Actors guild in South Africa
THE Actors Guild of Nigeria has opened a chapter in South Africa. The founding president of the guild in South Africa, Prince Samuel Udeonu told The Guardian when he paid an official visit to AGN president general Mr. Ejike Asiegbu in Lagos.

The chapter was formally registered as Actors Guild of Nigeria, South Africa on the database of Companies and Intellectual Property Registration Office, CIPRO, which is a member of Department of Trade and Industries Group Pretoria, South Africa a few years ago.

"It is a dream come through. Mr. Ejike Asiegbu, China and I held some strategic meetings at SITHENGI, Film Festival in Cape Town where we set out some Millennium Development Goals for Nollywood, a few years ago and I am happy the Capetonian meeting has given birth to not only the formation of AGN South Africa, but also the formation of United Movie Producers of Nigeria and Asiegbu becoming the National President of AGN.

Commenting on the formation, AGN President General, Asiegbu expressed happiness and stated that the formation of AGN South Africa is as a result of long strategic plan and discussion over the years between himself and Prince Samuel Udeonu in Cape Town. He said that the formation has the blessing and approval of parent guild here in Nigeria and expressed optimism that AGN will soon have chapters in Europe, North America, USA, Asia and all the continents of the world.

Prince Samuel Udeonu, Kings Eze, Mrs. Njoku Okolie Victoria, Vincent Uwaeziemife, Mr. Leonard Asu, Mr. Ugwu Franklin, form part of the executive of AGN South Africa.

Udeonu is an actor, scriptwriter, film producer and director. He has acted in a number of Nigerian movies like Out of Cage, Careless, Father Tansi: Footprints of a Saint, The Priest Must Die among others. He co-directed Help Me Out, with Chika Onu and co-produced Obieze Jesus, a musical.

He has also produced and directed some international documentaries on Xenophobia, African Renaissance, HIV/AIDS and has produced a short documentary entitled Tears of Africa. He has a film/documentary production company in South Africa as well as an international non-governmental organization whose focus is on human rights, African Renaissance, Xenophobia, Peace building, conflict transformation and HIV/AIDS.

The aims and objectives of AGN South Africa include propagating the positive ideals of Nollywood in South Africa in particular and Southern Africa in general.

This is in addition to erasing the battered image of Nigeria by tackling the worrisome stigmatization of Nigerians.



guardian newspaper