The Facts
Nigerian satirist Bello Galadanci, best known by his stage name Dan Bello, has amassed more than a million followers on TikTok who are fans of his videos that blend social commentary and comedy.
Bello, a trained journalist, posts videos in Hausa, a language spoken widely in northern Nigeria, along with English subtitles.
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💡What motivates you? We’ve always dreamed of a better country. Unfortunately, terrible leadership, corruption, and many other problems have destroyed the lives of millions of Nigerians. On the other hand, Nigerians love entertainment. I believe a mix of addressing those issues and entertainment will definitely engage Nigerians. Satire is a tool to really address sociopolitical issues while being as entertaining as possible.
💡Why did you choose social media and what’s your favorite platform? A new Nigeria can only be formed with young people and mostly young people are on social media. I don’t have a favorite but the various platforms have different kinds of audiences and expectations. I really appreciate all of them because they provide different ways to achieve the goal.
💡What feedback do you get from ordinary people and those in power? Some ordinary citizens are afraid, saying “you’ve got to be careful.” But most of them are optimistic that we will definitely forge a better country. For people in power, most of them are, surprisingly, sending encouraging messages. They’re saying it’s something that is needed and young people need to play a significant role in addressing these issues.
💡Why does satire matter? It’s important because when people are politically educated, they know what to expect from their leaders and how to hold their leaders accountable. This will put down a foundation for an effective democratic society.
💡What reaction do you want from those in power? If people in power did their job properly, I wouldn’t be here in the first place. And even if I was here, it wouldn’t be popular. They should be angry and upset. I want them to really scramble and change their ways to become good leaders. I’d like them to just focus on offering good leadership and improving people’s lives, not just awarding themselves big contracts and constantly flying out of the country. They should feel threatened until they change their ways.
💡Are the comments on your posts mostly positive or negative? The comments are roughly 50% positive and 50% negative. We don’t want it to be all positive, then it’s not as effective. We want people to really feel unhappy about what they’re seeing. The feedback is great. It’s creating debate and helping that enlightenment that we’ve been hoping for.
💡What are the advantages and disadvantages of performing in Hausa? I don’t think there are any disadvantages. It’s all advantages because the local person who is in every nook and every corner in northern Nigeria can consume the message quickly. In the future, the education system and everything else needs to be in a local language. We have to appreciate the native languages.