By Dele Ogunyemi and segun onifade
The influence of foreign movies and their industries on Nigeria and the Nigerian movie industry is enormous. Part of it can be noticed in how the name Nollywood was formed in likeness of their international counterparts like Bollywood and Hollywood, from India and America, respectively.
One does not need a seer to know how Nollywood as a name came into existence.
It came with much similarity, but for their failure to model the purpose of its establishment after their main foreign counterparts who have since and still holding true to their billings.
Nollywood came to be out of a true grassroots collective effort that has not only become profitable for the country, but has created thousands of jobs. Let us take you through and show you the genesis of all the proliferation.
It all started as a result of genuine need for associations and guilds in the industry. Since a tree does not make a forest, there was a serious need for the convergence of practitioners to form a strong force that would give the group a strong voice.
The stakeholders resolved to have structures for producers, marketers and actors, the move spearheaded by Mr. Zeb Ejiro to birth Association of Movie Producers (AMP).
Then, Okey Bakasi and others founded the Nigerian Actors Guild (NAG), which was changed later to the Actors’ Guild of Nigeria (AGN).
The mainstream movie distributors also came together to form the marketers association domiciled in Idumota, Lagos.
Then Directors Guild of Nigeria (DGN), Nigerian Society of Cinematographers (NSC), Screen Writers Guild of Nigeria (SWGN), Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) and the Creative Designers Guild of Nigeria (CDGN).
All these did not go well with some leaders of (AMP). Association of Nollywood Core Producers (ANCOP), was later established and registered under the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) with those aggrieved leaders moving in to begin the new association.
Film researchers in Nigeria like Onuzulike, Enna and Fosudo believe that Ken Nnebue’s 1992 Blockbuster, Living in Bondage, birthed Nollywood which heralded the era of producing films in VHS, CD, and DVD in Nigeria.
While some observers insisted that there should not have been Nollywood if legends like Moses Adejumo, popularly known as Baba Sala, Duro Ladipo, recognised worldwide for his film Sango, Adeyemi Josiah Afolayan ak.a Ade Love, Ishola Ogunsola (Isho Pepper), Olalere Osunpaimo (a.k.a Lere Paimo), Alhaji Kareem Adepoju, popularly known as Baba Wande, Jimoh Aliyu – Aworo, Iya Awero, who are prolific actors and actresses from the Yoruba Sector of the industry are not mentioned
The stakeholders resolved to have structures for producers, marketers and actors, the move spearheaded by Mr. Zeb Ejiro to birth Association of Movie Producers (AMP).
It is not surprising then that we now have Theater Practitioners (ANTP), by the Yorubas. Hausas coming with the Motion Picture Association of Nigeria (MOPAN), Igbos have the Association of Movie Practitioners (AMP), Itsekiris have the Association of Itsekiri Performing Artistes (AIPA), Binis have the Congress of Edo State Movie Practitioners (CEMP).
Meanwhile, the primary goals of the earliest films in Africa were to inform, educate and project the authentic visions of her people,therebyserving asanimpetusforsocialchange.
How would Nollywood continue to live up to expectations with the present situation of many guilds and associations? One can only hope for a unity and honesty of purpose and continuous existence and not just that but also to be actively and positively impactful in the nearest future.
It didn’t start like this when interested persons and film practitioners, used Mr. Zeb Ejiro’s office, AKA Presido, the first stakeholder to have a visible office in Nollywood as their rally point.
Apart from using places like ECOWAS hotel in Surulere, Kilo hotel in Marsha, Bookies hotel in Aguda, Uzzis Garden in Festac, and Winnis hotel in Marsha for auditions, rehearsals, appointment with journalists and marketers etc, the office of Mr. Zeb Ejiro at Ijesha, in Lagos State was being used for convergence by everyone who started with them from the National Theater, Lagos.
It should be noted that Nollywood is the second largest film industry in the world with the production of about 2,500 films in a year to surpass Hollywood and second to Bollywood, Indias film industry.
Recently, Nigeria cinema accounted for five percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This was further realised during the pandemic, in 2020, with the citical evaluation was done on the industry and the Nigerian economy.
The body has enhanced the economic growth of the country, and enjoyed relevance with international recognitions. But can this still be said of the purposes of its creation, influence on its people’s culture and moral standing, when it seems that its centre can no longer hold?
Many people wonder why there are many guilds and associations in the Nigerian movie industry?
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