Thread: Nollywood... to God be the glory

READING Chude Jideonwo's piece, 'Has Nollywood Become Nothinwood, So Soon?' which appeared in The Guardian of Sunday October 2006 quicken my resolve to complete this piece on Nigeria's home video industry (though some have erroneously dubbed it movie industry!).

This contraption called Nollywood! Where did this name spring from? Having toyed with several titles for this piece, I have decided to stick with the above, since it captured the whole essence of every production that has come out of Nollywood.

To me and sincerely I believe to every watcher of the home video industry, the whole sub-sector is laughable and what is being forced down on hapless Nigerians is a huge joke. The idea of this Nollywood thing can now be compared to the emergence of 'pure water' business which started as a novel business idea in providing accessible water for all but which soon degenerated into an all comers affair. That is the depth to which our home video industry has sunk!

The concept of a film industry is an evolving one. As society progresses through generations, the people find means of expressing the culture, norms and values through a creative enterprise. This has been shown through the Alarinjo Travelling Theatre of the Yoruba in the early times. Thus, a serious film industry is a reflection of the values and norms of the people. It is also an agenda-setting sector. It mirrors, shapens and provides the direction in which a society should go.

The Nigerian film industry is that of total chaos. Well, others have argued that we don't expect to see beyond what we are experiencing now because you cannot give what you don't have. Let us begin with the scripting.

Who writes the script in Nollywood? All over the world, scripting forms the nucleus of the making of a movie and this must be handled in a way that will not compromise the quality of the plot and the outcome of the story. In most cases, script is written to heighten the suspense and make plot robust, leading to an exploding resolution of the story. Regrettably, it appears Nollywood scriptwriters lacked the skill to do proper scripting that will impact on the home video they produce. I staked a bet with a friend recently while watching a rather drab Nollywood production on the African Magic Channel that I could predict what will happen at the end of the movie. After three minutes of seeing the movie, I predicted the outcome! Guess what! I was right! I won the bet. An ideal storyline should keep the viewer in suspense and take him to the very end. It is pathetic that few of our local productions today can pass this test. Ego is the major undoing of Nollywood producers, otherwise why are they not making use of the various Theatre Arts Department of our universities who can vet these scripts before they are produced as movies? Has it not been said that what is worthy doing at all is worth doing well? This further confirms this whole idea of Nollywood as an all comers' affair. It was a surprise to this writer that apart from Richard Mofe-Damijo, no Nollywood practitioners - actors and producers were sighted at the yearly Book and Arts Festival Stampede by the Committee for Relevant Arts (CORA) in September 2006.

The production process of Nollywood movies leaves much to be desired. Why do we always have to cut corners and do things in half measures in this country? Not too long ago, while preparing this piece, I was watching a wholly produced Nollywood home video and I had to increase the volume of my television set to the maximum. Even so, I had to strain my ears to comprehend what was being said. I do not have to do that with any of the foreign productions. It has also been said that we should begin from somewhere. But should we re-invent the wheel? We should take advantage of modern technology in our productions. I understand a lot of money is being made in Nollywood. There is nothing wrong in ploughing back some of these profits in procuring hi-tech production equipment that will enhance the quality of our production. Do any of our producers have cameras that can shoot below sea-level actions?

One often read our actors and actresses mouth the old boring clichZ that Nollywood is an emerging phenomenon. For me, I think the industry is taking the wrong step into a directionless and bleak future. Like a child learning to walk, he has to be guided by an adult so as not have any major fall. With the fall in quality production if there was any, I fear a situation where Nigerians will revert back to watching Indian films and more foreign productions. One major concern for Nollywood is the absence of control. Anybody can produce a movie. No self-regulation. I am even thinking of producing a home video myself. I have been informed that l can do all the scenes in my small bungalow here in Lekki and take the rushes to any studio of my choice where it can be edited and mass produced in Alaba international market. As for the marketing, I have been told not to worry as Ebinpejo Lane in Lagos and Upper Iweka in Onitsha market will make me smile to the bank and as my sources said, people are waiting to grab their copies.

That is the emerging Nollywood that is being touted to represent the future of Nigerian film industry. Common! I beg to disagree. People should get serious. Is it a surprise to anyone in this country that we produce a little below a hundred films in a month and none gets premiered? The standard practice the world over is for movies to be premiered at its debut. That is why we have the Broadway in America. This where a movie maker make his megabucks. The 'box office'- or haven't any of our Nollywooders heard of it? All we do here is to release our movies and do a few promos on television with some frenzied voice over and then release it into the market.

Credits must however be given to the likes of Tunde Kelanis of this world. His likes have insisted on doing things right. Watching our locally produced home videos gives an impression that we have not even started! Why do Nollywood producers like to have stories severed into Part one and Part two when they can have one straight story. This still baffles me to high heavens. Is it a way of fleecing the people of their money. Otherwise, why should a story that should end in ninety minutes extend to part two, where all you see are advertisement and promos of yet to be released movies?


The average Nigerian who buy these movies have no choice and they will continue to have limited options because practitioners have refused to do things right and the regulatory authorities lack the bite to enforce and insist that movie making should be in line with what is obtained in other climes.

The attitude of Nollywood practitioners - cast and crew leaves a sour taste in the mouth. How many of our 'star' actors and actresses are trained? What we see is poor delivery of roles and diction. The new generation of artists is the worst. When some of the so-called 'stars' appear in one or two poorly produced and drab home videos, he begins to see himself or herself as a star actor or actress. What does being a star means? Nollywood practitioners need to have an attitude change. The fact that that you appear in a movie does not make you a star. We should take some deep lesson from the more advanced film industry in other climes. The idea of being a star is mundane. There are more serious issues to set right in Nollywood. That is producing the 'stars'. The old generation practitioners need to insist that things were done in the proper way.

I had written about ego previously in this piece. Where did this idea of 'waka pass' come from? I understand they are the extras in the making of a movie. It is a very strange phenomenon. In a movie production, the location driver is as important as the lead actor or actress. The man who acts the role of a gateman ( a common feature in Nollywood movies ) is not the least in the production process. So who coined the name waka pass? Well! This is for you my Nollywood "star". The 'waka pass' in a movie produced in "common" South Africa earns more than you the "star "actor or actress in our Mighty Nollywood. How about that for starters! I think people deserve to be treated with respect. Isn't there dignity in labour? I was told recently that a 'star' actress in Nollywood walked into set, delivered her role and walked out without saying a word to other "waka passes" Ego tripping!

The regulatory authorities need to begin to take a serious look at the happening in Nollywood. The film industry of any country is too serious to be left in the hands of charlatans like we now have. The sector is too strategic to be left in the hands of opportunists. The sad irony at present is that real professionals do not have the financial muscle to turn their dream into reality by producing movies of high quality. I shudder at the growing list of scripts written by professionals while charlatans have a field day. The government should act in this regard by commissioning professional producers to do movies that will tell our story. This will also go a long way in helping to project Nigeria positively to the outside world more than the propagandist Heart of Africa Project.

Saddest still, the home videos we have now are being shown and touted as the Nigeria movies on international channels like the African Magic Channel on DStv. This is disastrous! I am looking forward to the day when our producers will take the centre stage at the Cannes Film Festival and other festivals globally. As for Nollywood, the names must first change for any meaningful things to start happening.

This chaos in our film industry began during the locust years of military dictatorship. Prior to this, there was some order in the sub-sector. The Ogunde and Duro Ladipo Theatre Productions began a revolution of having their films premiered in cinemas across the country. Though done in Yoruba language, one can see an emerging trend in the culture of movie production that was gaining popularity and setting the direction in which our movie industry should be headed. These productions toured the major cities, towns and villages and tickets were sold out. I remembered as a young boy growing up in the early 80s how the adults emptied themselves into the local cinema in town to see Ogunde's Aye and Jaiyesimi among other productions.

What became of Ososa's Film Village? I do not think that film village has witnessed any production since the demise of the doyen of Nigerian theatre. Such is the ingenuity for establishing a film village where artists could engage in what they know best. How many of our Nollywooders can remember these doyens of our theatre? An industry without a sense of history is heading nowhere. Where are we really heading in the movie industry? What image are we projecting? I propose that our story should create the Nigerian dream and project it to the outside world. After all, isn't a film industry an agenda setting tool for a developing nation like ours? Who will tell our story better than we? Should will leave it to African Magic, CNN, and most recently the ABC to drag us in the mud? The Nollywood practitioners should wake up. The government should quit these ambush propagandist measures and make a structured effort by providing an enabling environment for these to thrive.

No doubt, the industry has thoroughbred professionals. Kudos to Kelani, Eddie Ugboma, Don Pedro, Tade Ogidan, the youthful but boastful Jeta Amata (he still has a lot to learn though) etc. Actors like Mofe Damijo, Olu Jacobs and the elders should insist that things be done professionally. Enough of stereotype roles. For example, I don't know what else Ramsey Noah, Jim Iyke, Pat Attah etc can do apart from acting the lover boy. God! Those roles are boring and drab. They should be cast in more challenging roles. Not kissing throughout a whole production and the women shedding tears for the heart-breaking actions of the men mentioned above.

We are yet to see an epic in the industry! Serious minded people are tired of seeing these unending love scenes and the antics of a fetish wielding Dibia. We are all patiently waiting for the day will we see a lot of epic movies that will compete anywhere in the world, telling the Nigerian story, then we shall all gladly proclaim, 'To God be the glory'

GUARDIAN