Okawa Shaznays biography, net worth, fact, career, awards and life story

May 2024 · 3 minute read
IntroActress
Is

Actor 

From

Ghana 

Type

Film, TV, Stage & Radio 

Genderfemale
Birth29 May 1986, Bamenda
Age:34 years

Okawa Shaznay is a Nollywood actress from Cameroon and the first from her country to successfully break into Nollywood with her role in the blockbuster movie Iyore; starring alongside Rita Dominic and Joseph Benjamin. Okawa Shaznay has also gained more prominence with her leading role in the 2016 hit TV series Delilah: The Mysterious Case of Delilah Ambrose. She won the Exquisite Lady of the Year (ELOY) award for TV Actress of the year in 2016 for her role in Delilah.

Table of Contents

Early life and background

Okawa Shaznay was born in Cameroon. she began her secondary school education in Presbyterian Secondary School Mankon, Bamenda, Cameroon. Shaznay later moved to the United States for higher education, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Texas Southern University.

Career

Shaznay developed interests in performing arts at an early age taking part in stage plays and small film projects in her home country. With the huge influx of Nigerian movies into Cameroon at the time and ongoing it introduced her to the world of Nollywood in the 90’s which she grew to love and admire. Shaznay featured in her very first movie in Cameroon called “Master DJ” in 2004. She later moved to the United States in 2005 for higher education where she later graduated in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Texas Southern University. It was in houston tx she joined the All Africa Theater group with whom she moved on the road with for 2 summers performing an adaptation of Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” playing Ezinne. After then she went on to do a little over 10 African films in the U.S working alongside some of nollywood’s biggest stars.

During this period from 2010 Shaznay began to have a buzz in the African film industry and was cited in Dulce Camer’s 2010 top 50 Cameroonians to watch out for. A former miss Cameroon USA; She burst into the Nollywood /Gollywood scene in 2013 with a big-screen role in the movie “Cheaters” directed by the legendary African film director Frank Rajah Arase for which she was nominated as Most Promising Actress in the 2nd annual 2013 Golden Icons Academy Movie Awards.

She also starred in the 2016 released movie project “REFUGEES” which was filmed in Ghana in 2012 and completed in Atlanta USA towards the later months of 2013. She starred in her first movie shot in Nigeria in 2014 which is the highly anticipated movie Iyore starring alongside Nollywood screen queen Rita Dominic and Joseph Benjamin. Okawa also gave a mind blowing performance in the 2014 well received movie “Sisters at War” a.k.a. (Sister’s War/Sister’s Apart) starring alongside Jackie Appiah and Yvonne Nelson.

Awards and nominations

YearEventPrizeWorkResult
20132013 Golden Icons Academy Movie AwardsMost Promising ActressCheatersNominated
20142014 Golden Icons Academy Movie AwardsBest Supporting ActressSisters at WarNominated
20152015 Nigeria Entertainment AwardsActress of the Year (Africa)IyoreNominated
2016ELOY AwardsTV Actress of the yearDelilah: The Mysterious Case of Delilah AmbroseWon

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2004Master DJSirriSarabi PicturesCameroon
20088th CommandmentSarabi PicturesCameroon/USA
2009CagedPart 2: “Uncaged”
2009Governor’s gift
2010The Betmarketed”Husband’s Desire”
2011The Other Side of Love
2011This Is Houston
2012X-class
2013High Endz
2013Blind Pursuit
2013Cheaters 1&2Clarawith Jackie Appiah & Adjetey AnangGhana
2014Sisters At War 1&2Ayah Ampahwith Jackie Appiah, Yvonne Nelson & Koffi AjorloloGhana
2014Cheaters VacationTracywith Yvonne Nelson, Eddie WatsonGhana
2014The Prince of BarmahRita NashVenus Films productionGhana
2014Don’t Play that GameElisewith Jackie Appiah , Joselyn Dumas , John Dumelo, Yvonne NelsonGhana
2015ScarsGayawith Mike Ezuruonye , Clarion Chuwurah, Zack Orji , Lilian EsoroNigeria
2015IyorePrincess Ajoke/Amenze/Onaiwuwith Rita Dominic, Joseph Benjamin , Yemi Blaq, Bukky Wright & Paul ObazeleNigeria – Released in cinemas May 8, 2015
2016Refugees2016Ghana/U.S.A
2016Delilah: The Mysterious Case of Delilah Ambrose (TV series)Delilah Victoria AmbroseClarion Chukwurah, Micheal Okon, Paul ObazeleNigeria
2017Crossed PathMelodywith Ken Erics, Frank Artus & Emem InwangNigeria

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