Rukayya Suleiman Saje, popularly called Samira Saje, is one of the big-shots in the Hausa movie industry. Saje is known for outstanding roles and ‘Kukan Karshe’. Recently, Samaira Saje secured a brand ambassadorial contract for MasterStoke, an international NGO that is out to bring succor to stroke patients across the world. In this interview with IBRAHIM RAMALAN, Saje reveals that her penchant to give back to the society made her accept MasterStroke ambassadorship.
Could you introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Rukayya Suleiman Saje, popularly called Samira Saje. I am a graduate of Banking and Finance from Kaduna Polytechnic. I am 21 years old, Fulani girl from Jalingo, Taraba state. Before joining Kannywood some years back, I attended victory international School, Jalingo and Global Computers.
When did you start acting and what inspired you?
I started acting around 2012, although I have always wanted to act in Kannywood since I was young. Any time I watch a Hausa film, I feel impressed and inspired. That was why as time went by, I let the cat out of the bag at home. And to my surprise, my parents game me 100% support. They were not discouraged by all they had been hearing about the film industry, possibly because they knew who their daughter was and by God grace, I have always tried to uphold these values I have learnt at home, in fact, my uncle shorteed me to Tijjani Faraga, one of the popular actors in the industry.
How many films have you featured in so far?
I have so far featured in many films, though mostly as a supporting actress. Many a times my school took me away because my parents always insisted on my school first before any other thing. That was why I always sneaked out of location to attend classes. I featured in some best-selling films like: ‘Farin Wata’, ‘Azeemah’, ‘Harda Mijina’, ‘Makira’. However, I played a lead role in ‘Kukan Karshe’, which is a
big project because it entails a lot of things that were not done in the past. It is really a must-watch film because it epitomizes an ideal society where everyone is allowed to reach his or her highest potentialities in life.
In the film, I started as a hopeless Fulani girl that got opportunity to go to school and became a Banker and later became the President of my country. So you could see how the film is showing the possibility
of nobody becoming somebody in life. This, I think, is a great lesson for us: Don’t look down on anybody because you feel you are better than him now. You don’t know what would happen to him tomorrow.
What roles do you think you can’t play as an actress?
I can’t accept to play a role as a prostitute, or a wayward lady because I don’t look like one. Also, as a Hausa Fulani Muslim, I can’t kiss on stage or hug.
You have recently been made Brand Ambassador for MasterStroke. What is the NGO all about?
I have signed a one year contract with them, beginning from the 1st of this July. I am their first brand Ambassador in Nigeria. They have branches in Nigeria, Finland, Canada, Japan, Sweden and South Africa.
MasterStroke is a stroke awareness and support project by Acha Memorial Foundation. It is a development project in Africa that is aimed at educating 10 million Africans about stroke with the aim of improving healthcare in local communities so as to reduce the number of deaths and disability caused by stroke and related complications.
How did you secure the contract?
They just contacted me and told me that they had been following me on social media and some of my films that was why they decided to make me their ambassador. I readily accepted because I always buy into ideas of helping the helpless. I have always looked for a way to give back to my society.
How would you help them achieve this objective as their brand ambassador?
Researchers have shown that the number of strokes cases in Africa increases by 10 percent every year and 80 percent of stroke cases in Africa are preventable because the root cause is bad lifestyle habits such as a lack of physical activities. So, by reaching out to stroke-redden patients. We also want to educate Nigerians about stroke, especially the fact that when you have stoke, you are not condemned to die. You can also live a meaningful life.
That is why we go out enlightening people about the dangers of stroke and the best ways a stroke patient can live a simple life. Recently, I visited Aminu Kano General Hospital, Kano and supported more than 100 stroke patients with gifts and monetary donations to support their treatment. These are ways we could help support their treatment.
Could you tell us some of the challenges you are facing in the film industry?
Jealousy is one of it. I hate when one of us come with a brilliant idea of how to move the industry forward, or one has secured a good project like this my ambassadorship, some other people would be like, why would this girl get this or that, as in he or she is not at all happy that you have got this or that. They think they are the only ones best suited for such projects. Some would only pretend that they are with you, but when you secure big project, you would see them backing you, they would at times go behind your back. Left for me, I believe if one of us gets something, it is for our overall benefit.
Looking at the uproar about the proposed but allegedly cancelled Film Village, I want to believe that if these people could have their way, they would even stop the film industry in its entirety. What is your take on it?
People need to know that our film industry is thriving. It has also become a source of livelihood to a lot of people. So, come to think of it, if you today deprive someone of his means of livelihood, you can’t
curtail the backlash tomorrow because he would become susceptible to all sort of societal vices. He may even resort to thievery or, to say the worst, armed robbery. So you can only tell me to stop acting when
you have readily provided an alternative source of livelihood for me. To me, with or without film village, Kannywood film industry has come to stay, wart and all.
Where do you see yourself in the industry in the next few years?
Oh! I don’t pray to see these next few years you are talking about. I want to get married as soon as I have got the right person. I thank God that within this short period of my stay in the industry I have been able to achieve a lot. So, what next? Marriage, I believe.
Because I have instilled a legacy for my younger ones, and even my children could be proud of me in one way or the other.
There is this allegation that Kannywood actresses hardly make their marriages successful. What is your opinion about that?
Let me tell you. Honestly, some men, because they thought they could take us for granted, would come to us with illicit intentions and when we turn them down, they would take advantage of our desperations and resort to marriage proposal. When we accept, thinking that it was genuine, when we go into the marriage, after some time they would start creating flimsy excuses and dump us. So tell me, in that case what could you have done, especially for some of us that have resolved never to take our lives to do Yeye things? That is why we easily come back to our known territory (industry) and seek a new beginning. To be honest with you, every woman wants her marriage to be successful.
What about allegations of sex-for-role in Kannywood? If it is true, then tell us your experience about it?
Well, it has never happened to me, even most of the boyfriends I have are casual ones. I am still testing the seriousness of my casual boyfriends so that I would decide the one to chose and marry.
Unfortunately, we have issues of quack actors and actresses that do all sort of things but some of them are not members of the industry.
They only come to spoil our names. So I am appealing to some of us to fear God and stop portraying us in bad light.
