Nollywood actress, Linda Osifo, has revealed that she contemplated bleaching her skin while in Canada because of racial slurs.
The actress, who was born in Benin City, Nigeria, before moving to Canada at 16, said the racism she suffered was traumatising for her because it came from “within”.
She disclosed this in a recent interview with media personality, Chude Jideonwo.
The host, Chude, asked: “You talked about wanting to bleach your skin because when you grow up people would call me a monkey (sic). [Did] this literally happen?”
Osifo replied: “Yeah. It happens absolutely. And it happens from your shade too, you know. So, that’s why it’s even more of a weird thing.”
“I always feel that those who get bullied, don’t get bullied by outsiders. It’s from within. Because if somebody else says it, you may not care but if somebody who is around you, who you are always kinda seeing every other day says it, it hurts more.”
This was when I was a teenager in Canada. The positive aspect of moving [back] to Nigeria, was seeing more of individuals who look just like me” the actress said.
Linda Osifo added that, relocating to Nigeria made her appreciate herself more.