How Did Suo Chapele Become an Iconic Pidgin Commentator? Find Out in Today’s “Doing Life With…”

Doing Life With… is a BellaNaija Features series that showcases how people live, work, travel, care for their families and… everything in between. We are documenting the lives of all people and ensuring everyone is well-represented at BN.

Did you miss our conversation with Temitayo Akinyemi? You can catch up here.

Today, we’re doing life with Suo Chapele, (also known as Tracy Chapele) Africa’s 1st Female Pidgin Commentator for SuperSports and the first Urhobo woman in Udu Kingdom to be given the “Okugbe of Udu Kingdom” title in 100 years. Enjoy!

Hi Suo, how are you feeling today?

I’m well, thank you. I hope you’re feeling good too.

Thank you, Suo. We feel well. So, let’s start. Give us a peep into your background, education, and the aspects of your childhood that influenced who you are today

I am the 14th child in a family of 18 kids. I grew up in Warri from the early ’90s to the early 2000s. It was a potpourri of waterside culture, big southern vibes and a healthy splash of religious piety. I received formal education from different schools; Nana Primary School, DSC Model School 2, Airforce Secondary School, Our Ladies’ High School, Aladja Grammar School, University of Benin and John Moore’s University.

My late parents, Chief Oletu and Mrs Helen Nneka Chapele, were big on sports and reading as a welcomed distraction and means of recreation. As a result, most weekends, my 11 brothers, 6 sisters, and a bunch of ever-present cousins had a few approved options: buy a novel or a comic, go to Warri Library to read, accompany the parents to one of the family farms or Warri Club for tennis and other activities, or join some of the older kids at DSC Township or Shell Club Ogunu for swimming, basketball, or in the worst case, go to church and join the choir. The point is, you sha have to be doing something intentionally useful.

My childhood was pretty colourful and I was raised by my older siblings and parents of my friends. My mother died early but before her death, she was my first speaking coach. I had already been giving speeches as a valedictorian class member from age 4. My love for storytelling and public speaking led me to obtain degrees in English and Literature, Mass Communication and Media. I’d listen to older siblings and relatives gist animatedly, put their lives through stupendous risks just to catch a live football game and the adventure, the undiluted pleasure of it all drew me ultimately into the world of sports commentary and journalism. Everything is coming around in a full cycle.

Tell us about your early introduction to sports 

I’d always been around sporting activities growing up. Still, I only started to actively take an interest in 1993 when I followed an older brother of mine to catch the Nigeria vs Bulgaria game. It was a crowded street on Okere-Ugborikoko Road. I was too tiny to see the TV so I had to sit on Oghenero’s shoulders. When Rashidi Yekini scored, it felt like joy exploded from that minuscule TV screen and spilt onto the whole street; everyone erupted in glee. From that moment, I discovered the sort of pleasurable cruise sports could give. I always found a way to be around sporting activities since then.

Did that motivate you to eventually become a (sports) journalist/presenter?

I never really saw myself becoming a sports journalist or presenter until I saw Chisom Mbonu-Ezeoke anchor the 2010 World Cup games with dreadlocks, while pregnant. That was an iconic moment for dreamers like me. I became a sports journalist/presenter 4 years after I became a mother. I needed a job in Lagos so I interviewed for English and Pidgin presenter at Sports Radio Brila FM Lagos in 2014. It was on the 7th of November and up until that time, I’d never done sports presenting or any presentation work in Pidgin. I took the English script, flipped it and started presenting in Pidgin English on the spot. I didn’t realise this was a special skill that had come naturally to me. Within 5 months, I have a thriving solo Pidgin sports show in Lagos on the biggest sports radio platform on the continent at the time. Unreal.

We are proud of you, Suo

Thank you.

What does it mean to be the first female pidgin presenter for Super Sports?

I just wanted to discover new and creative ways to express myself, weaving colours and excitement for my audience, no matter what language they spoke. The warm reception from La Liga, EPL, AFCON, EUROS, UCL, and especially World Cup coverages, not to mention the increase in female viewers and the over 250 million primary Pidgin speakers across the continent who tune in to our Pidgin coverages, has been thrilling.

During the Euros 2024, the German Ministry of Art and Culture reached out to curate my live football Pidgin commentaries in a museum showcase alongside other commentary greats like Henry Zimmerman, Peter Drury, Mladen Delic, Pablo Ramirez, Fernandez Franco, and Ernest Okonkwo in Berlin. It’s amazing to think of Pidgin’s commentary being housed in a European museum. Reading my work with Pidgin commentaries being referenced as important as “oral poetry” and housed in the same space as these legends makes me grateful for every step and process that has brought me this far in just 10 years. It makes me excited about what’s possible now and very soon. I’m grateful to be one of the pioneers on this path at this time.

I wish to be remembered as someone who stayed true to herself and her roots while creatively embracing her God-given talents. As someone who, through bold representation, did her best to elevate her craft or at the very least maintain standards so that others coming up can have a reference point, just like I had with Chisom, to build and pursue their dreams.

Tell us about the process of being in “When Love Strikes”, your first movie, and what this means to you personally

Oh my, it all happened in the DM o. Ifunanya Valerie liked my live sports commentary videos and a few pictures. She also dropped a few nice comments and followed me. She graciously offered me a chance to be on their movie project. She felt I’d be a great fit. When I said yes, I didn’t realise it was a full-blown movie project with Inkblot.

Ifunanya is the producer of the movie and it is an exciting project. It was probably one of the coolest sets I’ve been on. I wish my late parents got the chance to see their girl be part of an iconic family movie project like “When Love Strikes”. But I am glad I could share the premiere viewing experience with some of my people. Sports-themed movies like “Space Jam” and “Love and Basketball” have always given my siblings and me some epic family bonding moments growing up, so watching my son’s eyes light up at the cinema, seeing my brother and nephew guffaw and get drawn into the movie was quite the experience. Definitely one of the most memorable moments in my career so far.

That must have been so surreal

It was, I tell you.

What’s a typical day in your life like?

A typical day in my life usually starts with a cup of tea, prayers with my family, maybe the gym and when I’m not scheduled to do live commentaries or shows at the studios or on set. I work from wherever I am or wherever I choose to be. I keep an open mind and try to keep it loose. A rigid schedule is great for discipline but omo, fluidity for me is where the heart of my creativity and sanity lies. So I am constantly on the lookout for spaces and energies that calm my nerves, soothe my anxieties and give me the chance to let my freak and playful energies fly. As a waterside woman though, anywhere with a waterbody close by is always a hit for me.

Is there an unconventional thought you have about the world that you think people agree with?

Just because you’re different doesn’t mean you have to be rejected and you don’t have to compromise your peace of mind to be accepted. I don’t know if this is unconventional but yeah, this is the first thing that came to my mind. Sometimes even the so-called rejection might just be steering you right towards the right path. Everything na just a matter of hindsight and perspective las las.

Mention three things in your everyday life that get you excited or make you happy

Watching my babies growing up and discovering life for themselves. Getting on radio and TV on Wazobia 95.1FM and SuperSports, even if it’s for a few minutes or a few hours. And getting up every day with an open mind and the ginger to new possibilities gets me excited. Especially now when we live in an era where anything is truly possible if you dare to dare to dream and have the resilience and grit to execute.

Three fun facts about Suo Chapele that people don’t know?

My first paid gig was as a church drummer in Warri. I started with 500 naira per appearance. I love Karaoke. Ballads and alternative rock especially. I once took a ‘’stroll’’ with armed robbers who tipped me with transport money for making them laugh at Osasogie, Benin City. Go figure.

We’d love to hear that story someday

No wahala.

If you weren’t a sports presenter, what other career do you think you’d have pursued?

I used to threaten my folks that if the hustle ever failed, I’d probably go back to my default training and start writing African-esque romance, erotica and such. I did want to be the Nigerian Zane at one time, so that’s still part of the fallback plan o. But if I’m not doing sports presenting, I’ll most likely just be a game show host so I can just throw a lot of my interests into one big melting pot and see what wild deliciousness pops out las las.

Thank you for being on Doing Life With…, Suo

Thank you for having me, BellaNaija.

The post How Did Suo Chapele Become an Iconic Pidgin Commentator? Find Out in Today’s “Doing Life With…” appeared first on BellaNaija – Showcasing Africa to the world. Read today!.