Julie Coker
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July 25, 1939
Julie Coker | |
|---|---|
| Born | Juliet Coker July 25, 1939 Warri, Nigeria |
| Occupations | Producer, Television presenter, Newsreader |
Julie Coker (born Juliet Coker, July 25, 1939) is a Nigerian television presenter, producer and newsreader, now retired. One of the country's pioneer female broadcasters, Coker was a familiar face during the infancy of Nigerian television, most notably on The Bar Beach Show and her own series Julie's World. As a recording artist, she released three albums during the disco era, and has been sampled by contemporary musicians.[1]
Born in Warri to an Egba/Sierra Leonian father and an Itsekiri mother,[2] Coker was raised in Lagos by her mother who had since remarried an Itsekiri man, and attended the Catholic institution St Mary's Convent Primary School where she developed an interest in music and performance art. She later gained admission into another Catholic school, Holy Child College where the nuns changed her first name to the Catholic-friendly "Juliana". When she was fourteen years old, her mother fell sick and moved to her village to recuperate while Coker stayed with her stepfather's family. After a year without communication from her mother, Coker travelled to Sapele where her great-aunt nearly tricked her into early marriage with an older polygamist, but she escaped with the help of another aunt back to Lagos where she earned a scholarship to continue her education at Holy Child College. In 1957, she represented her school in a festival of arts featured in the Daily Times. Upon completion of her studies, Coker began teaching at Our Lady of Apostles Convent in Warri.[3]