She is one of the biggest names rocking the social, cultural and business life in Spain. Princess (Mrs) Nwanneka Campo, actress and philanthropist gutsy and adventurous from Enugu, in Enugu State.
Nwanneka ventured into marriage with a Spaniard in a romance that started with love at first fight at the tender age of 19.
“Because of the cancellation of that presidential election, the Federal Government closed all borders and imposed a flight ban which caused foreign embassies to call back their nationals. My husband had to go and I found myself with a tough decision to make:
“I had just matriculated for my final year and we hadn’t resumed because of the unrest; also my first baby, Julia, was only a few months old. My husband decided he will leave with the baby and I, and if I won’t go, he will leave with the baby alone. I had to decide whether to stay back until things calmed down and finish my studies then join him and my baby later or follow him to Spain.”
It was her decision to make and for a 19 year old Ibo girl of that time it was indeed a tough decision. I had never left my country before and I was only 21, but in the end I decided to go with my husband and my baby.
“I learnt the language with great determination guage in six months; I had the best teachers – my parents in-law, but my main teacher was my father in-law who’s late now. He was such a strict teacher that, if he spoke a word I didn’t understand, he would still repeat the same word with signs slowly and clearly as if I’m deaf and dumb; he wasn’t speaking English and didn’t even want to learn and because my husband was working in another state I had no choice but to be a very attentive pupil and that did it:in six months I was at home with Spanish language.”
On the humanity of the Spaniards, Campo assures they are the best Europeans in the world.
‘Sure, I can tell you the best Europeans are the Spaniards; they’re very warm people, humanitarians who help foreigners a lot; their social welfare package to me is one of the best because even if you’re not working, government pays your hospital bills; we have people who have undergone surgery about five times and they never paid one cent.”
On the Nigerians in the Diaspora, Nwanne has great respect for the Nigerian spirit.
“The working class Nigerians in Spain paints a picture of tenacity, leisure and survival. ‘In big cities like Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona, etc Nigerians are into God’s business like Churches, we have lots of them; also they are into operating business centres. They are a force to reckon with in entertainment and nite club businesses. Another business you find lots of Nigerians is in small eateries in the big cities. While in the area I live we don’t have even one restaurant but in mainstream Madrid you can find lots of restaurants in one street alone so they have great competition in the food business.
Meanwhile, news of distressed and stranded African immigrants entering Europe through water and desert,upset her humanity and she threw herself into identifying and meeting their needs.
As a voluntary worker in Cadiz, she was a life line, assisting these truamatised African immigrants coming into Spain through the sea from Morocco.
Under an NGO called Tartessos, Priness Campo was involved in bailing out immigrants from the police and helping them, especially their ladies with children and those that are pregnant; they kept the afflicted, hungry and exhausted immigrants in apartments, fed and clothed them and helped procure their legal documents. That was her preoccupation for a whole year.
Meanwhile, Princess Campo all the while, threw her young energy into organising conferences and lots of shows for the Spanish world – ostensibly to get them to know about Africans and Nigerians in particular so that they change some of the prejudices they hold about the black race.
Even while involved in all these, the Princess was all the while working hand-in-hand with the local authorities of the State of Pielago (also in Northern Spain), where she participated in intercultural projects.
In that forum, participants from other nations work to get Spaniards closer to their respective cultures. She represented Nigeria while her other colleagues represented their respective countries. She still recalls some of them like Abdul who represented Pakistan, Abiba from Morocco, Bella from Azadvejile; Mariokenia from Venezuela, and many more.
Of ‘Nigerians living in Spain’, (a Facebook group she created), Campo also used the platform as a forum where they (Nigerians) feel at home, announce and discuss their businesses and problems and remind themselves of the necessity to be ambassadors of Nigeria while in Spain, and this is by keeping their lives and businesses within the bounds of the law. This, she said, is because they have great Nigerian based artistes, entertainers and comedians in Spain and they all belong to this forum; then of course, they share jokes and generally have fun.
It was no surprise that her name recently emerged as one of the nominees for Igbo women award, by a London based organisation, the high profile International Igbo Women (IWA)Conference and Awards Gala Dinner 2016.
While friends and fans rejoice with her for this recognition, another section of people in the Diaspora are celebrating the Princess for immeasurable benefits they have accessed through her unsung philanthropic works since over two decades she has stormed the Spanish world.
Our Princess Nwanne Campo is a Sociology Graduate of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) and is a recipient of the prestigious award of the African Diaspora Woman of the year 2013, organized by Voice of Achievers, Netherlands among others.
Only last week, Princess Nwanneka Campo the MC that anchored one of the greatest show in Bilbao (Northern Spain) exploded to fragments of colourful musicals that rocked the tourist’s city of delight on Friday.
The Tekno’s Concert, unarguably the most famous singer of Duro – besides his ecstatic thrills, paraded a galaxy of other artists that included Twist Ghana (the famous Afro dance artist), Mark Ido (afro hiphop) and Kazrich dance crew among others.
Princess Campo’s Manager and Photographer, young Miss Chelo Campo is younger of her two daughters.
What more can one say? Give it up for the Nigerian of Nigerians in the Spanish world.
