Madam Movable – a new slant to comedy in Nigeria By Jason Inanga
Madam Movable – a new slant to comedy in Nigeria By Jason Inanga
Picture life in the African country of Nigeria. Location is Lagos, the economic capital of the country. One cannot give a good estimate on the population but the traffic in Lagos is beyond crazy – volume of vehicles, motorcycles and pedestrians…and let’s not forget the street traders hawking their wares in the midst of all this. (You can buy literally anything you want in traffic, in Lagos). This is the setting for the story of a life of lady in her 40’s, affectionately called, “Madam Movable.” She is the bread-winner in her family and she has taken on a unique role of being a delivery dispatch rider (a courier) . This is a male-dominated industry but she does it to take care of her family (her husband, Daddy Bae and her son – they live in a one-bedroom apartment in a not-too-nice part of Lagos).
Madam Movable chronicles the daily challenges she faces in an attempt to provide for her family. Their only tangible asset is the motorcycle she has to ride. She is unable to carry passengers (Okada — a popular of public transportation in Nigeria and other parts of Africa). So taking on the less risky role of delivering goods, she has harder issues staying on top of her deliveries — traffic and other logistics issues. She has never had a successful delivery , to date. There is always drama.
This series, can be viewed on youtube.com/@AyoAdesanyaTV
Let me introduce you to veteran Nollywood Actress, Ayo Adesanya, who has been acting for over 30 years. Typically known for playing motherly and related roles in movies, she shed more light in an interview with me. She wanted to do something different, “I wanted to play a different role, something very challenging. We hardly have female dispatch riders. It is a very uncommon sight in Nigeria. So I took on the role of Madam Movable and I will tell you, comedy is not easy. I discovered that it goes deeper than one sees on the surface. The material has to be on-point. It also involves a lot of ad-libs.”
“My greatest fear and challenge was learning how to ride a motorbike, which is key to this entire series. It took me three weeks of training to learn how to ride a motorbike properly. I grew up riding bicycles but this one was different.”
”I wanted to showcase what dispatch riders go through daily, but in a comical way. I have had my own share of delayed deliveries or late deliveries – food is cold and all.”
Ayo states that she is not taking a break from the regular screen but has done this to explore her artistic creativity and basically do something different. She states that people who have only known her through the big screen are fascinated by the change in character, but for people who have known her all her life, Madam Moveable is in line with who she has always been.
She says, “I knew I always wanted to act. This goes back to my primary school days and then at secondary school – high school in Ibadan at St. Anne’s, she always looked forward to entertaining her classmates and taking part in the Festival of Arts.” An opportunity to act arose after her University of Ibadan days, and she jumped at it. Her first major film was a lead role alongside veteran actor Segun Arinze.
To her many fans, and co-workers, she says “you should patronize Madam Movable for all your logistics needs. You are certain to get your delivery — and a little drama along with it, but you will get your delivery,” … and the drama continues. Please watch the six current episodes and be sure to drop a note of support in the comments section.