Enebeli Elebuwa stands as one of the pathfinders in the Nigeria movie scene. In this interview with SENIOR REPORTER, OVWE MEDEME, he expressed bitterness at the plight of veteran actors and actresses in Nigeria. He also talked about the politics behind the AGN crises while proffering solutions.
Looking at the industry then and now, what do you see?
When we started, it was more like people learning an act and using it to entertain, inform and educate people. These days, it is a tug of war because it is all about money. in a movie. I was playing the lead role but those who were playing sub roles, because they had fantastic cars, they were being paid four times what I was earning. At the onset, I didn’t know. I was there to help out like I always do. When I saw what they were paying those who were inspired by my acting, I decided that I wasn’t going to do the job anymore. These days, acting has become a tug of war. We are not doing it right. Such a thing does not happen in America or India. I think it is not good for this nation and our industry. If I had been playing the role of an extra, it would have been a different story. Even if I was playing an extra, because of the name that I have created over the years, they should pay me a little bit more than the ordinary extra. It is a sorry state.
What can be done to set things right in the movie industry?
I look at the industry today and I see that the government has to step in. It is time they come to realise that it is an industry where the real stars are not born yet. If government steps in and give us a level playing ground, the industry will improve. The nation should have a system whereby people are rewarded for the job they do. It has come to be regarded as anybody’s game. That should not be. There should be a standard. In other advanced industries, even recluse actors are given roles and they pay them more that those who take up lead roles. Here, the case is not the same because there are no laid down procedures. I have given 40 years of my life to the industry.
How would you rate its growth rate?
The industry hasn’t taken a step. It is business as usual for the marketers and those who sponsor the movies. Nobody considers the worth of the artistes. It is what the marketers decide that we are worth. There are no regulations, no standards. The government should let the producers and marketers know that if an old man has worked all his life in the industry, he should not be kicked around like a child. From my twenties, I have been doing this job and my stance is different from one who joined the industry in his fifties or sixties. One person does not make a story. The industry is not there yet.
The Actors’ Guild of Nigeria is currently embroiled in crisis. What would be your advice to its members?
Some people registered the Actors’ Guild of Nigeria at the Corporate Affairs Commission and they put themselves as members of the Board of Trustees. It is not done anywhere. For the guild to be recognised in this country, they have to put achievers and veterans on the board. I have been hammering on that point from the very beginning. Again, it has to do with the fact that we never had the culture for a guild in this industry, everybody is thinking of occupying the office so that they can benefit. They should put the names of people who can help. We are talking about those who can dare to attract attention to the guild. One of the greatest achievers I have known in this industry is Wole Soyinka. If he is not in the guild as a member of the trustee it will not make headway. There are so many people who can come in to put an end to the crises in the AGN but the members of the guild are not willing to invite them. I am getting involved in the local Yoruba theatre and I have come to realise that they don’t pay you much to act but they are well organised. They take their training seriously. They also take respect seriously and at this age, I need a lot of respect. Recently, they celebrated a birthday for me. We were on set and it was coincidentally my birthday. They shocked me. They brought tears to my eyes. That is what art should be.
Presently, is there a forum that caters for the welfare of the elderly actors?
There is no such forum. I think they are trying to make us irrelevant. That is more like it. I say this because as an actor, I am being paid a paltry amount and somebody who came into the industry today earns more than I do.
What would be your advice for those coming into the industry for the fame and the money?
I learnt the act. I am not one of those who happen into the industry. When I started out, I knew the problems I faced and I knew what the press said about me some years ago. I used to stammer before I became an actor. Today, you find most of them not doing any serious acting. It is a profession like medicine or law. I see them in movies and they commit a lot of blunders in their acting and even in their diction. Most time you hear them say something like ‘axing’ instead of ‘asking’. If you axe a human being, you would have committed murder. People have to learn how to talk to be actors. God will project them at His own time but the important thing is for them to learn the art. That way, when the chips are down, they can prove to the world that they know what they are doing. If they excel as actors or actresses, the fame and the money will come on its own. One reason why the industry seems to remain stagnant is that we have misplaced priorities.
What do you do when you are not acting?
I do a lot of things. I play music. I have been playing music all my life. Before I came into acting, I was a musician. If you go to Victor Olaiya’s hotel, you will meet a man who was my band leader in 1969. When I was with Olaiya’s band during the war, he used to ask me to lead his group for him. When I left Nigeria, I continued playing music in Philadelphia. I was in America before I did the Andrew checking out campaign. I came back because of my mother and thereafter I couldn’t go back again. When I came back to Nigeria, I was with the rose Steve Rhodes Voices. We used to sing in churches and I haven’t stopped playing.
Presently, are any of your children toeing your line?
I don’t influence people to go into fields they don’t want to. My first daughter is an accountant. Presently, I am encouraging my last child who is taller than I am at the age of 13 to study theatre arts and she intends to. My first daughter who studied accountancy was a soprano at a very young age so I bought a keyboard for her but she wasn’t interested. What I am doing, my father never encouraged me to do it. I just found out that I can do it and that was how it started for me.
