Jane Rogers: Christian actors highly marginalised in Kannywood

Kaduna State born Jane Thomas Rogers is a fast rising actress that is determined to build a brand that will be known around the word. A humanitarian, Jane has seen the down side of life which motivated her into reaching out to those that need help in the industry. Enjoy this no-holds-barred interview, the delectable actress had with ORJI ONYEKWERE.

You’re involved in humanitarian activities. Tell us more about it.

For many years now I have been passionate about helping people. I have been an orphan for 25 years now. I lost my dad when I was 10 and that informed my decision to reach out to the less-privileged. Though when my dad died, our mother was there and after she died we were all left on our own in my parents’ house, just me and my siblings. We are five and I am the fourth. Two girls and three boys. The boys are older than us.

After our parents passed on, we struggled, feeding was a problem and so I could not start my higher education in time because there was no one to sponsor me. When my father died my uncles took almost everything he left for us, his car and other properties. We did not benefit anything from his gratuity. In one of my father’s houses, they told the caretaker to be paying the rent to them.

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At a point, my mum had to get some elders involved, because we are from the southern part of Kaduna. One of the elders that intervened was Col Yohanna Madaki, a lawyer; he has a chamber. He spoke to them and asked them to refund everything but they were obstinate and refused. He now advised my mother to take them to court but the case lingered for 10 years because each time a judgement is passed that they should hand everything back to her, they would appeal it. At the tenth year, my mother passed on.

So your father was a civil servant?

He was one of the directors in the printing press; he worked with the scholarship board and other agencies in Kaduna. That I am doing charity was because I was inspired by my father. He helped a lot of people in my town. He sponsored the education of a lot of people. We had so many people living with us, who were not from our tribe but from different tribes.

After your mother’s death, how did you and your siblings pull through?

It was the grace of God that saw us through. I was way older before I started my university education. As I came to Lagos, I had to enroll in part time studies in LASU. I was working and schooling at the same time. Two of my brothers are policemen and they started as recruits. The second is just enrolling for his tertiary education because there was no one to sponsor him.

You ended up studying accounting?

Yes. I was not really passionate about accounting because it was my dad’s profession but my mum just wanted somebody to read that course. It was not as if I was not good, I was; it’s one of my favourite courses but I didn’t have much interest. I enrolled for PGD to study journalism in LASU because I feel that’s where I belong.

Your acting career started with stage plays. Where was that?

It started in Kaduna from my primary school. I had one of our church leaders who was working with Ruth Sanke, she owns Space 2000; its more like a film or drama academy, it’s a popular place in Kaduna and she is into theatre actually. She puts up entertainment events and invite people to come and watch. It was my church leader that introduced me and other young people to her.

We go for training and rehearsals. Sometimes she takes us to schools, she had partnership with. For instance, if they are having their end of the year party or end of the term party and she is contracted, she would organise a stage play where the children pays a token. I was so passionate about it, drama and dance. When I entered secondary school, I had wanted to continue but my mother felt this would be a distraction, so I had to quit.

You are from Kaduna, one would have expected you to pitch your tent with Kannywood instead of Nollywood?

After my university education, I went back to Kaduna. I felt that Kaduna will give me the platform I needed since I am from that part and I started with Hausa movies. Most of the movies were series. I am from the Christian part of Southern of Kaduna and I was also interested in being part of the English movies. Aside that, there was marginalisation, there is this thing they do in Hausa movies, they will tell you to speak only the Kano Hausa. It’s the same Hausa but the intonation is different. If you don’t speak the real Kano Hausa, they may not cast you in their movies or give you a major role.

That was a big challenge for some of us that are Christians. If you’re a Christian from the north, they may not want to give you a lead role because of your name. That’s why there are Christians there that have changed their names to Hausa names. But I stood my ground that nobody will make me change my name just to favour anybody. I am a Christian from the southern part of Kaduna.

I have one of them, a friend who took up Hausa name just to gain roles .Every Friday she has to dress like Hausas and I have to chat her up to know if really she is a Muslim. She told me in confidence that she is a Christian but had to adopt and bear Muslim name so she can get roles because they are being marginalised.

I suggested to her that we should come up with our own guild. I learnt later that she and some other people went to register Kadawood (Kadunawood) so that they can give a platform to Kaduna people and nobody will be compelled to speak their Kano Hausa. As we speak, the Kadawood is still dominated by Hausa and Muslims. It’s more like we don’t even have a platform or a voice.

That was why you moved over to Nollywood?

Yes. At some point, I made up my mind to come to Lagos and I went for the audition of the movie ‘Battle Ground’, where I auditioned for an Hausa role. Later, the production manager called me and said he sees me doing well in Nollywood and I told him that was the reason I relocated to Lagos and that has been my ambition. That was how I started in Nollywood with ‘Battle Ground’, and I went ahead to feature in MNET produced Tinsel and other English movies.

Why did you go into artist management and magazine publication?

If you come in contact with me, you will observe that I naturally want to help people. I am passionate about helping people and touching lives. I am in the industry where I see a lot of things happening and the only way I can help them is to mentor them based on the fact that they have been exploited. Moreover, I have the platform and the experience, so I will not want them to fall prey. If it took me 10 years to get to where I am and I know that mentoring these people will help reduce the stress, then that’s the best route to take. Concerning the magazine, I worked with Cornel Udofia, he was my mentor and boss. Over time, I watched him do all of this. I was part of his team and I became passionate about what he was doing and I felt I needed to replicate it. My first event was the Maryland Concert in Lagos before coming to Abuja, where I started Global Impact Award.

Another person that was instrumental to the success of the event is Joshua Uloko, publisher of City Pride magazine. He was a key motivator to that vision because that’s what he actually does. When I did my Maryland event, there were lots of challenges. He called me to his office and said he needed to help me; he now guided me and said I should pick a name and pray over it. That was how I started.

Are you into a relationship?

For now, I am actually not into any relationship. I am still trusting God. I have been in one relationship or the other, but it didn’t work out. I have not lost hope; I am still trusting God that at the right time, things will work out. Emeka Ike said something that ‘we don’t seem to appreciate good girls; that most guys are after bad girls’. Their eyes are on the flashy girls, those that package, like the club girls. Of course, I know there is time for everything.

Let’s talk about some of the movies you have done and the experience with older actors.

It’s quite encouraging because these were people I watched over time. The likes of Joke Silva were people I never envisaged I would act alongside. So, when I had the opportunity, I never took it for granted and that’s why I appreciate Africa Magic for giving the young ones platform. I am thankful to them for setting the standard for others to follow.

If you have observed, most of my movies are by Africa Magic and no producer or director will take advantage of you. Everything is done professionally. I am thankful for such a huge platform and some of them are mentors to me

Any regrets?

I feel the movie industry has limited me a bit. I am not making the kind of money I would have loved to make. People see a lot of flashy things and feel that you are successful. There are sacrifices you need to make before you get to a certain level that’s why I want to encourage the people concerned to have a standard. There is no provision for royalty and that’s part of the reasons I ventured into other businesses. I do business alongside my acting career. I needed to marry my financial status with my social status.

My being in the industry has changed the way men see women. I remember I was in a relationship and I told the guy I was dating that I wanted to go into acting, he said no, do you want to be a prostitute? It’s a very wrong impression and he insisted that I must quit acting.

Don’t you think that your success is chasing men away?

I don’t think so. I believe it’s the other way round because men are actually after successful women. Most men like going after successful women.

QUOTE:

If you’re a Christian from the north, they may not want to give you a lead role because of your name.