Since 1999 when talented and ravishing Nneka and her baritone–voiced husband, Isaac Moses, debuted on TV with Goge Africa, their soar away cultural/entertainment programme, TV buffs in Nigeria and beyond have not stopped applauding them for a job well done. Highly regarded as Nigeria’s most travelled showbiz couple, gap-toothed Nneka and her better half, through their internationally acclaimed programme, have visited several parts of the globe promoting and highlighting our rich cultural heritages.
In this interview with Azuh Amatus, Nneka, from Ihiala, Anambra State, speaking on behalf of the couple, stated that Goge Africa seeks to bring the people of Africa and African descent together and by so doing, helping to project the tourism potentials inherent on the continent.
Still baring her mind on behalf of the couple, already dubbed “Nigeria’s Cultural Ambassadors”, Nneka, an English graduate from the University of Lagos, revealed their vision and mission for the programme, the place of orphans in her life, challenges on the job and why they recently veered into publishing. The pioneer actress also divulged how she found true love in Nollywood and why her husband’s voice is the sexiest and most romantic on planet earth.
Enjoy the interaction!
What got you attracted to showbiz?
Isaac, my husband ignited my love for showbiz; it is through him, for him, and because of him and eventually when I got into it, I realized that it is enjoyable. And so far, it’s been very rewarding and an adventurous journey for me because I’m a very adventurous person, so I’m enjoying every part of it. I was also among the pioneer actresses in Nollywood.
Aside Isaac, what were the earliest influences that attracted you to showbiz?
For me, the earliest influences had to do with watching of TV stations, especially The Most Beautiful Girl Pageant. Again, I’m someone who is shy in a way, but thank God, my husband brushed me up.
You started then first as a fashion designer before veering into TV presentation. Have you abandoned fashion completely?
No. My fashion sense is one of the things that has kept Goge Africa going and Aken G, my label is still alive. I still design most of the costumes we wear on the programme. As a matter of fact, I belong to FADAN. I’m not silent as a fashion designer, because I still design clothes for select people and being on TV makes it more demanding for me, because people keep asking you to design clothes for them from different parts of the state and I usually try to Iive up to their expectations.
Your designs are usually zany and unique. How do you do that often?
It is through inspiration because all designers are inspired, but the truth is that what I see every day especially during foreign tours, inspires me a lot. From ethnic to contemporary designs and what have you, I think I have seen them all; all these also have a lot of influence on me.
But how does it feel presenting Goge Africa with your husband on TV?
It feels good because I usually feel flattered whenever he complements my beauty on the programme. I’m more relaxed on camera than facing live crowd, I’m a shy person but my husband has brought out the best in me, it is fun, interesting, exciting and wonderful and great presenting with him.
What are the ways you feel Goge Africa, has impacted positively on society?
Well, if I say ask the society, it would sound like a tall order, but truth is that the kind of emails we get, reception, and calls are too much. Often times, we get emails from mothers telling us they don’t have time to teach their children about their cultures, but usually get exposed to a lot of cultures after watching Goge Africa, things that make us what we are.
Some people watch their village festivals only through Goge Africa and are usually delighted in sending us thank you mails. So in the comfort of your rooms, Goge Africa, brings you exclusive festivals from different parts of the world, especially Africa. The impact on the society is tremendous and it has to a large extent brought pride to Africa and indeed Nigeria in particular because it is a proudly Nigerian product.
What actually inspired Goge Africa?
Well, Goge Africa was inspired because of a void, a sort of a gap that needed to be filled on air. Some years back, we didn’t have programmes like Goge Africa on air; people were not delving much into cultural programmes. And my husband had this experience when he was managing some top flight Nigerian artistes, especially Onyeka Onwenu and late Tina Onwudiwe. While managing them then, he said he had lots of problems trying to get their music aired on radio and their videos played on TV, so he tried starting a show where he could showcase the works of these artistes. Then he wanted a radio show and I said to him, why not make it a TV show and I promised to dress him up really nice in African costumes, since I design clothes. And he bought the idea but gave me a condition, he said I must present with him and that was how I came on board.
Like how many countries has Goge Africa taken you to in quest of our cultural heritages and tradition?
Truth is that I can’t count, but one thing I know is that we have not covered half of the countries in African. But all these notwithstanding, we have been to West, East, South and North African countries and even beyond. We keep moving and it is also quite intense to be travelling all the time, but we enjoy it, it’s our calling, a duty that just has to be done.
Among the numerous African countries visited, which would you say remains your favourite?
All these countries have something unique about them, but in terms of foods, I could also tell you the greatest put-off (Laughs). I had to eat raw meat in Ethiopia, it was a special delicacy prepared for very special guests, so I had to eat the meat, in order to please our hosts. And thank God, I didn’t throw up.
I’m also very much in love with the Ethiopians because I think they are very gentle people, I talk about them always because we visit them a lot. At their Feast of Epiphany, which attracts a lot of people and sea of heads, I know exactly what would happen if you step on somebody if it is in some parts of Africa. In fact, they would push you and get violent. While at the event, all the people I mistakenly stepped on were the ones telling me sorry and pampering me. Again, our programme has been running there since 2001. In some parts of Africa, you pay extra money to buy stuffs because you are a celebrity, but the Ethiopians would gladly give it to you free.
Coming home, I love the scenery in Nigeria; Jos has beautiful scenery anytime, any day. Ogbunike Cave, Idanre Hills, and the rest of them are beautiful places to visit. I also love South Africa because of the table mountain, Robben Island, somehow gives me sad memory because of Mandela. I also love Alexandria in Egypt, the city of Cleopatra, its beautifully situated by the seaside.
What were the major challenges you encountered during the early stages of Goge Africa?
Well, the first challenge then was finance, the second money, and third, cash (General Laughter).
Has it been tackled?
Truth is that you can’t really tackle the problem totally, because no matter how much money you have, you still need more. The more money you make, the more you expand your spending ability… Initially, when we started, it was just the two of us, now we have staff salaries to pay… And when things become so rosy, I would love to build a home for the orphans and the less privileged in our society. So, the more money you make, the more investment you go into.
So, what are the current challenges?
Aside funds, we also had language problems then especially countries where they don’t speak English. It was quite challenging for us, it was so then because we could not afford interpreters. But we were able to cope for God usually sends us Good Samaritans. Now the main challenge is being able to meet with our demanding recording schedules. We have too many invitations coming from different countries and meeting them up is very, very difficult. You can’t cover all the events you are invited to at the same time… So, for us, it is more like a first come, first serve thing. The biggest challenge now is being able to go round. The other is our new baby, the magazine, it is a new adventure in the Goge Africa project and we think it is also a very exciting project.
What is the next level for Goge Africa?
Goge Africa, which started on October 1st, 1999, debuted first on four TV stations namely NTA, AIT, MITV, and DBN. Goge is an Hausa word for a traditional music instrument, my husband found the name because he grew up in Northern Nigeria. Like I said, we started on TV and now have a magazine but prior to coming out with the magazine, we have a foundation that is silently making waves, it is called the Goge Africa Foundation, it is more of an educational foundation, aimed at educating our youths and giving them a sense of pride in who they are, alongside HIV/AIDS. It also teaches youths our culture and heritages, helping them be themselves, so that they don’t get lost in trying to be very “Westernized”. Certain proceeds from Goge Africa, through the foundation goes out to the less privileged and physically challenged in our society, we also visit most of these homes and package an episode of Goge Africa, twice in a year, with special focus on some of these homes and air free-of-charge.
Through these special episodes people get to know the challenges confronting these homes and at the same time look at ways of assisting them. One of the homes through our programme appealed to well-meaning Nigerians and corporate bodies to assist them with a bus, to convey the inmates, a generating set, air conditioners and some other things. And as God would have it, when we later visited the home again, the woman thanked us profusely and said that some kind hearted Nigerians donated all those things she asked for, after watching her made a passionate plea on Goge Africa. So, in essence, they now have a bus, generator, air conditioners and the rest of them. Even most times, people call to ask us how they could reach one or two homes or orphanages for assistance and all these are our own little contributions to humanity and we also hope to do more.
Let’s look at the vision and mission behind Goge Africa.
The vision and mission of Goge Africa is to bring the people of Africa and African descent in the Diaspora together. To also build a bridge of connection through culture, promote and project the tourism potentials of Africa. The western media tend to focus on myriad problems of the continent, such as negative images of war, diseases and ravaged lands and famine, hunger and starvation. On the other hand, Goge Africa seeks to present a more positive image aimed at spotlighting the innate beauty, achievements, history and our diverse cultures. And all these are long-term projects we are already achieving results with.
We also want to use Goge Africa to try and change the wrong perception of the world about Africa. We want to promote and project a positive image about us through Goge Africa as a vehicle. We are always in the eyes of the world every week; we are in over 30 TV stations including M-Net globally. So, when you have such power every week for people to watch you, the least you could do is to use it positively and impact on the larger society. So, in essence, we are telling the world that Africa is beautiful and our cultures are also beautiful, and we are made by God the way we are for a reason, so, we shouldn’t try to change and be who we are not. The best you can be is yourself.
Recently, you veered into publishing with Goge Africa magazine, what necessitated it?
I will call it a natural progression in the entire Goge Africa Project. Over the years, we’ve had College students all over the world writing us and saying they are doing this and that project on African studies, they believe we are encyclopedia when it comes to African culture. Then some of them, insist we record special editions for them via calls and e-mails, after a while, a particular foreign student started agitating for a newsletter, at a point some said, let’s have a print version of what you do on TV. Of course, TV is beautiful but highly ephemeral because you don’t rewind. All these led to the floating of our new baby.
It’s a quarterly magazine and the debut edition is doing wonderfully well and I’m proud alongside my darling husband to be associated with the project.
How has it been running the magazine as its publisher?
Like I said, it’s a new adventure for us, as an adventurous person, it’s quite challenging for me and I love challenges. What has really made it easy, because publishing is not easy, is the Goge Africa community on the web. Before we came out, I told them about it and they subscribed online and that really got me enthralled.
We saw the one-on-one lovely interview with the president of Gambia in your debut edition, how were you able to get him?
The Goge Africa TV did the magic, the president personally invited us last year to cover a famous festival that holds in his village in the Gambia. So after covering the event on TV, we requested for an interview with him, what you read was the excerpts of our TV interview with him and the memory still lingers on.
As a cultural ambassador alongside your husband, do you envisage our cultures going into extinct in the nearest future, especially with the way our youths are delving into Western lifestyles?
This was one of the reasons we started Goge Africa, we realized that a lot of youths are embracing other people’s cultures these days. Go to most homes in the city, especially Lagos, parents take pride in speaking English to their kids, which to me is not right… Unknown to many Africans, we are at advantage, by speaking more than one language, but the British boy speaks only English. Like my husband, he speaks five languages.
How bright or dim is the future of tourism in Nigerian from your own views?
Very, very bright, especially when all hands are on deck, Goge Africa for the past seven years has been promoting our rich cultural heritages and tourism potentials. But we still need to do more; government should strive to put the basic infrastructure on ground for our tourism to fully develop. With the enabling environment, our tourism sector would really go places; security and good roads are essential parts of tourism.
Have you alongside your husband been harassed or molested while navigating the many African countries as presenters of Goge Africa?
Not-at-all. But I think it is the grace of God. Again, we don’t gate crash to events we are usually invited. We have never been molested or harassed, not even by area boys. No sad experience on the job… So, how would you compare our tourism sector with that of other countries you have visited?
Most of these countries are more organized in terms of tourism, they are ready for it, put certain infrastructure on ground and even they have tour companies put together by the private sectors of these countries. Most of the tour companies we have in Nigeria are actually interested in outward-bound tourism, like helping you to book a ticket to France for holiday. How many of them are interested in packaging tours to Yankari Park and the rest of them? Even when they manage to do, you come back so unhappy.
We need more programmes like Goge Africa on air; there are so much for us to do in these areas.
Let’s get a bit personal, how did you meet your husband?
I met my husband on the set of a movie titled Love in Vendetta, so thanks to Nollywood. It was in ’96.
What were the qualities that got you attracted to him?
His personality, he has a very warm personality, fun to be with and smiles a lot. Again, when he talks you are forced to listen; maybe it is his unique voice.
How old is you marriage?
We got married on October 25, 1999. (Confirms from hubby in Hausa language)
On air, your husband looks very romantic, is he so in real life?
A guy like him that has the best voice that I have heard, a voice that puts food on the table, you can now imagine what he would be like if he is in the bedroom alone with me. He has a voice people pay for, some call his voice Barry White, but I call it the Royal Rumble voice. (Giggles)
I‘m asking again, are you really sure you are very comfortable being in the same business with your husband?
I think it is the best thing that has ever happened to me. If I were to choose ten times over, I would still do the same.
Describe your husband for us?
Isaac is a real man in every sense of the word; he is a man that would make a woman feel happy being a woman. If you are with him, you will bless God every day for making you a woman, because he would always bring out the best in you and make you feel like a queen. He also calls me his Lolo.
With all these affection and attention, do you sometimes feel scared or jealous whenever ladies flock around him for one or two favours or assistance?
You better know it now that if nobody wants what I have that means he is not worth it. When ladies flock around him, I usually say silently that I thank God and appreciates his beautiful work.
How about a peep into your family and academic background?
I’m from Ihiala, Anambra State, and daughter of late Mr. and Mrs. Obi, owners of St. Jude’s College, Ihiala. Dad was a lawyer and mum a schoolteacher. I’m an orphan and that is why I have soft spot for orphans like me. I’m also from a very big family. I was born and brought up here in Lagos. I went to a nursery school in Apapa, attended St. Finbarrs College and Methodist Girls High School for my primary and secondary education, respectively. I read English at the University of Lagos. Above all these, my husband made me learn how to carry camera, I also write our scripts, costume, he also makes me co-produce with him, he also teaches me editing, all thanks to him for bringing out all the good things I never knew I had prior to meeting him. Goge Africa is quite a handful…
What kind of a person are you?
I’m very energetic, loving; extra romantic my husband can confirm this…
The death of your parents, which led to your being an orphan, does it sometimes weigh you down?
Yes it does make me feel sad but I’ve taken it as the will of God in my life. My mum was and still my queen…
And how does your husband feel when men come to stylishly ask you out?
I’m so naïve, because I don’t even know when they do that, maybe my husband understands better. I’m so innocent…
And lastly, what do you see as the biggest gain presenting Goge Africa alongside your husband on air?
It has improved my self-confidence, has made me more of the person I would have been if I were not on air. It has also helped me to impact positively on the larger society. And I want to thank from the bottom of my heart, all those who have supported us over the years, our fans globally. We really appreciate them.
First published, June 2006.
