No More Igbo Movies: Why?

Now you have agreed that language is not the only culture, and at the same time, you have insinuated that native movies are better than the English movies (made mostly by Igbo) basically because of the language difference. Abi? You are a lost cause and hopelessly so. Please can you tell us what in the Yoruba movies (in which you are well-pleased) make them better than the English movies? And for whom are they better, for a Yoruba or for an Igbo? After all the rigmarole, you have managed to expose the bile of tribalism that you have tried to hide thus far. How many people do you know in Nigeria that prefer native movies to English ones? Did you conduct a survey for that? Now get off my face, you piece of trashy garbage.

I ‘ve never earned more than N100,000 in my career as an actor — Olumide Bakare
Written by Fred Iwenjora
Saturday, January 5, 2008

He was a popular face on the famous sitcom, Koko Close when he played the role of the quarrelsome landlord ( Chief Oluwalambe), in this interview with Jide Ajani and Olaolu Oladipo, he speaks on the epic programme, the movie industry where he reveals that he had never been paid more than N100,000. excerpts;


We want to know how your transition from employment in the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) to being a key player in the home video industry has been.

My former president in the ANTP, I am a member of the ANTP, though we have a number bodies now in the theater art industry. The former president,Adebayo Salami (Oga Bello) who is a close friend and associate brought me into the system. After my rehabilitation, I went to him and he encouraged me telling me I could still be very active, asking me if I could join them in the home video industry. Before I knew it, this popular guy, Muyiwa Ademola and one other producer approached me in my house in Ibadan. They said they wanted me to come and play a role in their movie.


I asked them to tell me how much they were going to pay me and they said they were going to pay me 3,500 Naira. I was shocked and I asked him what kind of money was that, I wanted to know if that was the kind of money they paid to artists then. He encouraged me, telling me that it was just the starting point. He told me that my consent would do the two of us a lot of good. I introduced the idea to my mother, my mum is somebody that is very close to me. So, I told my mum and she also encouraged me, telling me that God was behind me and I went. You won’t believe it that before the end of the month, a was in about three, four other locations, raking in little money, here and there. That was my entry into the home video industry.


What was the title of the film?


I think the title was Aderounke. That must have been that guy’s (Muyiwa Ademola’s) first or second film. When we were shooting the film, we carried cameras from one house to the other on our heads, there was no vehicles to move us but I thank God for the guy today, he rides on a jeep now that tells you how lucrative the industry is.


You have featured in many films since then, what was the highest amount of money you’ve ever been paid to feature in a movie?


Honestly, I don’t remember the last time I have been paid the sum of 100,000 Naira, the only time I was paid the sum of 120,000 was when I featured as Agboniregun in the epic Yoruba film Oduduwa, since then, I can’t remember having been paid over 100,000 Naira.

Some Nollywood actors are paid up to 1 million


There are so many groups in the Nollywood industry. If you look back at your participation , what gains has been achieved so far in the industry and where do you think attention should be focused on to move it forward?


If I understand your question very well, I will say we need to make improvement in all areas. I want to say that the question of Nollywood being the term to describe the industry is faulty. Probably because we have Hollywood in America, Bollywood in India and some people believe that the best term to describe the industry is Nollywood. Who is Nolly? Who is Wood? Let’s assume that the name Nollywood has come to stay to describe the Nigerian movie industry, is Nollywood being fair to the movie industry in Nigeria?


Then, do you suggest any name?


No, I can not. It only pains that the name has been hijacked by one ethnic group


Does that signifies a dichotomy in the industry?

Yes.


How serious is the dichotomy?


My brother, the dichotomy is very terrible.


Then, what suggestions do you to remedy the situation both in the long and short term as the industry is beginning to attract attention from all directions?

The way forward is that all stakeholders in the Nigerian movie industry come together to form a common body. There so many bodies or groups now.


A veteran like you, Chief Chike Okpala (aka Zebrudaya) said he decided not to be part of the home video industry because those in the industry are not well grounded?


Yes, I think he is right because, some of us doing it (home video) are in it because of our love for the profession. You need to see the kind of insults we get from some of these our younger colleagues on locations. Anybody can just accost you on the road, telling you he or she wants you to help facilitate her/his emergence as an actor just like that.


When we look at our brothers in the Igbo category of Nollywood, one would conclude that they area better organised than you people in the Yoruba category. Why so?


The average Igbo executive producer is first, a businessman. He has a very a strong network of marketing. Being used to trading, they (the executive producer) will go all the way to sell their films.

http://odili.net/news/source/2008/jan/5/304.html

I think what she is trying to say is that using our local languages in movies helps us more express ourselves in the best way possible knowing that when we use the language, the tendency is that we portray our traditional background better than trying to portray the English culture.

I will give you an example.

Tourists come to nigeria to see our culture and our way of life but if when they come every starts to copy european culture, they can only run away, reason
1. it may be ridiculous because you are not able to copy well
2. if you copied well, they already know that and they wanted to see new things.
They will never come back
But if u portray your culture, no matter how inaccurate, they will never fault you. all mistakes will be icing in the cake
Igbo kwenu
Having said that, i want them both in Igbo and english.

Dude stop fooling yourself. You just added to it with your irrelevant article and the dumb comments that followed

as for "na culture people wan chop", it's mentality like this that is killing Nigeria. Very soon you'll be changing your surnames to "White" because an English surname is "easier to pronounce"

Sorry bruv,

That is the price to pay when you interact with prostitutes and ignoramuses such as TOH. As you can see, she is a cheap whore. All her Ngbati culture is abuse and abuse, and more abuse; and people like me are out to pay her back in her own coin.

I'm glad you know how to read and understand.  Hopefully your brothers will learn to do the same without whining about "ngbatism"

wow--this dude has a Ph.D.?

he barely seems competent in the English language, not to mention critical thinking.

.

@ thief of hearts

stop being jealous of the igbos.the japanese wear western suits, and yet they are more

cultured than your family.in the same way, the igbos have been able to put their culture

into their 'english' films.or have you not noticed the red caps[okpu mme mme] worn by the

actors.tell me is that english or yoruba culture? no, it is 110% ibgo culture.so shut your

ignorant mouth if you aint got nothin to say.one more thing: the igbos don't need to win

'film awards' and then have the film rot in one european archive.according to CNN,we make

Billions of Dollar$ from nollywood.according to them also nollywood is fas catching up to

hollywood.so we don't need you ignorant brat to tell us what to do.we got the billions [of

dollar$ ]to show for it .what have you got to show for yaself?tribal bitch.

cris ninge, when you decide to write in English AND make sense at the same time, maybe I'll read your trash.

plz has anyone watched movies like ,charm ,king kong ,or those animal films  i would rather watch those films rather than watching so called nollywood films that you can predict wats going to happen at the end of it , i do really suggest that nigerian producers should be sensitive and creative to develop a films like those i mentioned .why can we do animals movies ?

Who's jealous of you Ibo palm tappers? Oh, my God! Everytime I hear this nonsense, I feel awfully sorry for you people. Look at what that Osuji guy wrote about you backward people in his essay, "Biafra Internet Terrorist And I," -- at least, coming from a fellow Ibo who was obviously tired of your boastful vanity and empty vainglory. You Ibos should be ashamed of yourselves. And you wonder why you're hated all over the world. Yes! Not only in Nigeria; Ibos are hated all over the world! I met a Cameronian lady the other day. I told her she looked like an Ibo female. Man, you needed to see how she quickly rejected that comparison by rebuking it severally and animatedly as if Ibos were a plague she was wont to avoid. When I asked why she felt that way about Ibo people, she said: "Of all the tribes in Africa, that [Ibo's] is one tribe that I am not proud of." Also, your people are all over the globe making a mess of your tribe. For instance, check this out: http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/01/07/cake.irpt/index.html

ajisafe, please don't add to the idiocy in this thread. Let them say whatever they wish. I personally don't care about their hatred or frustration for the "ngabti" people, this is about films.

Ibos are the ones destabilizing the polity known as Nigeria. They are quick to insult other tribes, yet they cry foul when they are punished for their stupidity. You all need to grow up. Oloriburuku gbogbo! "De a yin!" Your forefathers first peddled palmwine in the back of their rickety Raleigh bicycles in and around Ibadan before they graduated to selling fake electronics and antibiotic capsules. Dealers in death! Oponu ayirada!

Check this out:
http://www.chatafrikarticles.com/articles/1080/1/WHY-IGBOS-SEE-THEMSELVES-AS-VICTIMS/Page1.html

@combrazor:

Ah, no wonder! Anyway, you're Ibo. Cannibalism is nothing to you people. What a shame!

Some idiots have gone so far here. This is one of the reasons people should be allowed to choose whether to be Nigerians or not.

@topic

Profit maximization is the soul purpose of making movies all over the world, any other thing can come next.
With this, why would nollywood be different, especially if it's not getting much support from the government.

Complaining about lack of Igbo movies may be worth it, but how do you convince these business men who are trying to feed their families to start making Igbo movies when they make far much money making English movies.

If we must blame anybody for lack of Igbo movies, it would have to be the wider audience, home and abroad who have accepted the nollywood movies.

I personally don't enjoy Nigerian movies, but i always get moved seeing my friends from other nationalities patronize nollywood movies. My Hausa friends here always remind me of how much I'm missing for not watching nollywood movies.

Finally, in as much as TOH and co may have genuine intention on the question raised above, i don't believe that making more movies in Igbo language is the only way to showcase Igbo culture.