By Ijeoma Thomas-Odia
Samuel Animashaun Perry, popularly known as Broda Shaggi, is a comedian, actor, songwriter and musician. The two-time winner of Best Actor in a Comedy, Movie or TV Series at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) in 2022 and 2023, is a native of Sagamu, Ogun State. Broda Shaggi holds a degree in Creative Arts from the University of Lagos, his father was a drama teacher who influenced his interest in acting. He is notable for his satirical plays shared on social media where he first gained popularity for his short comedy skits. This has also transcended to creating opportunities to feature in movies and release music. In this interview with IJEOMA THOMAS-ODIA, he shares his passion for creativity and his many sides.
How did your sojourn into the movie industry start?
I can say my sojourn into the movie industry started years ago. It has always been a part of me from teenage years. I have always been involved in stage plays, dance shows/ competitions and other creative performances. So, when I got admitted into the University of Lagos, I founded a group called ‘Stage addicts’. We were all over the campus performing at school events. We also did some off- campus shows. While doing that, I would attend auditions for movie roles. I got invited for some movies as ‘Waka pass’ role. I acted in Wedding Party (part 1) as a crowd member in the wedding scene. As I kept pushing, the brand Broda Shaggi blew up and bigger roles started to come in. One of the major movies that made me an established actor is Toyin Abraham’s Fate Of Alakada. After that, I started getting major roles in movies.
Do you have plans to embark on your own movie production?
I am of the strong opinion of taking steps gradually. As big as I may look to millions of people right now, I am still learning. Entertainment is a very wide area of life. One shouldn’t hurriedly jump from one aspect to another, because you feel you have the weight. Basically, I am thriving now as an actor, performing artiste and skits maker. Having a movie production is definitely a plan with a bigger picture. It will happen, it is part of the growth plans.
How well would you say you are thriving in content creation?
Content creation is the new ‘oil’. It is a versatile phenomenon that every growth-oriented business taps from. For me as a content creator, one of my greatest achievements so far would be that I got more recognition and patronages from top brands and my team headed by Olufemi Oguntamu has been able to secure endorsement deals, which would be announced at a later time. All these are tied to me being consistent with my craft. I give my all to dishing out new level of creativity at all times.
In all that you do for your brand, which do you find easy doing?
I cannot mention any particularly one. The truth is, I enjoy doing everything linked to arts. Being creative is my comfort zone. I switch from one aspect to another effortlessly. But if you insist, I would settle for acting.
Most of your skits are human angle related. Is that a niche that you have created for yourself?
At every point, I ensure that most of my skits don’t end without passing messages to humans. We as creatives owe the society a great service of making it better than we met it. I subscribe wholly to the sayings of a renowned philosopher and arts scholar, Dario Fo who said, ‘A theatre, a literature, an artistic expression that does not speak for its own time and people has no relevance.’ This is because most of my works are satirical irrespective of the themes, I also love Fo’s submission that, ‘Satire can always be found everywhere. A people without love for satire is a dead people.’ It makes us see our true selves via laughter, while we pay attention to corrections that are required to be made. This is entirely geared towards making the society a better place to live. Watching any of my skits daily is a recommended form of therapy to my fans globally.
What skit gave you the recognition you are currently enjoying now?
Actually, I have done several skits with different characters before the character Broda Shaggi. I did skits with character of Inspector Perry, and Akanni Ibadan, before Broda Shaggi. The first major skit that blew me as Broda Shaggi was the one I did with my interviewer then, Aunty Shaggi who asked, ‘What will I do if I see Jesus in Mushin?’. The skit became a viral sensation because it raised concerns from several corners, as some people took it controversial with the thought that I made a joke out of the name, Jesus. But as a creative, I didn’t see it in that light, I didn’t set out to be blasphemous. That skit made the Broda Shaggi character noticed as I fired more with consistency and committed deliveries and I have evolved over the years.
What is your thought on skit makers giving Nollywood a run for their money?
I don’t think that it is true, as I can’t place an exact parameter for such opinion. All I can say is that, the skit- making industry is thriving on its own. With the help of social media, we all may understandably agree that skit makers get easily recognised by people all over the world, and has resulted to getting more attention from filmmakers because of their number of followers and online engagements which is also a big deal for marketing of the movies.
What are your expectations from the new administration towards the creative industry?
I think it is too early to have expectations from the new administration. Whatever their plans are, I pray they favour us all. I look forward to seeing the government at all levels develop more interest in the power of contents and create an enabling environment for creatives to thrive.
