In the second part of the interview, some of the things that Tayo Faniran spoke about are how his journey started his modelling career started, the struggles he initially faced in his career, the experiences that Nigerians in South Africa have faced with xenophobia and the difference between Nollywood and the South African movie industry.

South African-based model of Nigerian descent Tayo Faniran was assaulted by a couple of South African police men on Thursday 25 July, 2019. He was on his way to film an interview his crew and was stopped by the police for a search in his car. They did not find anything suspicious and wanted to seize his phone. Moreover, the police wanted him to get inside their van and lock him up. This led Tayo to go live on Instagram to show how he was being mistreated by the police. The live video went viral and reached the Nigerian government. According to him, they handled the issue well in conjunction with the Nigerian Embassy and Consul-General, His Excellency Godwin A. Adams. Furthermore, the case is being handled legally, politically and socially by both parties. He also said that the Senior Special Assistant to President Buhari on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, is fully involved in his case. “They are doing everything to make sure that justice is served”. The issue “will be used as a case study to end any further brutal confrontation by the cops or any citizen of South Africa”.

”The South African government wants people not to talk about xenophobia because it gives a bad image but at the same time, not doing anything about it does not show that they care”, he said.

”I know South Africa. I know how they stand against rape. I know the awareness about HIV and AIDS, women empowerment, gender equality. You see these things everyday”, he added. According to him, there is no platform in South Africa that speaks against xenophobia.

Not only is the popular 33-year old Tayo a model but also a tv personality and an artiste. He hails from Ilora, a town in Afijio Local Government in Oyo State, southwest Nigeria. He was discovered as a model by Nigeria-based modelling agency Isis Models in 2008. After working for them for a year, he signed a modelling deal with Boss Models South Africa, one of the biggest modelling agencies in the country. He has starred in tv commercials, ‘Tinsel’ (one of the biggest tv series in Africa) and the movie ‘Looking for Love’. Tayo has been acting professionally since 2014. He understands a bit of Zulu and Afrikaans, which are some of the languages spoken in South Africa.

Source: pniridescent.com