by Rachel Ogbu

Nigerian-born British actress, Wunmi Mosaku born as Oluwunmi Olapeju Mosaku, has won her first British Academy Television Award (BAFTA). She received the accolade for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the TV drama ‘Damilola, Our Loved Boy’.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Wunmi said, “I didn’t have to imagine much”, “I just talked to my mum and saw it through her eyes.’’

Mosaku arrived the UK from Nigeria when she was 18 months. Her mum was studying for a PhD at the time.

The 30-year-old actress originally from Zaria is popular in the UK for her roles as Joy in the BBC Two miniseries Moses Jones (2009) and Holly Lawson in the ITV series Vera (2011–12). She is also internationally known for her roles in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Philomena (2013) and in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

According to online data, Mosaku was born in Nigeria and subsequently emigrated to Manchester, England where she attended the Trinity Church of England High School and Xaverian Sixth Form College. In 2007, she graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and made her stage debut at the Arcola Theatre in a production of Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s The Great Theatre of the World.

Mosaku was originally cast as Sophie in the UK premiere of Ruined by Lynn Nottage at the Almeida Theatre but had to pull out due to an injury. She bounced back in 2010 when she was named one of The Seven Fresh Faces of Toronto International Film Festival, for I Am Slave, in which she plays Malia, a girl who has been kidnapped from her village in Sudan and sold into slavery. For her performance, Mosaku won awards such as Best Actress at the Birmingham Black Film Festival, Best Onscreen performance at the Cultural Diversity Awards and Best Female performance at the Screen Nation Awards.