‘Financial difficulties pushed me out of Nigeria’

Haruna Salisu, also known as Chizo Germany, is a comedian, actor, footballer and dance entertainer based in Germany. Born in June 1995 at Tudun Wada, Zaria in Kaduna State, he is known as one of the major social media influential figures from northern Nigeria.   How did you get into the entertainment industry? My obsession […]

Haruna Salisu, also known as Chizo Germany, is a comedian, actor, footballer and dance entertainer based in Germany. Born in June 1995 at Tudun Wada, Zaria in Kaduna State, he is known as one of the major social media influential figures from northern Nigeria.

 

How did you get into the entertainment industry?

My obsession for entertainment began since childhood. I liked to play different games, such as football, karate, taekwondo, dance etc. I spent half of my life in Kano State.

I started participating in drama from childhood and later registered with the Kano Amana Drama Group in Fagge Local Government. My parents moved to Fagge when I was eight years old.

I was a member of the Koroso Dance Group (Hausa cultural dance group) at Wudil Local Government Area. I was also a member of the late Rabilu Musa Ibro’s Tsinstiya Drama Group.

At the age of 9, I attended Madinatul Ahbab Islamic School, where I learned how to recite the Qur’an and other Islamic knowledge. I also attended Bako Zuntu Primary and Secondary School in 2002.

I later moved back to my homeland, Zaria, for my secondary school certificate. After that, I went to some recording studios in Zaria, where I learned how to sing.

Along the line, I met the famous Kannywood actor, Adam A. Zango. That was after his release from detention during the Kannywood Kano censorship saga. The actor and singer recruited me as one of his background dancers. To be honest, I learned a lot from Zango.

I made my debut in a song titled, Sarka Zancen Banza, which became a very popular music. I later became a well known comedian.

I was once a businessman at Kantin Kwari textile market in Kano State.

How did Germany become part of your name?

It is a very long story, but I will tell you. From 2013 to 2014, things became so difficult for me that I had to relocate to Niger Republic, where I stayed for a while. During my stay in Niger, life was not as easy for me as I expected. I found it extremely difficult to live there, so I and some friends I met there began to make plans to relocate to Libya.

When we concluded our plans, we took off by road. We spent almost seven days on the road to Libya. The journey was horrible. We suffered a lot on the road, to the extent that we had to drink our own urine to quench our thirst so as to survive. Some of the people we embarked on the journey with lost their lives on the way.

We arrived at a village called Durku, then Saba’a. Upon our arrival in Libya, we were captured by the rebels and sold out as slaves. We got beaten. We faced all sorts of humiliation, but at last, we were able to pay some ransom to secure our freedom and they allowed us to escape.

Few days after our escape, Libya plunged into a civil war, but we managed to make it to Tripoli. I got a title job I managed. I worked very hard for four good years in Libya. When the civil war got worse, a friend asked if I was interested in relocating to Europe; Italy to be precise. But I was scared of the risk involved in sailing to Italy.

However, I paid the money and we took off on a small boat. We spent 22 hours on the boat before we got to the shores of Italy. I was very sick when we got there. And I did not have any money, neither did I know anyone there.

It got to a point that I started contemplating returning to Nigeria, but a friend told me not to do that, and encouraged me to try relocating to Germany instead. Despite all odds, I managed to be in Germany. I stayed there till I found my feet. That was how Germany became part of my stage name.

Can you tell us about some of your works?

Before I left for Europe, I and my friend, Bello Sisqo had achieved a lot. We had produced many songs, such as Jarum, Aisha, Ifeoma, Baby, Abin etc. We had also organised music and video comedies. I gradually became one of the best background dancers in the entertainment industry and had won a lot of awards and honours.

After I moved from Nigeria to Germany, many things changed in my life. Right now, I have produced many video and audio songs, which are available on my YouTube channel and other social media platforms.

How would you describe life in Germany?

Unfortunately, I arrived in Germany during winter in 2015. I suffered a lot, but people took care of me there. They gave me shelter and medical assistance. After few months l got a job. And as a footballer back home, I also used my skills to earn a living.

Gradually, I got settled and went to school, where I learnt Deutsch language. After learning the language, I went to different places in Germany. I visited Deutsche Welle ‘DW’ radio station and had an interview on my travails.

The good thing is that all is history now. I am presently married to a German woman, Astrid Kemper, and I am having a comfortable life in Germany.

How did you meet your wife?

When I arrived in Germany in 2015, I enrolled in school at Grevenbroich to learn Deutsch so that I could communicate and interact with the German community. One day, the school had a party and I was among the people that staged a dance performance. I used my traditional Koroso dance skills and people were impressed with my performance. One of the teachers in the school was so amazed that he took me to Tanzhaus NRW in Dusseldorf, which is one of the best dancing schools in Germany.

I was enrolled in the school and I started receiving dancing lessons in November 2015, with the famous Franky Dee. During my first day at Tanzhaus NRW I met Astrid Kemper and we became friends. We later became lovers. She was so nice to me that she assisted me to settle in the school.

Astrid Kemper and I studied together and became very close. On April 5, 2019, we got married.