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Interview mit Nneka \"Sometimes I\'m pissed off\"

JW: Obviously love is a very important thing for you. But do you believe in the one and only love, in the one person that fits perfectly to you for the rest of your life?

N: Oh, you mean men and women love? I‘m not sure. I know that there is one love, an absolute love, that empowers, that is over each and everyone of us. And love does not possess, love does not obsess, love does not take, love does not request, love does not cage, love does not imprison, love is free, love is not selfish, love is so many things that we think love is not. I think it has a lot to do with how you love yourself. If you love yourself, then you also love other people. And if you‘re living in the spirit, then you start loving other people more and more. It‘s important that you have god to be able to love without human boundaries. There‘s a different between humans boundaries and god‘s boundaries.

JW: What do you love about yourself?

N: Wow… I‘m very, very self-critical, but that doesn‘t mean I don‘t love myself.

JW: Sometimes it‘s good to be a bit self-critical…

N: Yes, but I think I do that quite often. It‘s sometimes not that good. But I‘m generous. I‘m very, very generous. I give.

JW: Do we know who you are just through your music?

N: If you want to know who I am, come to my stage. I am who I am. Sometimes I am pissed of, sometimes I‘m not pissed off, sometimes I‘m happy, sometimes I try to control myself… self control is very important!

JW: What makes you feel pissed off?

N: ...when I‘m too fast with my reactions. When you realise you went too fast, you get pissed off, because you acted that way. And that again is self-criticism. That is good, it‘s very healthy. You need to learn how to control yourself in that moment. I think that is also one big challenge, it‘s a fruit of the spirit. Goodness, kindness.. all these things.

JW: Yes, that's something we have to learn. But if you grow up you also get used to the world… do you sometimes feel like you‘re an adult now and you forgot how beautiful things are and maybe wish to be a child again?

N: I can hardly remember my childhood. And I don‘t want to spoil these wonderful childhood dreams. I think it‘s a great thing to look through the eyes of a child, because it is humble and loving and children don‘t have bad intentions… but for my side of the story, I don‘t know how it is to be a child.
I think I was born grown up. So maybe I do have some characteristics of a child sometimes, yes! Right now I am a child and a woman at the same time, but I‘m glad I‘ve gone through what I‘ve gone trough in life and now I‘m able to inspire people and teach them they‘re worth it.

JW: You moved back to Nigeria from Hamburg - why?

N: There was no specific reason; I was kind of always travelling in-between. I had a place that was not really my place. So I decided to get myself in my old place.

JW: In what kind of way does Nigeria inspire you?

N: Nigeria has made me strong and made me the person I am today. I like the fact that I‘m mixed. I‘m glad that I have two passports. Green and red! And you know, you can criticise both sides. And nobody can tell you you are a racist, because I‘m not. I love being white and I love being black. It‘s wonderful.

JW: So, you see yourself as.. half/half?

N: I grew up in Nigeria, so I tend to be more African than German, but I had to get the German side at the age of 19 and there are some things I picked up in Germany (I‘m not too punctual, but I try!). The discipline. And I learned more about Africa in Germany than there. We don‘t have that much libraries and stuff. To appreciate Africa is something that I‘ve learned here.

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