The Gambian Nollywood award winning actor, Musa Darboe, has arrived in the country from Nigeria ahead of his homecoming award celebration to be held 25 January this year at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre.
The award winning actor was welcomed at the weekend at the Banjul International Airport by Musa Suso, the Chief Executive Officer of Suso Foundation, with his delegation including the parents of the actor and his supporters from Sukuta, Brufut and beyond.
Darboe, a 27-year-old Gambian Nollywood award-winning actor based in Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria, is set for a homecoming event featuring an award presentation and the premiere of his new movie titled ‘Cruel Love’.
He began his acting career in 2017 after graduating from Scanaid Senior Secondary School, and travelled to Nigeria in 2021.
Nursing dream of acting
During his formative years in Brufut, Musa, like many young Gambians, spent most of his after-school hours watching Nigerian movies. The persistent adventure stimulated his pursuit of becoming an actor.
“I spent most of my childhood days watching Nigerian movies,” he said. “It is a chronic habit for me. Since then, I began dreaming of becoming like Pawpaw, my role model. Watching him at that young age, I dreamt of doing what they were doing. That triggered my journey into acting.”
Challenges in pursuit of excellence
Musa had a rough childhood, battling various difficulties, but that never blurred his vision of making a go-off in acting. He always wanted to be an actor and nothing else, not even becoming a journalist, a profession he used to have a taste for. He worked so hard and fixed his eyes on the price to turn doubters into believers that he could rock the stage with Nollywood superstars one day in his career.
The movie industry in The Gambia is in its infancy in producing quality movies. Unlike many countries, The Gambia has no recognised school that offers acting as an area of study.
Many youngsters in The Gambia have their dreams smashed in acting as a result of the country’s lack of progress in the movie industry or lack of support for uplifting budding movie stars.
The youngster made the best use of his natural talent in acting to face off and beat those who studied acting and theatre in fascinating movie auditions.
As expected, Musa faced financial challenges financing his movie projects in The Gambia. In 2021, he said, he wanted to cease acting after facing financial challenges that nearly crumbled his movie career.
“When I returned to The Gambia, I premiered a new film I produced, but the turnout was deplorable. This dashed my hopes of producing more films in The Gambia, and I returned to Nigeria to continue my acting career. I was hoping to raise funds for my film premiering, but unfortunately, things turned out bad,” the young actor bemoaned.
Being devoted, powered by his indomitable desire to actualize his dream, Musa never rests on his laurels, nor has he allowed financial challenges to deter him. He endured the economic issues and went to Nigeria to follow his dreams. His positive mentality continues to overcome the stiff financial obstacles that threaten him from realizing his dreams in Nollywood, and he maintains his inextinguishable lust to be like Pawpaw.
“Being the only Gambian actor in Nollywood and doing well is astonishing,” he said. “I think it should be a proud moment for every Gambian. Gambians spend most of their time watching Nigerian and Senegalese films. I represent The Gambia in Nollywood because I use Mandinka when I speak in my movies. Most of my colleagues would ask where I am from, and I would tell them The Gambia.”
According to Musa, acting has significantly transformed his life. His talent in movies made him meet high-profile dignitaries, sit with them, talk, and share ideas.
Movies featured in
In his three years in Nigeria, Musa has appeared in highly-rated movies like Blood and Promise, Where My Heart Belongs, Life of Pain, A Reason to Love, Return of the Legend, Cruel Love, and The Caged Goddess.
He works with his role model, Pawpaw, in a thrilling movie titled “Rethink.”
Amazingly, Musa not only acts but is also a scriptwriter, movie director, and producer. He has become an all-rounder in the industry.
Notable Nollywood superstars worked with
Powered by hard work and talent Musa has been able to work with A-list Nollywood superstars in the same films. These superstars include Osita Iheme, popularly known as Pawpaw, Destiny Etiko, Frederick Leonard, Jerry Williams, Denilson Igwe, Tessy Diamond, Adaeze Eluke, Chinere Wilfred, Emma Umeh, Ngozi Evuka, Lizzy Gold, Alex Cross, and Zubby Michael.
Awards and nomination
Musa’s rare talent and incredible performances in movies he has been featured in cannot go unnoticed. Born in a coastal area in a tiny country in West Africa, Musa has crossed borders and clinched international awards.
In 2021, he was crowned Best Young International Actor and Best Student Movie Producer at the annual African Movie Icons & Celebrity Awards in Sierra Leone.
In 2023, the young Gambian actor was crowned the Best Young African Actor of the Year at Nigeria’s 2023 Nollywood African Golden Awards.
In 2024, he is nominated at the annual NOLLYWOOD AFRICAN GOLDEN AWARDS 2024 as the Best Nollywood Language Movie Actor of the Year and The Best Young African Actor of the Year.
Nigerian wife
Early last year, Musa married his Nigerian spouse, Chioma Odali. Like a match made in heaven, Chioma is one of the most prominent young movie producers in Nollywood Asaba and owns Chirock Films Company. The couple is expecting to produce top-notch movies shortly. Courageously, evolving from a mere dreamer of becoming an actor to sharing the same stage with notable characters with no formal schooling in movies or acting, the Gambian star has amplified the famous saying that Gambians are talented but don’t get the necessary support, which is killing many talents in the country.
