Patience Ozokwor, ace actress, has expressed concerns 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 an interview with ChannelsTV.
“That is not marriage for me. That 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 that they’re 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’s our duty as good mothers.
“I mean, what you see today will be a child’s play. The future will be worse and that’s 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 even when he was battling a terminal illness.
“When you find that the man is already sick with a terminal disease, you have to battle with training the children and helping him out. He’s your husband. You can’t deny it and you must do your duty as a wife,” she added.
“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 a 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’m done with this but I couldn’t.”
Ozokwor: I was forced into marriage… love didn’t matter
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 parent’s decision. I come from a polygamous family where the daughter of my mother’s mates gets married and she would want her own daughter to get married too. They said I couldn’t wait for my love,” she said.
“The one that presented himself then, I was forced into marriage. Being married off that young was horrible. Our own time was when you didn’t have to decide who marries you. Your parents or cousin, anybody could arrange it.
“Once your parents have agreed, you’re in for it. It was about growing into loving my husband and companionship. But it’s when you’re trying to please your parents. In our family, you don’t come back from your husband’s place.
“You stay, manage it, and make the best out of the marriage. When I came and saw what was involved, I put my head in it because I couldn’t disappoint my father. Once you start having children, it’s not easy to abandon them.
“The reason I stayed was to please my family and care for my kids. Whether there was love or not doesn’t matter.”
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