For many fans of the Citizen TV series Maria, the captivating theme song rich in Swahili rhymes is one of the things that stand out most about the program.
Not many, however, might be aware of the brains behind the popular song.
According to Jiffy Productions, the company behind the Maria series and other popular TV programs, the song was composed by Ibrahim Chitayi, who is also the Head Script Writer at Jiffy.
He is behind the scripts for popular programs, including Maria, Nyavu, Aziza, Maza, Huba, Moyo, Arosto, and Habibu, all of which are products of Jiffy production run by Rashid Abdalla and Lulu Hassan of Citizen TV.
In an interview with a highly acclaimed Mombasa-based publication Life in Mombasa in November 2018, he opened up on the creative process he goes through before he produces creative work.
"It all starts with an idea that develops into a beautifully captivating story. The process is not as easy as it may sound, you must know and understand life, to write it.
"Our experiences, the environment we live in, the people, their stories, what we see, hear, what we read, what we watch on digital platforms, anything that crosses our senses is what inspires any writer," he stated.
He narrated that his journey into the world of scriptwriting started with a high school play he wrote while in form four called The Broken Calabash, which was hailed as an "African version of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet".
Being the face behind some of the most popular play series' in the country, he opened up on how he makes works stand out and his characters believable to the audiences enjoying his shows.
"I do not want to sound bias but also, I do not want to make an actor look weak on national TV, not unless it’s part of their character.
"If an antagonist must look bad, make him/her worse for the audience to hate and If the audience must sympathize with a protagonist, then make him/her lovable. It is important to always learn how to balance your emotions – characters should not overwhelm a writer," he stated.
Chitayi plies his trade between Kenya and Tanzania where Jiffy production does most of their work.
The Maria theme song...
