Nollywood actress and producer, Stephanie Linus, has written a mournful tribute to late Kannywood actress, Hauwa Maina, who died on Wednesday, May 2, at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital in Kano after a protracted illness.
In a message posted to Instagram on Saturday, Stephanie described the 48-year-old as “a dear friend, a great actress and an exceptional woman.”
She added that “Hauwa Maina was more than just a learned colleague; she was a strong, fearless woman who used her craft to entertain her audience, and to fight for what she believed in. She was always so kind and supportive and touched the lives of everyone around her with her warmth. She was also funny, caring, thoughtful, and had an endearing personality.”
Known for crossing over effortlessly between Hausa and English movies, Hauwa starred as Hadiza in Stephanie’s 2014 film about child marriage, Dry, for which the 35-year-old said the deceased will always have a place in her heart.
“As an actress, she delivered brilliantly, she took on the cause of fighting for the girl child with everything she had and touched the lives of people positively with this message,” Stephanie added.
Born and raised in Kaduna State to parents came from Biu in Borno State, Hauwa had her primary education in Kaduna and Geidam, Yobe State. She completed her secondary education in Nguru, also in Yobe State. She had a national diploma in management from the Kaduna State Polytechnic
She began her acting career in 1998 and featured in more than one hundred movies including Nollywood soap operas. One of her famous roles was as Queen Amina of Zazzau.
She trained as a movie director in the US some years ago.
As an actress, she won many awards including best actress at the Savannah Industry Movie (SIM) Awards 2010.
The mother of two was buried in Kaduna on Thursday according to Islamic rites.
