself in three words?
It’s three words of crazy, sexy, cool.