Foremost film maker, Mr. Wale Adenuga, seeks regeneration in the Nigerian film industry, AKEEM LASISI writes
It is an interesting moment in Nigeria as the current political transition has reached the peak. For many politicians, it is time to abandon the umbrella, which is the symbol of the Peoples Democratic Party, from whom the All Progressives Congress has snatched power – even if not at gun point but at ballot point. Such politicians would rather drop the umbrella and embrace the broom, the symbol of the APC.
For renowned film maker, Mr. Wale Adenuga, however, this is a time for the Nigerian film industry to embrace both the umbrella and the broom. But the acclaimed publisher of comic works that include Ikebe Super, and producer of popular dramas and films such as Papa Ajasco and Superstory, is not thinking like many of his colleagues who are eager to just sing and dance for politicians to secure crumbs of the the national cake. Instead, Adenuga is using the occasion of the envisaged national rebirth to chart a new course for the film industry.
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The way only too few practitioners bother to do nowadays, Adenuga rose above the din on Tuesday when he called a press conference in Lagos. Unlike many of such he had called in the past, where he announced the coming of new works, it was a time to propound what he summarised as the philosophy of the broom and umbrella. He took a cursory look at the industry and gave a verdict that it has failed to realise its potential due to factors that are mostly self-inflicted.
Adenuga said, “Now, we need what I would describe as the broom and umbrella philosophy. We need the broom to sweep away all the issues militating against the industry and an umbrella to accommodate us all.”
He noted that as a major stakeholder, he could no more wait to inspire and rally his colleagues and other stakeholders to address factors that are holding down the sector.
In a moving speech, Adenuga said, “As someone who has been in this industry for close to four decades, I have called this meeting to share my opinion on how to make the best of our industry and lay a solid foundation for unborn generations who may be interested in the business of filmmaking.
“Seemingly, these are the best of times for Nollywood as the film making business in Nigeria has come to be known. When the national economy was rebased in April last year, Nollywood was said to have contributed 1.2 per cent to the new GDP of N80.2 tn ( US$509.9bn.). This means that Nollywood added about N1.72tn to the revised GDP for 2013.
“The business of filmmaking in Nigeria, which is among the first three in the world, has also become a major source of employment for our teeming youths, a reason for which we believe that we have a lot to celebrate.”
He, however, added that a keener assessment of the situation would show that the practitioners just had a lot of glittering without substance. He identified the challenges militating against real progress to include arguments on the history of film making in Nigeria, divisions along ethnic lines, lack of an umbrella association, lack of quality control and absence of fundamental government support.
Adenuga said, “The first and most important issue that we have to contend with, in my opinion, is the silent war that is going on among producers of the Igbo and Yoruba ethnic groups over the history of film making in Nigeria. I imagine that this is at the root of all other problems as a house divided against itself cannot stand much less make progress.
“A corollary to the foregoing is the unhealthy situation in which we now have Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa operating separately under the aegis of Nollywood, Yorubawood and Kannywood respectively. Even within these groups, we still have in-fighting and misunderstanding over leadership. In spite of this lack of cohesion, however, each of the ‘woods’ has her own guild where separatism is very apparent in their dealings, especially casting.”
He linked this to the inability of the film makers to come under a national umbrella, which he finds very embarrassing.
“Although the average Nigerian may find this shocking, our industry is the only one in Nigeria where you do not have a national body or association. This country cannot speak of a national association of film makers, the way doctors talk about the Nigerian Medical Association, lawyers talk about the Nigerian Bar Association the press have the Nigerian Union of Journalists. It is true that we have all manner of guilds but these are all based on the sentiments that I described earlier.
“I am persuaded to believe that our inability to come together under an umbrella is one of the reasons why we have some of the problems that detract from the development of the business in Nigeria,” he explained.
To move forward, Adenuga said piracy must be circumvented, with all stakeholders having to fight it with one voice.
Acknowledging that the Jonathan administration initiated a N3bn. intervention, Adenuga believes that more needs to be done. First, he wants his colleagues to play down the issue film making history in Nigeria – the way doctors do not haggle over who started practice in the country. He wants stakeholders to work together and shun petty sentiments, while he cannot wait to see a national association of film makers formed.
Adenuga said, “I think the urgent formation of a national body of film makers is one thing that we cannot avoid if we are serious about making the best out of the industry. My suggestion is that we start with the formation of truly national guilds for all the professions that form the industry.
“These include producers, directors, makeup artistes, editors, actors, production managers, set designers, location managers, cameramen, continuity men, costumiers, lights men, sound recordists and marketers, among others. All of these guilds will elect their individual president and these presidents of guilds will come together to elect the president of the overall association of filmmakers. The association can then have a secretariat in Abuja where all the guilds would have offices.
“The national executive of the association will then be able to work with the government at all levels and corporate bodies on issues affecting the industry like piracy and funding. Such a body would be in a position to lobby for the review of laws guiding piracy and ensure that the government funding gets into the right hands through the state or zonal offices.”
To stem piracy, Adenuga advocates the establishment of a cinema in each local government area in the country, so that the home video culture will become secondary. Also, he wants the governments and other relevant bodies to create funds that stakeholders can access.
Like a sage, Adenuga said, “I have a feeling that I am not the only one thinking about the urgent need for us to have a national body for film makers but this has not worked because of the interest of people who exploit the poorly constituted guilds for their personal needs. Such individuals nurse the fear that they will lose out in a democratic environment and will continue to do everything to resist change.
“Some people will also not support this initiative unless they are sure that they would emerge as leaders. They consider the leadership of any such association their birthright and would not support its establishment unless they are assured of the opportunity to lead.
“But this is the time for everyone to put all their personal ambition aside and let us all work together for an industry which would be a befitting legacy for our children. With the talents that God has endowed the industry with and the inspiring population that Nigeria is blessed with, nothing will be able to hold us back from shaking the world if only we are able to harness our resources.”
-Punch
