Story Magazine | 2021 Edition | My Story | TobiTade
Welcome back to Story Magazine.
Welcome to our 2021 edition.
Welcome to the ‘My Story’ series. This series will tell the stories of creatives, talent, brands, venues, landmarks, businesses and personalities. These stories will be written by the people/brands in question.
Our inaugural debut story comes to you from the South of London via the beautiful and busy Lagos, Nigeria – West Africa.
Story Magazine 2021 Edition presents TobiTade a British Nigerian horn filmmaker.
His story reads as….
TobiTade is a Nigerian-born British man raised in south London.
This year has been good to me despite the lockdown. I’ve been productive, I’ve been able to really understand myself and refine my film style. I’ve been creating content continuously and even learning some new life skills. It’s been a good year in a weird way.
During a pandemic, witnessing and being a part of BLM movement as a Nigerian was mind-blowing.
At home nobody matters and the people who survive are the rich and the people with grit and determination. The awareness of this and moving to the UK where everyone has a chance fuelled my ability to stand out without even trying. So I felt really moved by the movement as I saw the world push for better opportunities for people who look like me. However, I also felt a longing for better opportunities at home. Shortly after the BLM movement, the #EndSARS movement started. I recognised the power of film to move individuals to do a brave thing. Most Nigerians older than 40 were in disbelief that this even happened. That the youth who have been oppressed for so long we’re finally speaking out.
I spent the first ten years of my life growing up in Nigeria. It was me, my younger sister, my mum and my dad. I always hated waking up early to go school. We had to leave at the same time as my dad, but he would drop us at my grandmas house which was around the corner from the school we went to. This was when we had time to play and really just do anything we wanted. I only have fond memories of my grandma (Iya-shop). She would always allow us to watch the television for as long as we wanted and I guess thats where my love for film and television grew.
In May 2004, we migrated to London in search of a better life. Plumstead was where my new home would be for the next 15 years. Though it wasn’t busy Lagos, it was not so bad. It’s a diverse community, which was what actually made it quite terrifying. I could see a crackhead head one minute, the next minute see an aunty from church and the next minute hear the fire ambulance coming from nowhere. So there was not chance to hang about vagrantly.
At college I chose to study Media. This has helped me really understood the history and the different forms of media. I loved studying media as it enabled me to start to appreciate the films I watched as a kid growing up. By my 20s, I knew I had to be a filmmaker, but not just any filmmaker, I have a story to tell. I always wonder – If I had known that the difficulty of moving across continents and trying to hold on to my identity would lead me to my purpose, would I have experienced the change differently? Would I have embraced moving from a sometimes unbearably hot Nigeria to rainy England? Would I have found peace in moving from a place where a village raises a child to a place where it’s every family for himself? I found my purpose at some point along my educational journey. It is to bridge the gap between local Africans and Africans in diaspora.
At the university of Bedfordshire, studying Media Production (Film-Making) exposed me to the art behind production. From television to cinema, radio to podcasts, social media to blogs and vlogs, and everything in between. I have spent the past couple of years since building and creating my craft. I am blessed to have incredible talents around me. My first video muse was my friend who is an incredible dancer. We started off making dance videos in random places. We made a video that got 300k views in a month – that was a big deal to us! From then onwards, I knew the world had to see my videos. I had to be on the biggest screens! That was where my obsession with film started. My purpose in life was now to become the World’s Greatest Filmmaker. I had a determination to maintain my identity both as a Brit and as a Nigerian. I would remain the sometimes awkward and quirky guy always ahead of fashion. I didn’t mind standing out anymore and was determined to translate that through my style of production.
My goal is to cause people to do the ‘crazy thing’ and be the crazy person. I would like to inspire people and help them understand that their individuality is their power. I seriously identify with Kanye West as his self-belief though obnoxious at times reminds me that humans still exist. That just because you’re an artist doesn’t mean you have to hide or shy away. I hope for every single one of my films to capture a part of TobiTade. It’s a movement.
Most of my friends are super talented and would appear to be misfits. But really I find most them interesting as they are not afraid to be themselves. I love being around people with drive and individuality. Living the last year in Thamesmead has really pronounced the British African culture of hustling. And to each person that’s different, but the bottom line is we will keep dreaming until we achieve. I don’t believe in the “British Dream” as our parents came from Africa for a better life and barely made it out. I believe in TobiTade’s dream as I’m actively encouraging people to create art from within to maintain their humanity.
I am the next greatest film-maker, my years of experience, networking, travelling and learning have prepared me well. I know the lockdown prepared me for this next phase of my life. In the next year my name is going to be everywhere. My first film is coming out this year and will be premiered at a very high fashion store in london, It is a film about the fashion knock off culture in Nigeria. Watch this space! – The End.
Story Magazine thanks TobiTade for sharing a story of courage, grit, talent, determination and joy. This filmmaker is talented. This filmmaker will take over the world.
Keep tabs on what TobiTade does next on Instagram .See his work here.