14th August, 2015
Funsho Arogundade
A series of six half-hour documentaries laced with the human stories and energy of Africa’s leading economy, Nigeria will be premiering on Al Jazeera English on 24 August 2015.
Each of the documentary titled, ‘My Nigeria’ will focus on one central character, who will invite viewers into their world, sharing their story in their own words. The channel’s choice are top stand up-comedian Basketmouth, Nollywood star Kate Henshaw, ICT expert Gbenga Sesan, fashion designer Deola Sagoe, football coach Femi Bamigboye and female mechanic Sandra Aguebor.
“The series was commissioned specifically to support Al Jazeera English’s theme ‘Hear the human story,’ to bring people’s stories directly to our screens, told in a first-person style without mediation and offering a range of authentic views,” said Ingrid Falck, head of documentaries at Al Jazeera English.
Ingrid added, “To get beyond the clichés of Africa, there isn’t a better place than Nigeria which is home to one in five Africans. For every stereotype of corruption or extremism, there are millions of ordinary Nigerians making this African powerhouse tick. Our series focuses on these individuals to see firsthand how Nigerians are busy making a difference.”
Award-winning South African directors Brian Tilley and Clifford Bestall shot the series across Nigeria.
John Ugbe, Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria said of the series: “It gives us great joy that Al Jazeera is shining the spotlight on success stories while showcasing the amazing talent that exists in Nigeria. Our audiences on the DStv and GOtv platforms will definitely find the series inspiring.”
The series line-up are:
BASKETMOUTH: TRASH TALKING, premiering 24 August 2015
Basketmouth (real name Bright Okpocha) is arguably one of Nigeria’s most successful stand-up comic. Born and bred in Lagos slum, Ajegunle, he discovered his gift for comedy by chance and has never looked back. His take on the Lagos elite is upbeat, irreverent and challenging.
KATE HENSHAW: PLAYING A PART, premiering 31 August 2015
Kate Henshaw has always been known as one of the Nollywood stars with integrity. Having made over 70 films, Kate decides to leave the fictional world and run for a seat in Nigeria’s House of Representatives. Kate wants to change how people are represented in her hometown of Calabar in Southern Nigeria, but politics in Nigeria is not for the timid.
GBENGA SESAN: CONNECTING A MILLION, premiering 7 September 2015
As a school student, Gbenga Sesan was denied access to the computer room at his Nigerian school and told he was not clever enough to operate one. Years later, Gbenga is an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) expert, with international awards and a successful consultancy business. He’s spreading his good fortune by teaching ICT and life-skills to young adults in Nigeria’s poorest neighbourhoods.
DEOLA SAGOE: TOP DRAWER, premiering 14 September 2015
Nigerian fashion has broken out, gracing the catwalks of New York, Johannesburg and Monaco. Deola Sagoe was one of the designers who led this Nigerian fashion expansion. The House Of Deola Sagoe is on Lagos’ Victoria Island and caters for Nigeria’s who’s who. Deola’s father, prominent Nigerian businessman Chief Ade Ojo, never wanted his daughter to go into fashion. He actively discouraged her,
wanting her to take over his lucrative business. But Deola had other ideas…
FEMI BAMIGBOYE – LOCAL MAN, premiering 21 September 2015
Femi Bamigboye is the coach and founder of the Remo Football Academy in the small Nigerian town of Iperu. You have to really look for Iperu on the map, but Femi has managed to produce a line of young players who represent Nigeria at age group level, including two players who will represent Nigeria at the under 17 World Cup at the end of the year. This is some achievement in a country of over 180 million people. Femi is not just a football coach: he is a pastor with a loyal congregation who worship every Sunday in a lean-to church in the middle of the thick forest that surrounds Iperu. Femi feels his job is not just to teach football; he wants to develop world-class young men.
SANDRA AGUEBOR: LADY MECHANIC, premiering 28 September 2015
Sandra Aguebor is Nigeria’s first Lady Mechanic. Growing up in Benin City in a polygamous family, Sandra’s mother actively discouraged her from following her dream, sometimes beating her when she would be out tinkering in an engine instead of doing her kitchen chores. But Sandra is the sort of woman who responds well to adversity. She has built a network of lady mechanics that is spreading from city to city in Nigeria by training ex-sex workers, orphans, and victims of trafficking to be mechanics. Sandra’s Lady Mechanic Initiative has now spread to the north with its first project in Kano City, where the response from Muslim women has been unprecedented.