Egbe Regina Mbeng affectionately known as Gina
Cephas by her fans is a music star. She attended Esut
Institute of Music, Douala, Cameroun. This diva tells
ADAEZE AMOS in this interview how proud she feels
being a woman and how charitable she has been to
fellow women. Excerpts:
How do you feel being one of the Nigerian women of
honour, especially in music?
Sincerely speaking, I feel great because that keeps me
up on my feet and tells me how much work I need to
put into everything I do.
This is March when every woman the world over is
remembered and celebrated, are you excited?
I wish you would feel my pulse so that you know how
excited I am. I feel excited and I suppose every woman
should because we deserve to be celebrated. The
reason is that women are the backbone of every family
and nation. Without them there won’t be success
stories. I’m very honoured to be a woman. We are
wonderfully and fearfully made by God?
What words of encouragement and advice do you have
for women?
Try your best to fulfil a purpose in life. Don’t allow
your sex in a male-dominated society as ours deter
you. Go and achieve your aim daily and come back
fulfilled. Even when things are not working the way you
expect, don’t give up hope. Forge ahead and you would
see how God would crown your efforts with success
one day. I’m a hard worker, goal-getter so to say. I
have dreams and I am doing everything possible to
fulfil them and each time I achieve one goal of mine, I
feel fulfilled.
In your prayers, what do you promise God?
I always remind Him in prayers that I must do
whatever I need to do to please Him as a mother, wife
and daughter of Zion with my whole heart. One o f the
projects I’m working on is to place every Nigerian
woman is a crown of honour by releasing songs they
would listen to and feel proud that they are indeed
women.
How do you think life would have been without
women?
Baseless, bleak and ugly. The reason is that wherever
there is a woman, there you find beauty and life. I
won’t forget to point out that women are loaded with
great potential, so we need to be given the chance and
opportunity to bring our contributions for the good of
humanity. I always say that women ought to be given
a chance.
Is it true that women are their own worst enemies?
No, it is not true. That statement to me does not hold
water. Even men do not love their fellow men. But my
prayer has always been that women should all come
together as one, joining hands together to make the
world a better place. Bearing in mind that united we
stand and divided we fall. A single hand can’t tie a
bundle and a tree can’t make a forest.
Can you reach out to women who are in hellish
marriages, battered, beaten and broken by their
husbands?
Always go on your knees. There is nothing prayer
cannot solve! Remember also that every home has its
own challenge and challenges do not come to destroy
if handled well. They are there to make us better
women. So, whatever you are passing through, be
strong and remain prayerful. Someday answers and
solutions would take you by surprise.
What drives you as an artiste?
So many things drive me as a female artiste. The first
is determination the determination to do music despite
the fact that it is quite difficult for women to rise in
Nigerian entertainment industry. Another thing that
drives me is the fact that I am unique and beautiful in
my own way.
Generally, what’s your advice for women?
My advice to my fellow women is never let anyone treat
you like a trash. Remember you are precious, beautiful,
full of worth or potential and unique in God’s eyes.
