Sunkanmi Ogunade popularly known as Sunky OG is a highly
ambitious young man doing Nigeria proud in far-away Malaysia.
Before he jetted out of Nigeria to further his education in
Malaysia, Sunky was a young man with tall ambition. He is a writer cum
journalist, model and an actor. Upon arrival in Kuala Lumpur, he added
photography to his portfolio and today, he is among the most sought-after young
photographers in the city.
He recently had a successful photo exhibition in Kuala Lumpur
and ACADA caught up with for this exclusive one-on-one hearty interview. Enjoy!
Congratulations on your recently
held photo exhibition. What's the concept behind the event?
Thank you so much. I’ve been working on my abstract collections
for a while and I wanted to tell stories from different perspectives with my
own style. After working on all images appropriately, I knew it was time to
showcase what I have got. The exhibition was tagged Vignettes of Co-existence
because I lay more emphasis on peaceful coexistence despite
our natural and distinctive dissimilarities. I concentrated
on Anti Bullying theme; Black Lives Movement narratives, energy exchange, and
the representativeness of Cohabitation. My images are as a result of what goes
on around me, my well molded thoughts, traveling experiences, being an African
and core values.
How did you get into photography?
My love for Aesthetics made me delve into photography. I
wanted to explore beauty, emotions, hidden reality and people. It started
slowly when I was in nigeria after my adorable dad got me my first Nikon
branded camera. I focused more when I left Nigeria and registered myself in a
media production university, SAE Institute here in Malaysia where I
studied Photography and Lightning principles for a year and
at the same time got along with a mentor here who assisted and pushed me till I
was able to explore on my own.
Which area of photography is your specialty?
I focus more on Ultra Modern Portraits, Realism, Abstracts, Products,
Food, Boudoir , Events, Weddings. I try my best to be as vast as possible so as
to fit in properly. It’s a tough market here in Asia as we have to stand tall
with all these super smart Chinese kids so it’s advisable to be good in all
areas.
Let's talk about your migration to
Malaysia. You were schooling at Olabisi Onabanjo University, studying Mass
Communication. Why did you leave?
Yeah, I was studying Mass Communication but had to leave
because of the long strike we had back then. While the strike was in, I applied
to some couple of universities and got admission, sat down with my folks to
ascertain the best considering all areas, opted for the Malaysian university
and boom! The rest is now a story.
What course did you studied in
Malaysia?
I got here and enrolled for Business Information System in a
UK university (UEL) to brush up my information technology skills, I finished
and switched back to the communications line and enrolled for Corporate Communications
for my Msc and currently taking my doctorate degree
in Mass Communication: Branding, Imagery and Perception.
Why change of course?
I just changed for a while to get acquainted with information
technology but am back in my line now. I love Mass Communication a lot.
What is the campus life experience
like in Malaysia compared to Nigeria?
It’s completely different from what we have in Nigeria. It’s
different in all areas. I don’t even know where to commence from! If I start,
we won’t conclude this interview today. Loool!
How easy was it for you to combine
schooling with working?
It wasn't
an easy task in any way. During my degree days, I joggle between event
shoots, freelance media jobs, and all! I failed some courses at first because I
didn't pay attention to myself and my strength but after a while, I
started prioritizing everything in the right way. Because I capture
moments at events and all, some run till the next morning around 7 am and I
have classes by 8 am, I go to classes looking tired, but one thing that kept me
on top of my game was that I was good at understanding things easily, I go for
classes, get home and create time for my study sessions, after a couple of
hours, I am good to go, sometimes I will have exams for 9 am and still
work and party till 6 am but I must have studied so hard the previous weekend
or something. I don't really talk in class or answer questions but when the
results come out, you will know that I am Nigerian! (Nigerians don't like
failing, it’s either the top spot or nothing!)
My
classmates look at me in a weird way and be like: this Nigerian boy that comes to class looking grumpy comes out with
good grades. I learnt all these tactics from Nigeria. We read to understand
and give it back to them. Over here, the lecturer does not want words for
words, he wants to learn from you, so it boils down to your understanding and
explaining in your own way. I did the same for my masters and graduated with
3.88. My Uni here is the second-best in Malaysia. It’s University Putra
Malaysia. You have to read well or else, they send you packing without a second
thought. For PhD, it's like you writing your own book, everything is at
your own terms, so it's more comfortable but highly tactical and
demanding. I prioritize everything in my life and it works magic.
You were also into journalism
while in Nigeria, and now into publishing of your own magazine, Zoom. How has
the journey been so far?
My foundation in journalism made it easy for me to produce my
own magazine. It’s been good and rewarding as I got a lot of support from friends
and family. Zoom is a lifestyle magazine that encompasses all sections. I
focused a lot on topics and areas that cuts across all
races and works of life. It’s been good and all thanks to
God.
What are the challenges you're
facing as an entrepreneur and also as an African immigrant?
It’s really hard to set up here as a foreigner as you have to
get a local to initiate that or marry a Malaysian. Everything boils down to the
grace of God and who you know. As an entrepreneur, you can still do your own things
in a freelance way and you can also apply for jobs if you don’t want to be an entrepreneur.
Gone are the days when they say no work for
Africans in Malaysia, you can apply for a good job and get
it. Everything positive is possible around here but Malaysians come first.
How are you fitting into the
lifestyle of the Malaysians?
Been here for a long time but when I firstly arrived many
years ago, the culture shock was tough as I had to adjust to the food,
language, women hahaha etc! But am good now.
Do you sometimes miss Nigeria? And
what do you do in such moments?
The only thing I miss about Nigeria is the food and my
family. You know in Nigeria when you see tents and all for parties, you get to
imagine the food that will be served such as Jollof rice, plantain, goat meat
etc. But over here, mehn…. its salad, tom yam soup, some curry soup, nasi lamak
and other local delicacies, they are really delicious but nothing beats my
Nigerian
meals. But luckily for us over here, we have smart
individuals who own restaurants here specifically for Nigerian meals and when I
don’t eat out, I cook a lot. I miss my parents despite the fact that we talk
everyday and because of Coronavirus and how crazy it has become, only God knows
when I will visit Africa again.
What is the project you're
currently working on?
Currently working with some NGOs here in Malaysia for a
campaign against rape, child abuse and all sorts. Will be using images to tell
stories and make people see the pain victims go through. I am also working on
my next exhibition billed for December 2020. I had to slow down on a lot of
plans because of Covid 19. I just pray it goes away soon.
What inspires you?
My environment, travels and a whole lot of other things. For me,
weird things captivate me.
When I say weird, I mean things that people don’t pay
attention to. I also try as much as possible to stay positive.
You were once into modeling and
acting, tell us about that aspect of you.
I still do all that here. I’ve done jobs for Panasonic, Sony,
Dettol, Digi, Maxis, Cocacola, Colgate, Astro TV and the list goes on. Because
of how the world is changing, more production houses include all races in their
promotions and adverts so as to cut across a lot of audience. It’s tough but
the more time you spend in the line, the more opportunities that will arise. It’s
so much fun here as we get to travel a lot and they pay really well. Back in Nigeria,
I did a lot of jobs to such as Coke, GLO, MTN, Maltonic, Chivita Juice and it
goes on. I can’t stop modeling though as its got no age limitations.
What's your take about young
Nigerians who are into shady deals abroad, especially internet frauds, thereby,
bringing bad reputations to the name of the country?
We have a lot of them here and they have made everything difficult.
A lot of countries have made it hard for Nigerian passport users to travel, to
get job, etc. The worst part is they have gangs and engage in public fights,
public display of power and all that nonsense. It’s really sad and another
thing is when they see that you are Nigerian, they automatically think you are
a scammer or belong to a gang! To some close minded human beings, when you say
you are in Malaysia, they imagine you being a con artist as if there is nothing
good about Nigerians here. A lot of Africans have top paying jobs, doing great businesses
with locals, married and working, we have Car dealers, IT professionals, Cargo companies,
videographers, photographers, restaurants, medical doctors, lecturers and the
list goes on. People need to come off that nonsense of tagging everybody in Malaysia
a scammer.
We have jobs here, you can apply and get good jobs! Enough of
all that gullible stories. A lot of us are staying positive and repping our
countries and continents the good way.
What's the perception of Nigerians
by the Malaysians?
It’s a 50/50 kind of thing though; some think Nigerians are
good while some think the other way round. It’s vice versa. They see a lot of
these wrong Nigerians and assume the worst of things but a lot of us are doing
positive things and speaking up about it. I have been featured on a couple of
news tabloids and online blogs speaking up and trying to change the narrative that
every Nigerian is bad. We trying to push out the good ones, speak up, show off
positivity.
Let's talk about racism, which was
part of what your recent exhibition was about. Have you ever experienced
racism?
Racism is deep and only enlightenment can change it. A Malay
man once spat on my face and told me to go back to Africa right in front of his
kids. It’s a deep issue and we just have to keep talking about it till the
curve is flattened. You enter the train and they cover their noses like you are
smelling, you walk beside a car and they are locking it all like you plan to
rob them, most times I just laugh and shake my head at them because if they
were enlightened and open minded, they
wouldn’t behave in that manner. I have met amazing Malaysians to the point where
anytime I come across a retarded racist, I don’t flinch.
As a handsome Nigerian young
entrepreneur, how do you cope with female admirers?
Ahhh its tough oooo! Too many beautiful ladies! But women are
gods, so I just vibe with my brains if you know what I mean. It’s advisable to
be very careful and that’s what I do.
When not working, how do you
unwind?
I cook and watch movies.
What's your dream and future plans
for your brand?
Nobody knows what the future holds but I keep working hard to
achieve my goals.
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