Nigerian actress Stella Damasus has explained why her family name changed from Ojukwu to Damasus.
During a recent interview on Channels Television with Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, the actress revealed the historical background of her family's name change.
She revealed that the change came during the Biafra war to protect her family from possible attacks due to her Igbo heritage.
Stella also addressed the frequent mispronunciation of her last name over the years, despite her efforts to correct it.
Ebuka commented: “It is interesting that many people did not realize that his last name was not what they thought. I always knew it was Damascus, but many people assumed it was Damascus. Did that surprise you?
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Stella responded: “Over the years I've corrected it in so many interviews that I thought people would have noticed.
“But I was still in shock. People still think it's Damascus, not Damascus. I understand why: they got used to it and didn't bother to change. “It's funny and I've seen comments that really blew me away.”
“Dámaso was my grandfather's first name; It is a Greek name. Our original surname was Ojukwu, but during the Biafra war, my people in Asaba were attacked.
The name was changed before I was born and I grew up with the name Damasus. When I asked about it, they told me it was for survival and there was nothing I could do about it,” he explained.
NIGERIAN TRIBUNE