KILAF: Celebrating The African Language Film

A couple of weeks ago in Kano, the maiden edition of Kano Indigenous Languages Films Market and Festival (KILAF) 2018 took place. It was the first festival organised by Africans to celebrate films produced in the continent’s own languages – and not in English, French or other colonial languages which used to be the only mediums, […]

A couple of weeks ago in Kano, the maiden edition of Kano Indigenous Languages Films Market and Festival (KILAF) 2018 took place. It was the first festival organised by Africans to celebrate films produced in the continent’s own languages – and not in English, French or other colonial languages which used to be the only mediums, or media, of international film festivals. This time Hausa, as a leading African language, the largest in West Africa, ‘hosted’ the event.

KILAF (www.kilaf.org.ng) is aimed at celebrating and promoting films produced in African indigenous languages – Hausa, Fulfulde, Kanuri, Kanuri, Nupe, Tamashek, Zarma, Wolof, Malinke, to mention but a fraction. It is a project intended to be annual and to foster the growth and development of the African media and entertainment landscape within an African context. It is primarily driven by Africans hinged on the philosophy of ‘Africa First’ to promote and market African content within the entertainment international ecosystem.

At the Awards Night at the end of the festival, an epic Hausa film, ‘Juyin Sarauta’ (Royal Ascendance) produced by Hajiya Balaraba Ramat Yakubu and Ado Ahmad Gidan Dabino and directed by Falalu Dorayi, clinched various awards including best film, best story, best director and best production design. ‘Juyin Sarauta’ portrays a Hausa Kingdom of a few centuries back showcasing the intrigues involved in the ruling houses and succession processes in royal palaces, among other interesting issues “that make fans sit on the edges of their seats while watching it,” according to a recent news report. The movie also defines the vital role played by women in the emergence of rulers and leaders in Hausa societies.

According to the co-producer of ‘Juyin Sarauta’ Hajiya Balaraba Ramat (famous Hausa author and junior sister of late Head of State General Murtala Muhammad and a ‘powerful woman’ in her own right), the film’s dialogues were professionally crafted to make it suitable for all classes of viewers. She further revealed that the film had won Best Film in the Nigerian Language Award by Zuma Film Festival 2017.

Another multiple winner at the awards ceremony was Sadiq Sani Sadiq for the film ‘Ruwan Dare’, which won the best actor award while the film ‘Daren Farko’ won the best Short Story award.

The objectives of KILAF include to preserve and promote the indigenous languages of Africa; to give people access to a broad range of African indigenous languages films on a more regular basis; to encourage intra-African cooperation in the production and marketing of films; to serve as platform for promoting professionalism and rewarding excellence in African indigenous languages films; to imbibe the African spirit and sense of purpose in film practitioners, leading to generating authentic African media content according to the dictates of African realities, aspirations and needs; and to promote culture and propagate African spirit of ‘Africa Rising’.

Significantly, the theme of KILAF 2018 was “Contextualizing African Indigenous Languages Films: Past, Present and Future.” KILAF’s Mission was stated as “To inspire, celebrate and promote African content through indigenous languages to enhance ‘togetherness in diversity’”, while its Vision envisaged that “By 2025, the impact of KILAF will be felt across the African continent and beyond, via Afrocentric media content.”

This premier edition of KILAF attracted 24 film entries from all over Africa. About 300 filmmaking stakeholders were in attendance from across the African continent, Africans in diaspora, the academia and the media. The main feature of the event was a competition on African indigenous languages films where these rewards and awards were accorded their excellence and professionalism.

In a press interview to herald the Festival, KILAF Founder and veteran (and still practicing) filmmaker Abdulkareem Mohammed (of the famous Moving Image film production company), said it was actually his dream since 1982 when, as a student in the US, he realised the need for African languages to be heard through film festivals as he noted how African culture was absent in media content and fare, even among even African-Americans. The worst experience in one’s life, he believed, is to be shorn of one’s original heritage. He therefore realised that Africa needed a platform to foster and nurture its own languages medium films and also to carry out effective campaign in telling its own stories.

On the margins of the festival and market, there were academic exercises in the form of Masterclasses and Discussion Platforms organised to enhance movie practitioners’ skills in the core filmmaking areas of directing, scripting, production management and exhibition, marketing and distribution, as well as provide filmmakers and stakeholders opportunity to dialogue on some selected topics relating to filmmaking. There was also a film exhibition of some selected movies at the cinema where producers and directors availed themselves for questions and answers.

The Film Market, the twin arm of the event (the other being the festival itself) featured broadcasters, marketers, distributors and film content owners who met to transact businesses related to investment in the film industry. The market availed filmmakers the opportunity to advertise and market their productions as well as screen them for prospective clients. This offered a great Networking Hub to enable participants to meet and make new contacts that could invariably add value to their business and knowledge.

There was also the African Kitchen for participants to sample especially Hausa traditional cuisine, snacks and drinks. Tourism Visitations of the more-than-1000-year Kano Cultural Heritage were organised for foreign and national delegates – City Walls, City Gates, Kurmi market (that served the Sub-Saharan Trade era), old (Gidan Makama Museum) and new Emir’s Palaces, the twin hills of Dala and Goron Dutse, etc.

Kano being the home of Kannywood, the Hausa Film Industry, took pride of place in hosting this maiden edition of KILAF. The industry, which employs tens of thousands of Hausa-speaking (and even the not very Hausa-speaking) young people, is still to reach its zenith as it needs to come out nationally and internationally. The film ‘Juyin Sarauta’, with its commendable sub-titling, can show the way towards international presence. The film review team under veteran television administrator of old NTA, Mallam Bello Sule, did a commendable job over all.

An important lesson learnt from this maiden edition of KILAF is that no one should rely on government to partner in such development projects. Government is slow, cumbersome, unresponsive and generally pays lip service to supporting artistic and creative endeavours, for when it is time to chip in, it balks.

Interestingly, to emphasise the African-ness of this Festival, there was a strict dress code of African attires for the Award Night.