Encomium
FEMALE music act, Gift Uwame a.k.a Muma Gee has opened up comprehensively on her love story. The music sensation who tied the knots with her husband, Prince Eke revealed how she found love after she has been linked with men in the past. She also divulged her next move in this interview with ENCOMIUM Weekly.
What’s been happening to Muma Gee, months after your marriage?
I have been working, I have been in the studio. I didn’t just marry and forgot about my career. I have been working on Motherland, which is my latest album. It’s going to be released very soon. I have decided to be in my closet because of the rigours of the marriage thing. The traditional rites alone took about a year, it was like a project.
Why did the marriage rites take that long?
I am a chief in my place so I have to go through the normal process, my traditional marriage went through about six stages. I was even wondering if my husband will get tired and give up but he didn’t. Sometimes he is not permitted to see me, it was so formal. The traditional marriage took place in two states, in the morning we were in Rivers State and by 2 p.m we were in Imo State.
What is it like to be a role model to your people in Ekpeye land?
More responsibilities, to be honest.
Before you got married your clothing line was doing well and suddenly the buzz went down?
The clothing line is still very much on, we are producing, we are also shifting base to Port Harcourt which is my home. We are going to have the clothing line in Lagos as well as Abuja and Port Harcourt. Not just the brief, we are also producing ball gown, urban wears. I believe anything you do you must be thorough with it.
Before your marriage, twice the date was shifted, what really happened?
We shifted it from November to December. We planned to have it on my birthday, my husband wanted to honour me with that, and again we were shooting my video, Port Harcourt is back, then we thought we needed to reduce the number of guests. We had to go back again to work on that, so we shot my video on November 18, 2011 and had the wedding in December.
There was this high expectation about your wedding that many were looking forward to since you got engaged, why was that?
I think maybe because the press wrote that Muma Gee had a secret marriage, which was why I said to myself I had to go back to my homeland, to my roots and do it properly. Even when I tried to explain to people that it was just the first phase of my traditional marriage, they wouldn’t listen. Some were even annoyed that I did my marriage secretly without their knowledge, I felt bad.
As at the time you participated in the Gulder Ultimate Search, were you married that time?
No, I wasn’t. It was because of too much emphasis on marriage, bla, bla, bla that I said that time yes, I am married, so what? I was also asked then where was my ring? And I said it is not everybody that got married that wears their ring. I was not even engaged then. During the Gulder Ultimate Search, people insinuated I was having an affair with Emeka Ike, which is a big lie. After all that, Emeka won and I went to his church for thanksgiving and also met his family and fortunately, I met my husband in the church because my husband happens to be Emeka Ike’s friend. Emeka said to me, we love you so much, people have been abusing us, I want you to meet my friend and same moment he proposed. I didn’t date him, we didn’t have carnal knowledge of ourselves till we were married. I wouldn’t deny it. I was emotionally attached to Emeka Ike as a friend and as someone who make sense, not friend as in dating. My husband told me he wanted a mother, a wife and I just asked him a brief question about his background like what he studied in school and he told me he is a second degree holder. His first degree was from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State in Psychology and his Master’s was at Imo State University, where he read International Relations and I said to myself, there is prospect, the future is bright.
Since you two didn’t date before marriage, why take such risk?
When you meet the right guy, no need for dating. I needed a guy who is high above me so I will look up and somebody who is educated than me and someone who is more intelligent than I do, all these he has. From Emeka Ike’s house we immediately visited his family and also travelled to meet my people. We travelled all around and all that time we abstained because he is a Christ Embassy member. The two of us were forming the Christianity stuff, none of us wanted to make the move. It was later that he told me he was tired of all our travelling that we needed to settle down. He now proposed to me with a ring.
What about his family, were they not bothered by your personality as a musician?
Not at all, my marriage was just the normal thing. The Muma Gee factor was not there at all, if it was there maybe it wouldn’t have worked. No matter how big you are, when it comes to family issues, you will just be normal.
Apart from Emeka Ike, you have been romantically linked with different men, was that why you didn’t bother to court with your husband before marriage, you seem to have rushed the whole thing?
Come straight, they have written rubbish about me, that’s not true. As an African woman, you are not complete until you are married, you have to be answerable to somebody.
Meeting your husband was like a fairy tale, is that the first time you were falling in love?
I was not even in love before I got married, the love grew. I only had confidence because Emeka Ike is my pal, he wouldn’t see fire and tell me to jump into it. Emeka gave me the confidence that I needed. My husband might be a bit younger compared to Emeka, but his maturity stunned me. Of course, I didn’t just fold my arms, if you see what we went through in our marriage you will not even think of slapping your wife. If you take a wife from my place, Ekpeye land, you wouldn’t even slap her.
Will you say you are in the right place now?
It was the right time, the appointed man, the appointed time and everything worked out fine. All I needed was just a little bit of sacrifice especially my social life, I have not done clubbing for like two years now, unless he takes me out.
What has changed about you now?
Basically, my rate of working, I work double hard now. Before it was just me and my career but now there is somebody in my life, he is in charge. Before now, I didn’t cook my food, but now its mandatory because my husband doesn’t eat outside, unless in some situation. We have a maid who cooks for the house, but I personally cook his food.
The babies have not started coming, how are you going to cope when the time comes?
Let’s take things one after the other, we went through a lot for our marriage and we are not God.
- This story was first published in ENCOMIUM Weekly on Tuesday, March 06, 2012
