I’ll use my connection, beauty, talent to develop Kannywood – Mary Daniels

Mary Daniels, a 23-year-old, is 300-level student of Kaduna State Polytechnic; she hails from Zango Kataf local government area of Kaduna state. In this interview with ALIYU ASKIRA, she says she has visited almost all parts of Nigeria. This, according to her, is because her father is a serving military officer.

Mary Daniels who is currently in Edo state, schools in Kaduna state. She is currently working on a film that will focus on Hausa culture, girl-child education, sex education, cross-border marriages, and so on and so forth.

Could you tell our readers some things they don’t know about you?

It’s my pleasure meeting you, I read your paper Blueprint and I can say that it is well-packaged; even the printing is excellent. In fact, I will want you to link me with any of your reporters, I am a University student, but right now I’m working on a script, I want to be a Hausa film producer and later partner with people like Kabir Musa Janmmage, because I have watched some of the films he produced in English with most of the actors and actresses drawn from Kannywood.

You don’t speak Hausa fluently, so how do you hope to actualise this dream?

For your information, I am not only a 300-level Business Administration student in Kaduna State Polytechnic; I am from Southern Kaduna, from Zangon Kataf local government area; we are based in Edo state because my father who is a serving military officer is based in Edo state. Yes, I don’t speak Hausa very well, but whether I like it or not, I am a northerner, I also watch Nollywood and Kannywood films, and they say ‘charity begins at home,’ so let me use my connection, beauty, talent to develop Kannywood, then I can partner with stakeholders in Nollywood, and possibly move international.

What areas will you want to focus on in your film?

You see, I have noticed over the years that some of our youth and housewives can spend hours watching Hausa films, but they cannot develop themselves in terms of acquiring western education. Some, especially housewives, prefer to spend the whole day gossiping instead of attending churches and Qur’anic schools; so, my film which I will want to shoot in Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Abuja, and Zaria will try to educate our youth on sex education, rape, girl-child education, cross-border marriages, adult education by married women and old men and also, expose the real Hausa culture to the outside world.

Won’t the way you dress cause problems for you in Kano and in other Muslim homes?

Well, I told you I am a multi-dimensional person as I have visited almost all parts of this country. Kaduna is a liberal state, same thing with Abuja where I dress in the way I want and feel unchallenged. But since you have asked this question, let me share my experience with you; the first time I went to Kano with the intention of seeing some film actors and actresses, right from the motor park where I dropped, I noticed people were looking at me so curiously and making some comments which were not loud enough for me to hear, but when I got to the main city, honestly, my waist, I mean my backside, nearly put me in trouble. I also mistakenly dressed in tight attire that exposed every corner of my body; even Keke Napep riders were jamming each other because I took their attention away. Honestly, I did not feel embarrassed, but I made up my mind that next time, I will be in proper wrappers so that instead of developing northern culture, people will not see me destroying it.

Tell us about your hobbies

I like travelling a lot, I like swimming a lot, I like hunting, I like reading sexy novels, I like falling in love to have real hot romance; after all I am only 23 and will be a graduate next year, so why not enjoy myself to the fullest.

Finally, are you into any serious relationship?

I think it is an understatement for one to ask me this question; everyday, I go out, I get dozens of admirers, even within the University community, and guys fall over themselves for have Mary Daniels’ number. So, no matter how I try to stick with one boyfriend, I do meet some aggressive ones that will say if I don’t give them my heart, they will jump into any deep available well. So, they are all over me, but thank God I am fortunate to be in the university at an early age.

Leave a Reply