This year, 2013, Nollywood, the name referred to the Nigeria movie industry is 20 years and this calls for celebrations. Since Nollywood has been recognized as the second largest producer of movies in terms of volumes next to Bollywood, a lot of attention has been on the industry majorly from the international community. Nigerian movie makers has been commended on their canny ability to churn out movies with rich stories on their culture albeit with minimum funds compared to the other two leading movie making industry, Hollywood of the United States and Bollywood of India.
Government largesse
The federal government led by President Goodluck Jonathan has also recognized the industry and has invested funds namely the $200billion loan and recently the N3 billion grants for capacity development of the different sectors of the movie industry. Unfortunately, this development may have brought the different associations within the industry against each other and opened up wounds among the different factions of Nollywood.
It is worthy of note that when the federal government met Nollywood at different times, they may have not realised that they only engaged the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) and its affiliates. Not all representatives of the movie industry called Nollywood have received the attention they have always craved for and ultimately the government largesse.
Since the federal government identified with the Ibinabo Fiberesima led AGN, other counterparts namely the Association of National Theatre Practitioners (ANTP), mostly dominated by Yoruba speaking actors have not been happy about the development, they seemed to have been left out. And this was shown by some ANTP actors when Nollywood decided to celebrate 20 years and roll out the drums.
Nollywood Celeberates
In her words, Ibinabo Fiberesima, president of Actors Guild of Nigeria remarks that there was need for showcasing the celebration of Nollywood which started like a child of necessity back then in 1993. She said, “We are celebrating 20 years of a phenomenon. Leaders of Nollywood, stakeholders, practitioners, all of us are coming together to celebrate our amazing industry. You will recall that President Goodluck Jonathan on March 16, 2013 hosted Nollywood exclusively to celebrate and appreciate our strides at 20. Since that was the President’s show who has recognized Nollywood’s contribution to Nigeria’s economy in addition to the reconstruction of this country’s image, youth development and empowerment. Now, Nollywood wants to celebrate 20 years of a motion picture revolution, a milestone and this grand celebration which promises to showcase our people, pride, possibilities and culture tagged Nollywood at 20 will begin on April 27. It is a celebration that will last for as long as four months.”
A phone call put through to veteran actor, Mallam Sani Mu’azu, former president of Motion Picture Practitioners Association of Nigeria, MOPPAN and a voice for Kannywood affirmed that they are being carried along with the proposed Nollywood at 20 Celebration. He said, “Yes we are aware of the celebration and we are being carried along with the National Body. I was the former president of MOPPAN and the new person can attest to the fact that we are in support of Nollywood at 20 celebrations”.
Efforts to speak to Jide Kosoko, and Adebayo Salami, both ANTP former National Presidents to know their stand on Nollywood at 20 proved abortive as their phone rang out and there was no reply on the text message sent to them as at the time of filing this report.
However Responding to the Nollywood celebration, Yinka Quadri, an ANTP chieftain an Odunfa Theatre caucus head in an interview with a soft sell magazine, said the celebration was utter rubbish because claiming that Nollywood was not 20 years after all dating his facts to when the first home video movie was actually produced. He said, “It’s annoying to say some celebrated 20th years of Nollywood. But I don’t know who is to blame. Anyway, whatever I say on the issue is my personal opinion and I am entitled to it. If we look at it very well, I don’t think there were any criteria for doing that. On what criteria was the 20th Anniversary based? That’s if we all agree that Nollywood is 20.
“Does that mean theatre practice in Nigeria started 20 years ago? Whatever they might have chosen as yardstick for saying Nollywood is 20 is incorrect. Are they talking of the year stage play started? Or are we talking of the time we started celluloid film or home video? Whatever they may have chosen, they’re still very wrong. But as I said, I don’t know who to blame. I believe somebody just woke up one day and said let there be something to be called Nollywood, which happened just among few people. I don’t think I am that young in the industry to be oblivious of a meeting where Nigerian theatre body was named Nollywood. To me, it was just an opinion of a few individuals for reasons best known to them.
“ One of the reasons I said I don’t know who is to blame is that when this groups of people gathered and said they will be bearing Nollywood, some of us in the indigenous theatre group accepted to be part of them, others didn’t. But my concern is this, if we now accept Nollywood as a common identity, won’t there be an executive body that will be overseeing its affairs. Fine, we have many association and guilds in the industry, including Association of Nigeria Theatre Art Practitioners (ANTP), Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) and all that. If the combination of all these is called Nollywood, then there is nothing stopping us from forming a national body that will supervise that Nollywood, not just a few people parading themselves as Nollywood. Then if we must believe that Nollywood is our common name, when did all the stakeholders meet and agree on that name? Who are the people in charge? Left to me, the fault is not mainly from those who are claiming to be Nollywood, it’s those of us in the Yoruba and other indigenous theatre groups in the country that have been folding our arms. Those of us in the Yoruba movie genre have not gotten our priorities right. We don’t know whether to be called Nollywood or Yorywood. The Hausa have given themselves the name Kannywood, and they are forging ahead. But whatever it is, if we choose to be part of Nollywood, that means it’s just 20, but it’s totally wrong unless it belongs to a certain segment of Nigerian movie industry.”
Yinka Quadri’s fact indeed is germane and he also mentioned the distorted fact of the first home video being produced in 1993 which he differs. Saheed Balogun in an interview with our correspondent also toed the same line. He said, “Nollywood at 20? Nice one, for those celebrating Nollywood at 20, a round of applause for them. They are packaging themselves. We have a lot of associations in the movie making industry. I am telling the Federal Government to give us one voice. Big movies sustain us, celluloid movies have been out. A lot of popular movies shot on Yeomatic, Betacam has come from the Yoruba speaking race and others more than thirty years ago. We are celebrating the name not the industry. I am saying as it is, Nollywood is just celebrating the name not the industry.
“Let me give you an example, Ti Oluwa Nile, the first digital film and the Oga Bello, Eta Oko, Asewo tore Mecca were done thirty years ago on the highest format. So what are we talking about? My film, Omo Alhaja was done twenty-two years ago. Oga Bello did a 36mm celluloid movie thirty five years ago. We are talking of the genre of home video which is the low grade. That 36mm is the highest grade up till date. Nollywood is just a name of an association and that association are packaging and branding themselves.
In the House of Representative, somebody raised an issue and said, this money (N3bn grant) given to the movie industry by the Presidency is for some section of people. Rotimi Makinde (Hon) raised it. Another person also raised the issue. “
Other Nollywood stakeholders boycott celebration
Except there is a reconciliation on the matter other stakeholders may not be part of the celebration. This was brought to the fore recently when a coalition of stakeholders of the movie industry gathered in Lagos and bared their minds that they were not carried along hence are not in support of the celebration. This may have in clear times that all is not well within the Nollywood family. The Film Video Producer and Marketers Association of Nigeria FVPMAN and Screen Writers Guild of Nigeria SWGN in clear terms urged Nigerians and the corporate bodies to boycott the affair.
Norbert Ajaegbu, the spokesman of FVPMAN said, “We hold that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria duly and fully celebrated Nollywood at 20 with and for the practitioners in its entirety. This so called another Nollywood at 20 is an afterthought with spurious motives. We therefore distance ourselves from it and wish all well-meaning film practitioners, corporate Nigeria and indeed the general public to do same and shun totally the said Nollywood at 20 celebration. We are rather gearing towards Nollywood Silver Jubilee and have set machinery in motion towards that.”
Multiple associations, one movie industry
One of the things that may have further divided players in the movie industry is the different associations clamouring for attention. Apart from the Actors Guild of Nigeria AGN where most actors from the English speaking movie actors belong notably those from the South Eastern extraction of the country, and the Association of National Theatre Practitioners of Nigeria ANTP where the Yoruba speaking actors pitch their tent, and also Kannywood, there are other associations, which may have made it difficult for the movie industry to come with one voice. There are at least not less than ten different associations existing in the Nigeria movie industry with no meaningful synergy between all. Apart from the AGN and ANTP where most actors and actresses in the country identify with, there are other professional bodies which include National Association of Nigeria Theatre Arts Practitioners of Nigeria (NANTAP,) Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Directors Guild of Nigeria (DGN), Film Video Producers Marketers Association of Nigeria (FVPMAN), Screen Writers Guild of Nigeria (SWGN), Association of Nollywood Core Producers (ANCOP), Motion Picture Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MOPPAN). All these associations seem to cater for the same thing which is for their works to be protected. This buttresses the fact that the Nigeria movie industry is still largely unstructured as noted by a young film maker.
In order to solve this crisis of Identity, Movie actor and producer, Saheed Balogun has called for the Federal Government to give the industry one name and help to structure the industry. He noted that all this bickering are symptoms of a shoddy foundation which Nollywood was built. And if care is not taken it could deteriorate. Therefore the House of Assembly should formulate policies that will favour the industry especially that of dealing with piracy, the major challenge of movie makers
“We have Kannywood, ANTP, AMP, NANTAP, AGN and so many other associations. Let them federal government give us one name so that funds can go through that channel. If each association will start marching around for government attention, such won’t augur well for us. And before they give us the name, they should pass hard laws on piracy. That is the magic. It is not when you are celebrating Nollywood at 20 and some groups are there screaming, some are saying they are 40. You are the one creating the division. Nigeria Is one hundred years old. When was the first film done? Bisi doctor of the River in the 60s, those are the movies. Let the Federal government through their agencies give us one umbrella. We are saying for this acrimony to stop, let them give us one central name. The central name of a country is Nigeria. The Hausas, the Yorubas, the Igbos. If you read the papers these days, you see the Hausas, the Yorubas screaming that they are being pushed outside”, he remarked.
Also another stakeholder and spokesman of the FVPMAN noted that the House called Nollywood is not united any longer and things must be done to put things back into shape, “Unity can never be achieved if we do not agree on existing issues”, says Nobert Ajaegbu, Chairman Lagos State Chairman of FVPMAN.
Need for sound government policies
Clearly, for Nollywood to spend another 20 years in sound health, the government needs more involved and make laws that make movie making viable thereby causing the players to focus on the real need of the industry not the bickering here and there. This is by a leveled playing field and a structured industry backed by laws that fight piracy. A school of thought prefers the President’s largesse to be used for building community cinemas, train burgeoning talent, empower film schools and direct the Nigeria Film Corporation (NFC) to set up special fund for best scripts which already is part of their mandate anyway. The fund can also be used initiate effective strategies to tackle piracy. Sadly piracy now accounts for over 70% of all sales, making it impossible for film makers to recoup their investments. On the other hand is international piracy, another area of concern, as more than 95% of Nigerian movies are said to be sold outside the shores by pirates.
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