The late Hausa Actress Hauwa Ali Dodo “Biba Problem,” courtesy of Ibrahim Sheme at Bahaushe Mai Ban Haushi
Forgive me for not posting this story earlier. I have not been well, and to be honest, I found this story so depressing, I couldn’t bear to post it earlier–also part of the reason I didn’t post last April about the death of Jamila Haruna, who I had seen and asked for an interview only weeks earlier.
Last week on New Years Day, I was with my friend Hausa novelist and poet Sa’adatu Baba as she was preparing for her wedding party. Ibrahim Sheme, editor of Leadership newspaper and publisher of Fim Magazine, called to congratulate her, but when she passed the phone to me so that I could greet him, he told me some more sobering news. Hausa film star Hauwa Ali Dodo, also known as Biba Problem after the character she played in one of her earliest films Ki Yarda da Ni (a film adaptation of the popular novel of the same name by Bilkisu Funtua) had been killed in a road accident a few hours before on the road from Jos to Kaduna, one of the latest in a series of Hausa film industry deaths on Nigerian roads.
Hauwa Ali Dodo was an actress with one of the longest acting careers in Kannywood. In a 14 March 2008 Nigerianfilms.com article, “Top 10 Northern Actresses,” posted on ModernGhana.com (likely lifted from another location that I could not find with a google search. Modern Ghana News and Nigerianfilms.com regularly lift articles from other sites without citation, as I have been told by other disgruntled journalists and discovered personally when they lifted my interview with Sani Muazu from this blog–in my case they eventually DID cite me when I sent the administrators enough complaints!), she is described as one of the top ten actresses in Kannywood and as:
the longest surviving actress in the hausa movie industry after becoming popular with the villain role she played in KI YARDA DA NI. She is gifted with spontanous acting skills and has to her credit three hits out of the highest selling movies in the hausa movie scene. These hits include KIYARDA DA NI, SANGAYA and DASKIN DA RIDI.
Ruqayyah Yusuf Aliyu gives a more extensive biography, in her personal remembrance of the actress: “Biba Problem: Sunset for Kannywood’s Star” in Sunday Trust 3 January 2009.
Born some 35 years ago, the late Hauwa was the longest serving actress in the industry. Since her debut in the film, Ki Yarda Dani, she never looked back. She was gifted with spontaneous acting skills, and had to her credit a number of hits in top selling Hausa films. These hits include Kiyarda Da Ni, Sangaya, Daskin Da Ridi, Buri, Gaskya Dokin Karfe and Na Gari to mention a few. Her spectacular and extra ordinary acting skills won her a number of awards while she was a nominee for both local and international awards on several occasions.
Among her awards were best actress in the Yahoo, Majalisar Finanfinai awards in 2002 and 2005, Yahoo Group Movie Award in 2007, Stars in the Movie Award (SIMA) for Best Actress in 2008, among others.
Here are links to a few other articles about the loss of Hauwa Ali Dodo.
A Kannywood news online article posted on January 1. Kannywood News Online also has an interview with Kannywood superstar Ali Nuhu
An anecdotal Weekend Triumph article “Biba Problem is Dead” published on 2 January.
A short article from Vanguard “Hausa Film Star Dies in Road Accident” published on 2 January
An article from the Saturday Tribune on 2 January that combines the story of her death and another unrelated accident related death in “New Year Tragedy: Hausa Movie Star, Teenager die in Car Accidents.”
A People’s Daily Online piece, “Kannywood/Nollywood actors, friends, family mourn Hauwa Ali Dodo,” with short statements about Hauwa from family and friends.
The death of the Hausa film actress is the latest in series of high profile Kannywood deaths on the road. As work in Hausa films involves much travel (as well as publicity-related and personal travel–Hauwa Ali Dodo was coming back from attending a polo match in Jos. Veteran actress Jamila Haruna, one of the most recognizeable “mother” actors in Hausa films, was killed in April 2009 on the Abuja-Kaduna road, coming back from the PDP national convention), the “hungry road” Wole Soyinka has so often written about has claimed some of the most talented and well-known members of Kannywood. The death of Hauwa Ali Dodo on New Years Day in particular brings back sad memories of the death of Kannywood leading man Ahmad S. Nuhu on the Kano-Azare road three years ago on New Years Day 2007. In June of last year, Newspage Weekly published a feature, “How Top Stars Perish on Nigerian Roads” listing at least 19 Kannywood road fatalities.
The facebook status of a one of my friends, a Kannywood actor, shortly after the news of Hauwa’s death broke read “Allah ya jikanmu.” “May God forgive us.” It is the phrase, more commonly “Allah ya jikansa” or “Allah ya jikanta” (May God forgive him/May God forgive her) used when someone dies. For those in Kannywood and all of us travelling so often on these hungry roads, death lurks close by. “Allah ya jikanmu duka” — UPDATE To read other tributes I’ve written for Hausa actors and filmmakers gone before their time, see my posts on Director Zilkiflu Muhammed (Zik), who died 18 February 2010, Actress Safiya Ahmed, who died on 26 February 2010, Actress Amina Garba, who died on 21 November 2010, Comedian and director Lawal Kaura, who died on 13 December 2011, Actress Maryam Umar Aliyu, who died on 12 April 2011, Director Muhammadu Balarabe Sango, who died on 1 December 2012 |
A Tunanina... 
Nice one….Allah yayi mata rahama… Hauwa was a very a nice lady.
LikeLike
Kulli nafsin za ika tul mautu. May her gentle soul rest in perfect peace. I was touch wen i heard the news.
LikeLike
ALLAH YA GAFARTAMATA AMEEN
LikeLike
Allah ya jikan Hauma Ali Dodo.May her soul rest in perfect peace.
LikeLike
HAUWA ALI DODO (BIBA PROBLEM) Inafatan Allah ya isar da rahma a kabarinta ameen.
LikeLike
INNA LILLAHI WA INNA ELAIHIN RAJIUNN KULLI NAFSIN ZAHIKATUL MAUTI ALLAH YAJIKAN MAMATA IDAN TAMU TAZO ALLAH YASA MUCIKA DA IMANI AMIN.
LikeLike
Inafata Allah yayiwa wadanda suka rasu tahanyar hadarin mota da kuma ta sauran sanadai, masu makamancin haka gafara, amin. Sannan ya kautata namu zuwan.
LikeLike
Or lordbear us witness that our govt are just looking at the way we are perishing like tomatoes. also the kind of drivers we have today worsen this ill situation of ours. combination of bad road and useless drivers= death. allah yajikan wanda suka rigamu gidan gaskiya.
LikeLike
To poor & the rice. The need & the needers. The young & the old. There is time be bron & time to die.There is time to smile & & time to cry. In between the privlege to live, to live to the glory of creator(ALLAH) S.W.A
And may there perfect soul rest in peace. Amin
LikeLike
To poor & the rice. The need & the needers. The young & the old. There is time be bron & time to die.There is time to smile & time to cry. In between the privlege to live, to live to the glory of creator(ALLAH) S.W.A
There have all gone may (ALLAH) S.W.A grant there perfect aljena fridusi Amin summa Amin.
LikeLike
Pingback: Allah ya jikan Hausa film actress Maryan Umar Aliyu | A Tunanina…
allah ya jikan ta..i have saw her once sittin in haram wid a frnd…
LikeLike
Allah yajikansu
LikeLike
allah ya jikan wadan nan mari gyaya yasa sun huta ya yan uwansu hakurin jurewa.muko ya kyautata tamu inta taho yasa mucika da imani ameen
LikeLike
Allah yajinka hauwa ali dodo da hussaina tsigai balaraba mohammed ahmad s nuhu kulu jamila haruna da sauransu
LikeLike
Allha yajika wadanda sukamutu amin mukuma idantamu tazo Allha yasamucika daimani amin
LikeLike
Allah ya jikan su gaba daya ya kuma yafe musu zunuban su.Allah ya rahamarce su da aljannah(Amin)Kuma Allah yasa mu cika da imani
LikeLike
May almighty Allah forgive there sins,and also make Aljannat to be there homes,amin.
LikeLike
Allah ya jikan, H.A.Dodo Allah yakafarta mata amin,
Allah kuma yabmu juriyar reshinta;amin suma amin.
LikeLike
ALLAH YASA ALJANNAR FIRDAUS CE MAKOMA
LikeLike
Oh no,i am sunny and i love kannywood movies to tink that i jst heared about indo’s death i am sad.she is a gifted actress inteligent and smart i could remember her speaking yoruba in one of her movies indeed kannywood has lost a star adieu.
LikeLike
May almighty fogive us and all entire Muslim ummah
LikeLike
Allah yajikansu yasa sunhuta yay musu rahamarsa. Mukuma intamu tazo ‘Allah yasa mucika da imani!!! Ameen thumma ameen
LikeLike
Hauwa ali dodo
LikeLike
Allah yajikan wadan da suka riga mu tun daga zamanin Annabi Adamu har ya zuwa yau, kasa Aljanna makoma ce agaremu, Ameeen.
LikeLike
Allah yagafartama marigayan mu na musulmi minla-dun-adama-ilah-yauminah-hazah.
LikeLike
R. I. P Hauwa Ali Dodo
LikeLike
may her soul rest in perfect peace
LikeLike
Pingback: Allah ya jikan Hausa film actress Maryam Umar Aliyu | A Tunanina...
Pingback: Allah Ya Jikan Jarumar Kannywood, Hajiya Amina Garba | A Tunanina...
Pingback: Allah ya jikan Kannywood actress Safiya Ahmed and director/producer Zulkiflu Muhammed | A Tunanina...
Kulli nafsin za ika tul mautu. May her gentle soul rest in perfect peace. I was touch wen i heard the news but that was her destiny. my Allah forgive and forget all of us by granting us Jannat.
LikeLike
Pingback: Remembering ‘Dan Ibro (tare da baturiyarsa) (Allah ya jikan ‘Dan Ibro) | A Tunanina...
may Allah help us ameen.
LikeLike
ALLAH JIKANSU BAKI DAYA
LikeLike
ALLAH KAGAFARTAWA WADANDA SUKA RIGAMU GIDAN GASKIYA AMEEN.MUKUMA ALLAH SADAMU DA ALHERINSA NA DUNIYA DA LAHIRA AMEEN SAKO DAGA ALIYU SANDAMU DAURA
LikeLike
All allah yajikansu bakidaya
LikeLike
Rest in jannatul Firdausi
LikeLike
Allah ya jikanki da rahma
LikeLike
May there gentle soul rest in jannah
LikeLike
May there gentle soul rest in jannah
LikeLike