Every culture needs stories – Zack Amata

You have had experience in on stage and on screen performances. How do you regard the state of theatre in Nigeria with regards to stage plays? There are theatrical performances every day, everywhere. There still is gidan drama, where people dance and perform in communities. But the average Nigerian will not visit such places to […]

You have had experience in on stage and on screen performances. How do you regard the state of theatre in Nigeria with regards to stage plays?

There are theatrical performances every day, everywhere. There still is gidan drama, where people dance and perform in communities.

But the average Nigerian will not visit such places to watch performances…

This set of us are catering to a very minute segment of society. We are catering to the elite, the highbrow people. People who have nothing to do and basically just want to relax. Many of the stage plays are command performances. Where as, all of us read Shakespeare and he wrote for what I would describe as gidan drama. He wrote for gidan drama crowd. But we are performing for the likes of Alliance Francais.

The cultural centre is out of it because they are not interested in promoting art. It is a ministry and all they just want is to get their salaries.

But the gidan drama ones are the Shakespeares of Nigeria. If they can pull it through and get people to write and all that, that is when you will get the real theatre. Apart from that theatre is usually a university based phenomenon.

Isn’t this something that could change over time?

Why should it change?

Why not?

Wole Soyinka won a Nobel Prize for literature but then there are people who wrote more than he did; people whose works were read by Nigerians. Till today I still remember ‘Veronica my daughter’ and other novelettes like this which we used to call Onitsha market literature. We looked down on them as university students. But the average trader reads those and it is entertaining for him. That Onitsha market literature has now graduated to what we now call Nollywood.

Going from there, what in your view drives Nollywood?

The same thing. Nigerians. We are tired of being told that it is Sylvester Stallone, Julia Roberts or Hollywood, the Americans who have stories. We agree you have stories. But your stories are not our experiences. Our worlds are totally different and so you cannot tell us that yours is superior to ours. Even if it is technologically, the human experience makes all the difference.

We decided that we will do what we used to do. Gatanan gatananku, hello ale, the simple stories that we used to tell ourselves. Those moonlight tales that graduated into Onitsha market literature have now mature and is now Nollywood. All cultures need stories.

Why? Because it is said that people need stories more than bread. Stories teach us how to live. Even Jesus Christ taught using stories which religion calls parables.

Would you say that Nollywood effectively tells these stories?

Nollywood is telling these stories so that the people telling them can earn a living. They are not telling you to teach. If you want to learn, go to school.

What Nollywood is doing is to help us relax at some point in time because as human beings we cannot keep slugging it out forever. Inside the story telling is where the teaching comes out.

We cannot all be doctors, lawyers, pastors, dancers. Maybe the dancer did not want to be a dancer but that is what they find themselves doing and they must earn a living.

Even the doctors do everything for money. They go on strike, people are dying but they insist on getting their pay before they return to work. All this is in spite of the oath of office which they took.

Which of your works have been the most challenging for you?

That would be the latest one I am doing with the Society for Family Health (SFH). I am doing campaigns on HIV/AIDS prevention. I produced some television spots for them which are currently running.

It is challenging because the commercials have to be done in Ibo, Yoruba, Hausa and English. While I was doing this I learnt a lot. I am flabbergasted. It is shocking what the statistics tell.

Nigeria we pride ourselves as being rich. But we are not rich at all. We are a very poor country. We are poor in two ways. The fact that we do not produce and two, we as human beings do not have the milk of human sympathy. If not why do we squander money meant for the development that will benefit a whole community?

I have an NGO, Centre for Change Development where we use films and television drama to inspire people to change, to promote peace and religious tolerance in Nigeria.

When we compartmentalise ourselves, it doesn’t help us. We are first and foremost human beings and we are all different. We need to respect these. A mango tree should not go and tell the pawpaw tree that he must be like him. It is when it all comes together that it becomes fruit salad.

What was it about growing up that had the most impact on you?

I would say returning to Nigeria at about age thirteen after living in Switzerland. Coming back to Nigeria after living in the comfort of Switzerland with all the amenities in tact and accessible was a huge shock for me.

My first shock was at airport when they seized my little guitar and Ukelele, a four stringed guitar. I just couldn’t comprehend why they did that.

The next shock was light. I asked my grandmother the first I went to the village and was shown a hole. I asked, ‘what is this hole?’ the answer was: no be there you go go toilet? I screamed, ‘What?’ When I asked for light switch, I was shown a lantern.

As we climb back up the hill from fetching water in the stream, you know water will pour from the bucket and cause a splash. The older ones who are usually behind were terrors. They would scream. ‘you dey mad? Why you dey let water pour for my body?’ Before you know it, fight don start o. [sic]. That for me was incomprehensible because they knew there was no way water wouldn’t splash on them.

These experiences for a boy my age were hard to adapt to. And they affected me for a long time and my views about a lot of things.

The effects were positive and negative. We had a cafeteria in Switzerland where every national would be served his local dish. It was so embarrassing for me a ten year old to be only one eating eba of about five hundred people. (Laughter)

My wanting to contribute was motivated by my family. I grew up watching my father and family members doing things communally and trying to make the world a better place. But outside this I saw the world crumbling and people deliberately destroying it.

Another painful experience was the civil war which broke just after I finished secondary school.

Did you see going as far as he has today?

When I was in the university, I learnt about Aristotle saying that all children should be taught music and mathematics. I started buying him mathematics books at age four with which he practiced. When he turned eight he joined me in Jos. I decided he should take it further to equations and quadrants. We then began experiment with appliances and their make. We would unscrew them and couple them back. I think these are the things that helped him to be what he is today. Between two and four after school was study time. Later on I bought him a small piano.

At least I see that what Aristotle taught manifested positively. Personally, Jeta is a very brilliant and pleasant person to be with. We had a little girl who lived close by. She would come by just about four and you’d see Jeta’s eyes beaming as he asked me if it were already four o’clock.

This went on until he was about 14 or 15. I was very happy with his progress and encouraged him. I remember once saying to him that the girls he would attract if he continued hard at work, fear no go let me talk to them.

After his exams the first babe he went for was a young girl who used to come around the house. He would sometimes joke saying “yes, I collect my papa sugar babe”.

What gives you the most satisfaction?

Ah, e plenty. But I would say the most comes from my being able to help people. If for instance I have N100, 000 naira and I see somebody who needs, the word is ‘needs’ I will be very happy to give it all to him. If all it does is solve only one problem, I am immensely satisfied. Even if I need it I know I can wait till tomorrow to get but the person may not.

I also love to read, watch documentaries because I love to learn.