Echoes from the Kenyan Nollywood road show
The popularity of the Nigerian movie in Kenya was evident while on arrival at the JKA international airport where the airport officials, the passengers and other Nationals could not hide their excitements on the sight of the movie stars with some of them demanding for snap shots to the admiration of the stars and the […]
The popularity of the Nigerian movie in Kenya was evident while on arrival at the JKA international airport where the airport officials, the passengers and other Nationals could not hide their excitements on the sight of the movie stars with some of them demanding for snap shots to the admiration of the stars and the entire delegation.
The road show which had the theme, ‘Nollywood: A new dawn for African integration’ had Sam Loco, Francis Duru, Patience Uzokwor (Moma G), Desmond Eliot, Monilisa Chinda, Uche Jombo and John Okafor (Mr Ibu) on parade.
This popularity of Nigerian movie in Kenya demonstrates the level of acceptability of the industry in the entire Africa and laid credence to the UNESCO report of 2009 which rated the Nollywood as the second largest film industry in the world, in terms of annual film production, ahead of the United States of America (Hollywood) but behind “Bollywood” of India.
The Nigerian High Commissioner to Kenya, Dr. Chijioke Wigwe said that Nigeria is truly a role model in Africa when it comes to movies, adding that there is nowhere in Africa that Nigerian movies have found more favour than in Kenya.
“There are two television stations here, one of them, the Kiss TV, was essentially established in 2009 just to show Nollywood movies and Citizen TV also shows Nigerian Movies twice a day. It is on the menu of these stations and the third station is about to do that.
“I tell you that Nollywood has impacted so positively in Kenya that it is fashionable now for many Kenyans to indeed try to speak like Nigerians, dress like Nigerians, do things like Nigerians and they love Nigerian food also,” the High Commissioner said.
In just about 13 years of existence, the Nigerian movie industry has grown tremendously generating about $250 million in revenue, employing about 200, 000 people directly and over a million indirectly.
In view of the inherent potentials of the Nigerian movie industry, especially in the export of services in line with its mandate of promoting the exports of non-oil products, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) conceived the idea of the Nollywood road show in 2010.
The Executive Director of NEPC, David Adulugba said that the road show is part of the council’s strategy at sustaining the unprecedented growth in the movie industry.
“The road show is primarily intended to promote our fast growing movie industry. The programme will also promote and sensitize the industry by exposing the potentials of Nigerian artists whose services will generate foreign exchange earnings,” he said.
The events of the Kenyan Nollywood Road Show commenced with a brainstorming session at the Safari Park Hotel with intellectuals, practitioners, students and the general public where a communiqué was issued.
Among other items in the communiqué, the Nigerian movie practitioners and their Kenyan counterparts made case for both countries to institute a cultural programme as well as artistic collaborations in the movie industry to maximize their economic potentials in the industry.
The communiqué observed that the cost of film production was high in Kenya and appealed to the Kenyan Government to establish a special fund to assist Kenyan movie makers.
It noted that the failure of the Kenyan government to enact a policy on local content in the television programming as it is done in Nigeria has contributed to the seeming low level of patronage and acceptance of Kenyan movies and therefore urged the government to address the issue.
Earlier, the Executive Director of the NEPC, David Adulugba who was represented by the Director, OCEO/ incentives, Mr Henry Otowo stated in its quest to increase the basket of exportable products from Nigeria, and in line with their mandate of promoting non-oil exports, a maiden Nollywood Road Show was launched in Namibia in collaboration with the Nigerian High Commission in October 2010.
“The idea is to create an export path for Nollywood products as well as business contacts between Nigeria and our brothers in SADC whose patronage of Nollywood is phenomenal given the fact that a South African media giant, Multi-Choice constantly consumes Nollywood products on a daily basis.
“In order to consolidate on the gains recorded from the Namibia Road Show, the council deemed it fit to embark on the current Road Show in collaboration with Nigerian High Commission in Kenya,” he said.
Adulugba said that in spite of all the gains, the industry is still plagued with several problems which continue to inhibit its growth such as poor quality of production, piracy, inadequate funding and poor distribution channels among others.
The high point of the event was when the Nollywood train moved to the United States International University Nairobi, University of Nairobi, and BrookHouse International School where the movie stars had an interactive session with the students.
The reception in each of the institution was overwhelming with the students trooping in their large numbers chanting the names of the movie stars going “wild” with excitement.
The Deputy Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs, University of Nairobi, Prof. Isaac Mbeche said “we are proud to interact with these great actors, producers and script writers. You have done Africa proud. I can assure you without any doubt that you have through your films adequately amused us, entertained and touched our souls in a number of ways that we have derived both pain and pleasure from. You can be sure that all of us here know something about Nigeria, courtesy of you.”
For Simiyu Barasa, A Director and Screenwriter, Nollywood Road Show is actually a good experience and very important not just for the artist but for all socio-political spheres of interactions between the African people to find indigenous solutions to some of the problems that they face.
He said that Nollywood is received extremely well in Kenya because basically you actually see Nollywood films everywhere, adding that all Nollywood stars are recognizable faces in Kenya.
He said that the partnership between the two movie industries of both countries will create an immense market considering the 150 million and 40 million population of Nigeria and Kenya.
“Of course you know that East Africa never happened without Nairobi happening so if you get Kenya on board, that means the whole of the East African countries with another over 100 million people. So the two countries being together will actually create a West Africa/East Africa synergy and it will create a bigger economic potential for the film industry not just in Nigeria or Kenya but the whole African film industry,” he said.
Relishing on the whole idea and the experience, veteran actor who has put in about 40 years in the industry after lecturing at the University of Ibadan ,Sam Loco Efe said that the Nollywood Road Show is one of the big things that has happened to the industry again.
“It is a good idea. I’m so thrilled because prior to this, I have been to Southern Sudan where we managed to open a film school. I have been to Uganda, Gambia but this is the first concerted effort and I give kudos to the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC).
“It is like a dream come true and if we can do this for the next one year, I think we must have made a statement in Africa. This is what I keep saying that God said to us, you Nollywood boys go into the World and to Africa especially and spread the gospel, I think that is what is happening with this,” he said.
On the future of Nollywood in Nigeria, the veteran actor said “The future is very rosy. It started on a very shaky foundation but resilience brought in the answer and now that an enabling act has been created by the practitioners, the young ones who are coming up are even feeding with a golden spoon so they should not dampen the spirit. They should not draw back the hand of the clock because already a movement is going on and we expect the young ones to tow the line. It is no more a profession for drop outs. This is now a very serious business where Doctors, Lawyers, Engineers all want to belong to Nollywood.”
On his own part, veteran actor, Francis Duru who was at the centre of the road shows programme said that the whole idea is worthwhile and exciting.
“The golden thing behind this is how the Nigerian brand of Nollywood is being glorified here. It has come to the point that you say Nollywood has become a cash cow, a golden opportunity. We have seen something around here and are going back home to begin to create within the platform of the collaborative network we have created.
We have seen the hunger of a nation for a product we have and I commend NEPC and the High Commission for putting this programme, and the Kenyan people for the love they have shown and the respect for our product. This goes a long way to say we as Nigerians are a unique people,” he said.