Getting recognized amongst your people is one feat, but to garner global accolades is another whole level on its own. The international stage is a no man’s land, true to the saying that anywhere or level you get, there must be an Igbo man there. There are Igbo people on this global stage, holding it down 100%, getting recognized, and winning multiple awards. In honor of these stars, we bring to you our top Igbo celebrities with global accolades in no particular order
Chinwetel Ejiofor
An international actor with multiple awards and nominations to his name, Chinwetel Umeadi Ejiofor is one Igbo son that has brought pride to the Igbo name.
He is an actor and filmmaker with several high grossing movies to his name, movies like 12 years a slave where he played the male lead (this movie alone earned him more than 15 award nominations, winning several)
Ejiofor has received numerous acting awards and nominations, including the BAFTA Orange Rising Star Award in 2006, five Golden Globe Award nominations, and the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance in Othello in 2008. In 2008, he was presented with an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II for services to the arts. Ejiofor is known for his portrayal of Okwe in Dirty Pretty Things (2002), The Operative in Serenity (2005), Lola in Kinky Boots (2005), Luke in Children of Men (2006), Dr. Adrian Helmsley in 2012 (2009), and Solomon Northup in 12 Years a Slave (2013), for which he received Academy Award, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations, along with the BAFTA Award for Best Actor.
Talking about global accolades, e choke for this side.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Some refer to her as Chinua Achebe’s literary daughter, she is a daring writer tackling sensitive issues in her books. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a literary force to reckon with on the global stage, unafraid to establish her roots and love for her Igbo roots.
The award-winning writer’s works are centered around feminism which she openly identifies with, the issue of racism, and being a black woman, her work also draws extensively on the Biafran war. She was described in The Times Literary Supplement as “the most prominent” of a “procession of critically acclaimed young anglophone authors [which] is succeeding in attracting a new generation of readers to African literature”, particularly in her second home, the United States.
Adichie has been nominated for several international awards of which she won many.
John Obi Mikel
This footballer started his prominent career when he was only twelve years old. He was picked out of three thousand other footballers to play at the Pepsi Football Academy. John Obi Mikel stood out among many other young boys to the scouts, and eventually, he was chosen to play for the top club Plateau United.
This club graduated a lot of stars, which went on to play in the top European leagues. John quickly made headlines as one of the most talented young footballers after he nailed the FIFA Under-17 World Championship. The Norwegian club “Lyn Football”, based in Oslo, expressed interest in this promising player, and he moved to the northern country.
The Practice of ‘Omugwo’ In Igbo Land
John Obi Mikel played for the Chelsea football club for a total of eleven years, from 2006 to 2017. Aside from the club career, John Obi Mikel also had a very productive international career with the Nigerian national team. He first represented the national team by participating in the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship, where he played for the under-20 team of Nigeria. At this tournament, he brilliantly showed his talents, and won the prestigious award “Silver Ball”, for being the second-best player at the championship.
Ngozi Okonjo Iweala
A trailblazer extraordinaire, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala is a one-woman squad breaking barriers with each feat achieves. March 1st, 2021 she was officially appointed the Director-General of World Trade Centre, history was made on that day as she was the first African and also a woman to head the organization.
The WTO is not the first organization Iweala will be heading, she was once the managing director of the World Bank (2007-2011) before ascending that position, she worked at the world for 25 years. She was also Nigeria’s first female finance minister under two different presidents.
Ngozi Okonjo is an economist and international development expert. She sits on the boards of Standard Chartered Bank, Twitter, Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, and the African Risk Capacity (ARC).
Okonjo-Iweala has received numerous recognitions and awards. She has been listed as one of the 50 Greatest World Leaders (Fortune, 2015), the Top 100 Most Influential People in the World (TIME, 2014), the Top 100 Global Thinkers (Foreign Policy, 2011 and 2012), the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in the World (Forbes, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014), the Top 3 Most Powerful Women in Africa (Forbes, 2012), the Top 10 Most Influential Women in Africa (Forbes, 2011), the Top 100 Women in the World (The Guardian, 2011), the Top 150 Women in the World (Newsweek, 2011), the Top 100 most inspiring people in the World Delivering for Girls and Women (Women Deliver, 2011). She was listed among 73 “brilliant” business influencers in the world by Condé Nast International.
Jidenna
An international songwriter and rapper, a man of many talents Jidenna Theodore Mobisson is known for his debut single ‘Classic Man’.
Jidenna Theodore Mobisson was born on May 4, 1985, in Wisconsin, US. He was born to Tama and Oliver Mobisson. Tama was a white accountant and Oliver was a Nigerian lecturer who hails from Imo State. He grew up in Enugu, Nigeria where his father lectured. Later on, he moved back with his family to the US at age 6.
Jidenna is an award-winning artiste, his song Classic Man was nominated for a Grammy Award under the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration category in 2016. Also, he is a 4-times Soul Train Music Award winner. These awards include;
Best New Artist, Soul Train Music Award, 2015
Song of the Year, ‘Classic Man’ ft Roman GianArthur’, Soul Train Music Award, 2015
Video of the Year, ‘Classic Man’ ft Roman GianArthur’, Soul Train Music Award, 2015
Best Dance Performance, ‘Yoga’ ft Janelle Monae, Soul Train Music Award, 2015
Uzo Aduba
Uzoamaka Nwanneka “Uzo” Aduba is a Nigerian-American actress. She is known for her role as Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren on the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019), for which she won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2014, an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2015, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series in 2014 and 2015.
Genevieve Nnaji
Her movie was the first original Nigerian movie to be purchased by Netflix for $3.8 million. In 2020 she was inaugurated into the Oscar Academy voting body. Genevieve Nnaji has paid her dues, now her accolades are coming, its no easy feat to go from local stage to getting recognized globally.
She is an actress, producer, and director who is good at all she does.
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