Nigerian skit maker and actress Maryam Apaokagi, popularly known as Taooma, has said her mother and the everyday behaviour of African parents remain the biggest source of inspiration for her comedy content.
Speaking in an interview shared on X on Monday, Taooma said although she occasionally experiences creative blocks, she often finds fresh ideas by drawing on experiences from everyday family life.
According to the content creator, many of the memorable scenes in her skits are inspired by the actions and mannerisms of parents, particularly mothers.
“It’s not like I don’t run out of ideas, but I obviously recoup and rejuvenate.
“One of the major sources of my ideas is my mum and daily African parents – what they do and how they do their stuff. I just take the ideas and put my own spice on them,” she said.
She added that ordinary family interactions often provide material that can easily be turned into relatable comedy.
“If you sit down and think about what your mum does and everything, there are so many crazy things that they do,” she said.
Taooma also said she is intentional about the content she consumes, choosing material she believes will inspire her creativity and have a positive impact on her mindset.
However, she admitted that reading books is not one of her strengths, joking that she had only recently started reading James Clear’s bestselling book, Atomic Habits.
“I don’t just consume content anyhow. I consume things that I know would inspire me and things that are good for my brain,” she said.
“I don’t really read books, I’m not going to lie to you. I just started reading Atomic Habits. I pray I finish it this year.”
Speaking about the origin of her popular character, Quadri, Taooma revealed that the role was originally intended to be a one-off appearance rather than a recurring character.
She said Quadri was created either for an advertisement or simply to introduce another personality into one of her skits, but the positive response from viewers convinced her to keep the character.
“Quadri was actually a walk-past role. He was never meant to stay,” she said.
Describing the character, Taooma said Quadri reflects the outspoken and rebellious traits commonly associated with young men from Ilorin, Kwara State.
“Quadri is a regular Ilorin boy. They are very rebellious and don’t take nonsense. Everybody has a Quadri character in their life,” she said.
The comedian added that while she is passionate about reflecting Nigerian culture in her work, most of her creative decisions develop organically rather than through deliberate planning.
“I don’t sit down and say I want to pick a character from this place or that place. I just do it according to how it comes,” she said.
