Actress expelled from Kannywood for ‘hugging, cuddling’ in music video

Rahama Sadau has been expelled from Kannywood, the Hausa indigenous film industry, for playing a love interest in a music video.

According to the Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MOPPAN), Sadau’s appearance in the music video of ClassiQ, a Hausa indigenous rapper, is “immoral”.

A statement released on Sunday by Malam Salisu Mohammed, secretary of MOPPAN, noted that Sadau serially “hugged and cuddled” ClassiQ in the video.

Mohammed said the decision was made following a “resolution reached by all guilds and association under the unified body of Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MOPPAN).”

“This is as a result of her recent immoral appearance in a certain video song where she appeared in series of visuals (video and pictorials) hugging and cuddling the music artiste Classiq in his newly released video.

“The leadership of the industry will no longer tolerate behaviours that are against conducts and ethics laid down by the constitution governing the unified leadership of the industry.

“More so the leadership hopes this will serve as a deterrent to the actors and actresses to check their public behaviour as they are expected to be good ambassadors of the society they represent.

“Furthermore, a committee has been set to receive and deal with reactions and feedbacks to this resolution in respect to the affected actress especially those producers that currently engaged her in their projects.”

The music video which earned Sadau the ban is titled ‘I Love You’.

Sadau, who is often referred to as “Queen of Kannywood”, has also featured in English-speaking movies, some of which include ‘Light will Come’, ‘Super Story (soap opera)’ and ‘Sons of the Caliphate’.

Some of her popular Hausa movies include ‘Halacci’, ‘Minnal’, ‘Dalilin So’, ‘Halwa’.

In 2014 and 2015, Sadau was awarded Best Actress (Kannywood) at the City People Awards.