By Aishatou Med
Some years back when I was working with Mujallar Fim, the oldest and the only surviving Hausa magazine, covering the events of the famous Hausa film industry (Kannywood), someone came all the way from Niger Republic to our office and asked to see my Boss and “Baharul mawhiba.”
I asked what and who that was and he smiled and said to me, “Hajiya that’s the name I gave Rabilu Musa and many people in my community have accepted to adress him as such.”
Although the middle aged man, (whose name I can’t recall, didn’t actually tell me what the name meant, I knew the first word “Bahar” meaning “Ocean”, but I had to search for the meaning of the second word, “Mawhiba,” meaning “Talent.”
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The man actually gave me an assignment, because Ibro was never a favourite to me, 8n fact I hardly watched a full episode of his movies.
I began to deeply think about why such a character would be described as such, especially to people like me who saw the character, as an over acting and sometimes a boring one.
It was not until after the death of Ibro, with the space he left, and people’s reactions toward his death, that I began to relate to the description of the Nigerian guy.
Rabilu Musa, left a void in Kannywood, which is yet to be filled, as his audience, Producers and Directors in the industry, have testified to the impossibility of filling the void.
He was indeed a very challenging character, who gave a point to the Kannywood through his natural and adopted multi talents, some of which he developed over the years.
It was only the Ibro, that could act a multiple character and fit into the space comically, while educating and entertaining simultaneously.
The character, especially at the inception, was a remedy to many homes that had too much boredom and had a thirst for entertainment. It was such character of Ibro, that introduced Kannywood movies to many Hausa homes to be precise.
Many of his ‘sentimental” colleagues (as he referred to them), looked down upon his character and he vowed to prove to them that his kind of “village acting” was more valued, appreciated and accepted.
Ibro silently took part in many awareness and mobilization campaings and was celebrated in many ways, either directly or indirectly. His role in raw political campaigns some years to his death, also made some points and proved the influentiatiality the actor had, which had beaten the imagination of the Kannywood industry.
It’s been six years since the talent left the space, yet the audience and the industry commemorate his demise at intervals with flash back to his works and words especially in the social media.
Rabilu Musa even in death, has remained a challenge to Kannywood and the comedy acting carrier. Falalu Dorayi and his team need to buckle up to fill the space.
Rest on Legend! May You continue to rest in Jannatul A’la!
