In this episode of Toke Moments, Toke sits down with content creator and comedian Folagade Banks, the man behind the viral character Mama Deola, for a conversation that traces his path from a failed record label that got him arrested at OAU, to a modeling agency, to accidentally becoming one of Nigeria’s most recognisable characters during the COVID lockdown.
Folagade opens up about the deliberate choices behind Mama Deola why he picked the robe over an exaggerated, sexualised costume, why he keeps the character sharply separate from who he is in real life, and the deep hurt behind a viral moment where a women’s empowerment event appearance was twisted online into a controversy he never saw coming. He also talks candidly about underpricing himself early in his career, the friendships he’s had to walk away from, the mental health struggles he was quietly carrying between 2021 and 2023, and the upcoming Mama Deola film a Kava original dropping this September, built to prove that African stories can thrive outside the cinema model.
It’s a conversation that moves from laugh-out-loud storytelling to real vulnerability, showing the discipline and heartbreak behind one of Nigeria’s most beloved comedic brands.