The need for the Association of Nigerian Theatre Practitioners (ANTP) and other Yoruba film makers to embrace professionalism and education has been emphasized over and over. Education, no doubt, will increase efficiency and sense of excellence.
One area where this lack of education is obvious is in the way they word the titles of their films. Most often, the way they write their titles does not reflect what they have in mind because the essentials of Yoruba grammar as well as orthography are disregarded.
Examples of this flagrant disregard for the essentials of Yoruba grammar are METALA NSELE , TA’ LAROLE , MOSORIRE , BABA KAMI MOWON , DADUBULE , BOSEYEKORI NI ILU –MI ,TALOLOMO ,TALOKAN ,OMO TOYAYI and EMI NI MONI just to mention a few.
The above listed titles should have been correctly written as
METALA N’SELE , TA L’AROLE , MO S’ORIRE ,,BABA KA MI MO WON , DA A DUBULE , B’OSE YE KORI NI ILU MI , TA LO L’OMO ,TA L’OKAN ,OMO T’OYAYI and EMI NI MO NI respectfully.
Some producers, however, got it right and here are some titles correctly worded, IYAWO ABUKE, ITE OBA, OBA IYANU NI, POSI WURA , ALAGBARA OKO, OKUNFA, OKUNFA,, IGBA EDA, OLOFIN ORUN, EWU IRIN, DEWUNMI IBERU, ALAGBAWI EDA, ELUKU GBEWIRI and IBEERE OJOSI
The producers should learn about the structure of Yoruba grammar, Yoruba accents, punctuations, syllables and orthography among other essentials of Yoruba language and grammar, in order to correctly communicate with the educated Yorubas, and not to mislead the youths who may copy them in their quest to learn Yoruba language.
It is noteworthy that the constitution of the ANTP provides for the education of members via seminars, workshops and formal training, but aside the efforts of some individuals and schools such as Alarinjo Theatre Arts Training Academy (ATATA) that was inaugurated and commissioned by the then ANTP Governor, Mr.Rammy Shitta-Bay, not much has been done by the leadership of the association to provide and encourage learning for their members.
The time is now for the stakeholders in the association to resolve the unnecessarily leadership tussle which overshadowed the necessary activities needed to to move the association forward and better the lives of members via essential seminars and workshops.
