Interviewing Chinua Achebe, my most memorable yet – Oyiza Adaba
How did you become involved in journalism?The media was a daily part of our existence as children. We grew up watching dad on TV reading the news or hosting a show; Mom going to work as an Admin staff in NTA Jos; and we were made to take in current events in the daily newspapers. […]
How did you become involved in journalism?
The media was a daily part of our existence as children. We grew up watching dad on TV reading the news or hosting a show; Mom going to work as an Admin staff in NTA Jos; and we were made to take in current events in the daily newspapers. We were part of the audience on children shows, participated in TV dramas and stage plays; our Jos home turned into many different TV drama sets before our eyes, and my parents hosted a string of media icons at our home including Ene Oloja, the late Matt Dadzie, Sadiq Daba and many more. It was really all we had known and seen, so to me, it was a natural occurrence to study it in school and walk this line. This is not to say my parents forced it upon me. They always gave us the privilege of our individual choices in life and they simply supported my decision from the sidelines. I’m not sure I could be as good at anything else, there’s very little else that appeals.
You worked in a lot of places. What were these experiences like for you?
I try to live a balanced life so my personal motto is to work hard, play hard and pray hard. Each country I’ve lived and worked have provided its own unique experience. The most important thing is what I’ve taken out of these places and organizations. As a pioneering staff of Multichoice Nigeria in the mid-90s, I learnt the essence of hard work, team work, quality work, proper documentation and attention to detail. With the Daar Group, I leant how to work independent of structures and make the best use of available resources. I’ve brought these lessons to running my company, building my team and ensuring quality and timely delivery to our clients.
Which was the most fun?
Fun and work in what I do is sometimes inseparable because I find my work fun. I take it seriously and still manage to have a good time doing it. For example when we organise music events and concerts, I know I’m working behind the scenes to give the audience the best experience, but I still make time to take in the music and enjoy the amazing acts on stage. So I have it both ways thankfully. Overall though I think I’ve enjoyed my U.S stay the most because it opened up more opportunities and access than I could have imagined. I took in a lot of concerts, and learnt how to make being Africa very cool and appealing.
What have you been up to in recent times?
This is very interesting because I get a lot of the ‘where have you been’ ‘what happened to your show Messengers’ questions these days. I took a deliberate break from being in front of the camera to being behind it. I’m still actively producing commissioned work for TV, radio and print, like news features, documentaries and industrial content for various media outlets and corporates. I just allow a younger crop share the on-camera spot. Who knows, I may have a comeback soon. We have been busy though with several projects in the works. We’re working on Messengers Season 3 now, the theme is Africa’s Greats. The one project occupying my headspace now is the biopic film we’re producing on one of the world’s most renowned artist and sculptor – the great El Anatsui. He’s another example of Africa’s most amazing and under-celebrated stories. We hope to complete that in 2015. I enjoy seeing originality in acts, as well as good musicianship and instrumentation. Sadly these shows are not commercially driven but they do have an audience in Nigeria and we’re strongly pushing it. In that respect, I’ve worked with the great Afrobeat/Jazz band Ayetoro, as well as Seun Kuti + Egypt 80, Yinka Davies, Wole Adamolekun, Shola EML Rhythm & Sax, Bongos Ikwue, TY Bello, Nneka, Salvador Sango and a host of others. We hope to stage more shows for audiences across the country and would like to use this medium to appeal to corporate brands and sponsors to be more creative in their spending decisions. There are so many great and talented artists in Nigeria that you may never hear of because there is very little support and platform for their acts. Rather than sponsor the same old acts we would like them to get more creative, expand their thoughts outside the box, see beyond the numbers game they usually play and dare to be unique in what they choose to sponsor.
You’ve had various encounters with all sorts of personalities. Which is your most memorable?
My most memorable was meeting and interviewing the great China Achebe. It’s not that Achebe was the most famous person I met, but it’s the most humbling experience I’ve had. Because I meet a lot of people, I’m not easily star struck but Achebe’s was the one interview which I struggled to remove myself from and work as a journalist. Here was a great man, an icon who was wheel-chair bound. When I asked him how he felt after the accident and what life was like in a chair, he answered, ‘If it didn’t happen to me, to whom should it have happened?’ That struck me and taught me to stop asking why me, come to a peaceful acceptance of life’s situations and make the best lemonade from my lemons.
Which do you wish you hadn’t encountered?
My least favourite people are those who still carry around warped perceptions of Africa and Africans. They always start off with ‘Oh you speak so well…’ and I don’t hear much else after that. I used to get pissed, but I’ve learned to see it as an opportunity to educate others when I can.
What’s your most interesting part of the job?
The best part is travelling, the discovery of new places, culture and meeting people across all spectrum. Having to adapt to wherever I find myself whether I’m talking to a President at the White House or sitting with the locals brewing Mkomboti in the townships of Guguletu. The diversity is priceless.
What’s your most dreaded?
As a journalist, we are taught to be objective and try to mentally prepare for every encounter, but what I don’t look forward to seeing are the gory scenes of human suffering, injustice and abuse. Nothing prepares you enough and it’s very hard to be completely removed from that.
Your father is a renowned journalist/broadcaster. What does it feel like to be appreciated/judged through his eyes rather than as your own person?
This is very interesting especially because I’ve taken to the same field as my father who is a very big influence on my work and life and I couldn’t have asked for a better teacher because of the values that come along with his approach to work and life generally. Having said that, I must confess I was initially frustrated by people’s judgements and expectations of you, especially when it came to introductions. Then, I was always introduced as ‘Meet Dr Tom Adaba’s daughter’. These days though its more of ‘Meet Oyiza Adaba’ and sometimes ‘she is the daughter of Dr Adaba’ gets added occasionally. It was a long process for people to see you and recognise you in respect of your own work and not just because you’re somebody’s daughter. Four out of my six siblings work in various aspects of the media, but all of us have been able to earn our rights as good broadcasters on account of our hard work and dedication, which our parents did a wonderful job in teaching us. There is no denying that some doors have been opened to me for being his daughter and I’m always thankful for his good name and legacy, but what is more fulfilling are the doors that have opened because your clients know the quality and delivery of your work. As individuals I think it’s important that we pay our dues and earn our stripes. I’m very proud being my father’s daughter and I’m sure he and my mom are just as proud of me. They are great mentors.
You are a journalist, photographer, art enthusiast amongst others. Which of them brings the best out of you?
I enjoy my work so much that it doesn’t feel like work. Whether I’m photographing, filming or writing, I plunge myself into it and enjoy the process of producing material from just an idea to the final product.
My travel pieces give me a lot of joy especially when you meet people that decided to take a trip just because they read your piece or saw your report and photographs of the place. For Nigerians especially, travel and a good vacation goes far beyond London and America. You can have just as much fun on a Qatar desert safari, or experiencing the rice farms in China, or being the only black person among millions of people at the Diwali in India, or kicking back at Reggae nights on Tawala Beach in Ghana, etc. So my travel pieces and photos always brings the experiences home to the reader/viewer
What’s the most interesting subject you have photographed?
I enjoyed travelling with the biker clubs around Nigeria, not so much for photographing the guys but it gave me the opportunity to see the country’s diversity through the interesting people we met along the way. The old woman with the lone piece of wood on her head. The expression on her face said a lot about her life and what that wood meant to her; Everyday people in their natural environments are always great subjects. Love nature and sunsets too.
What are three things you always have on you?
Hmmm in today’s hi-tech world, I would say my phone, iPad and camera.