US-based Nigerian singer, actor, movie producer, comedian, scriptwriter, and entrepreneur, Roy Madu, a.k.a. “The Towncrier”, has iterated that his philosophy as an artiste is to use music to mirror society.
For him, an artiste should be a role model and the formulator of social values through creativity. Roy Madu stated this in a chat with a journalist, noting that his music deplores the political and socio-economic problems in Africa.
“My philosophy as an artiste is to use music to mirror society because I believe that an artiste should be a role model and the formulator of social values through creativity.
“So through the universal language of music, I tried to project a better understanding of humanity from the African cultural perspective by exploring the communicative and entertainment value of Nigerian artistic heritage,” he said.
Roy Madu who originated a brand of music called Marinba Music, a highlife genre dominated by the instrument, marimba, explained how he got the stage name ‘The Town Crier’.
He said: “When I finished my first recording, a thought occurred to me. In the part of the world I come from, “the town crier” with his gong is the accepted medium of mass information. That posture struck me as portraying a mission. So my stage name became ‘The Towncrier’.”
On the motivation for going into movie production, Roy Madu said: “While I was in Nigeria, I used to watch some Western movies, I see Africans portrayed as primitive cannibals and the white folks coming to pull them out from savagery and save them from themselves.
When I got to the USA, I saw there were stack illiterates who had not stepped out of the city born for the first time and they were in their 50s, 60s, and up; I saw beggars in the streets of the capital of the world, Washington DC; their old bridges that need touch-up, there are houses that needs to give way to modern buildings. After seeing all these, I just told myself, you know what, we Africans need to tell our own stories by ourselves to counter this Western stereotype against us.”
He recalled how he was born in Aba, Abia State, in the early 70s, noting that his early life was a roller coaster since he was born around the crisis in the eastern part of Nigeria.
“I attended my Primary School in Owerri (Christ Church School). I attended my secondary school at Grammer School Nbawsi. I worked in Bank (now defunct Cooperative and Commerce Bank of Nigeria Ltd.
While working in the bank, I had a Diploma in Marketing from the National School of Salesmanship, Manchester, England; a National Diploma in Banking & Finance from the College of Technology Owerri, Nigeria; a Diploma in Computer Applications from Gicen Technical Center Lagos, Nigeria and a 3rd-year law undergraduate at the University of Abuja, Nigeria before leaving the shores of Nigeria.
“Born and bred in the west coastal region of Africa, in an oil-rich country besieged with poor management of its macroeconomics, I grew up with the burning desire in my head that there is always a mission for existence unless one fails to awaken his or her consciousness.
“My father was a below-average family man who rose from a bank messenger to bank manager before retiring in 1991. With the background of a civil servant father, one would have expected me to find my way to the University straight after my secondary school certificate without a break even if I was the dullest student of my time. But that was not to be.”
According to him, being the third child out of nine children, his ‘ascribed status’ as a male in the family is an added punishment by culture. “This means that automatically I have to be assigned one of my juniors to mentor (physically, spiritually, mentally, and financially).
The reason is that, by society’s assessment, I have been trained. So it is my turn to train others, after all with a School Certificate then, one could get a white-collar job in big establishments like banks, Insurance companies, and multinational companies.
So being a victim of my parent’s early marriage and subsequent over-crowded family, handicapped with half-education, I had before me, the arduous task of rising from rag and neglect to riches and recognition. I virtually had to work my way from the bottom of the social ladder and the climbing I did,” he explained.
From an African root, Madu said he travelled far in search of education, enlightenment, greener pastures, and fun. For him, how far he has gone in realizing these dreams is left for history to tell. “In a capitalist world of ours, unless one is economically strong, that one has no power. Education sharpens people’s intellect to either become job-seekers job-creators, entrepreneurs, or consumers.
Some go to school with the prospect of getting a good job afterwards, in other words, become corporate slaves in the plantation yard, others go to school to learn how to create wealth independently.”
Madu falls in the latter group. He has an Associate Degree in Information Systems from Montgomery College Rockville Maryland a Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Resources Management from the University of Maryland University College Adelphi Maryland and a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Phoenix Arizona USA. Armed with a formal education, Madu has developed a new consciousness about where he fits in, in the grand scheme of things in today’s world.
For Madu, the drive to enter into business is anchored in his belief that American society guarantees any willing individual the right to attain any heights within the confines of the law, besides the basic necessities of life.
“Since opportunities abound all around, all that is needed is to re-direct energies and re-focus efforts, to break the circle of economic enslavement and attain economic empowerment. If all these make sense to you, go for the green and enjoy some financial freedom in owning a home.”
Talking about challenges, he believes that as big as the African Movie industry is, the producers, including him, face three gigantic challenges.
“The first is Poor funding, shoestring budgets result in low-quality movies that cannot compete with Hollywood standards. The second is piracy which eats away at filmmakers’ profits. The third is, that even when the movie is of high quality, distribution hurdles will not push the movie to international screens. The situation is worsened by the fact that most distributors would rather feature a foreign film that is trending as that would pull more crowd than indigenous unknown film.”
Madu noted that despite these challenges, creativity is at its best in African movies, adding that he sees an immense untapped potential in the industry.
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“I have witnessed where a car is stationary but the movie shot on that scene makes it look like the car is in motion and this is not a studio trick. Necessity is the mother of invention. Where there is no technology, Africans improvise. I love that in my people. I see the two angles of the Nigerian film industry as a cultural front, that is the way we are perceived globally, and as an economic value, as in commercial venture.
“To maximize profits, the strategy is that producers sometimes deviate from traditional filmmaking methods and go for scripts that promote a profitable business venture. Most Nollywood films are low-budget, shot on video, and released directly to YouTube channels. Digital technology in the global film and music industries has made it possible for Nigerian films to get to continental and international audiences.
“The increasing online presence through modern social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Tick-tock, Likee, WhatsApp, and Snapchat are making them more accessible globally. Our African movies relate to an average African because they tackle social issues and problems that daily face Africans. This trend impacts social norms and attitudes among Africans, at home and abroad.
“The stories in the movies challenge traditional values and beliefs and inspire people to have a different view of the world. My Personal Experience here in the USA about this is intriguing. I walk with my shoulders high; I am always eager to tell anyone who listens that I am from Nigeria, and surely other Africans literally adore Nigerians because of their music and movies.
“I see an immense untapped potential in the industry. There is a lot of room for improvement in production values and distribution channels. I would love to see African movies compete extensively with Hollywood movies in US movie theatres.
“That’s where the money is because theatres make the money for investors before the product is released. Once it is released, investors compete with pirates. To achieve this feat, we need three things: quality, quality, and quality.”
“To maximize profits, the strategy is that producers sometimes deviate from traditional filmmaking methods and go for scripts that promote a profitable business venture. Most Nollywood films are low-budget, shot on video, and released directly to YouTube channels. Digital technology in the global film and music industries has made it possible for Nigerian films to get to continental and international audiences.
“The increasing online presence through modern social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Tick-tock, Likee, WhatsApp, and Snapchat are making them more accessible globally. Our African movies relate to an average African because they tackle social issues and problems that daily face Africans. This trend impacts social norms and attitudes among Africans, at home and abroad.
“The stories in the movies challenge traditional values and beliefs and inspire people to have a different view of the world. My Personal Experience here in the USA about this is intriguing. I walk with my shoulders high; I am always eager to tell anyone who listens that I am from Nigeria, and surely other Africans literally adore Nigerians because of their music and movies.
“I see an immense untapped potential in the industry. There is a lot of room for improvement in production values and distribution channels. I would love to see African movies compete extensively with Hollywood movies in US movie theatres.
“That’s where the money is because theatres make the money for investors before the product is released. Once it is released, investors compete with pirates. To achieve this feat, we need three things: quality, quality, and quality.”
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