IN THE TIME THAT I WAS GONE:

I had a baby. She’s the cutest little thing in the world and I do not say this because she is my daughter. She really is cute. Of course she has my genes.

I made a movie: OkonLagos which was financed by my brother. It is only family and friends who will take the risk of investing in your first work. I set out to make a commercial movie and I succeeded. It’s done very well, particularly in Akwa Ibom and Cross River states for obvious reasons. My feeling is that of gratitude because it could easily have gone wrong. Despite putting what I considered the elements for a successful Nollywood movie, there are simply no guarantees. As one of my friends would say, Nollywood is spiritual. You can’t explain why one person would rise to become an A-lister in one year and some others will remain D-listers for a lifetime despite being better actors. 

I celebrated 5 years in marriage. Who would have thought. Even my husband is surprised I haven’t yet cooked him for dinner. Yes, he has plenty wahala but so do I.

I visited home: Ikot Ekpene. I couldn’t believe how much it’d changed. Expanded roads, street/traffic lights, more companies etc. PHCN remains a problem. One day maybe. 

Zazugist.com was born. Unfortunately I am anti-pidgin so that one would be passing over me. I do not listen to Wazobia or any of those stations.  I think that there is already a huge divide between the upper/middle class and lower class and pidgin just makes it worse. You know, like we’re saying, we’ll speak Queens English and teach our children same, you guys stay down there and speak your pidgin. Everyone in my opinion should have a chance of getting to the top and language is key.

Steve Jobs died. I didn’t know him much while he lived but in death we seem to be getting close, I know, that sounds spooky,right. I read his Stay hungry, stay foolish speech and what popped out at me was not that he dropped out of school but that he dropped in on some classes, one of which was calligraphy which laid the foundation for the gadgets he would later create. In Nigeria, we’re quick to mention that some of the world’s geniuses were school drop outs but we quickly forget that they never stopped learning.  Something we seem to be averse to in Nigeria. Everyone wants a university degree but no one wants to read and actually learn. Your certificate may get you the job, but it’s your knowledge/skill that will keep it.

I’m making the blog more personal, we’ll still talk Nollywood and Arts but we’ll talk me too.

Enjoy the rest of the week.

 PS. Congratulations to Adeleke Adeyemi who just won the NLNG prize for literature for his children’s book: The missing clock. Adeleke and I attended the first Fidelity bank sponsored Chimamada Adichie’s workshop.  Yes, I’m famzing.

Uche Jombo;The D in Determination

Uche Jombo , a multi award winning actress came into Nollywood in 1999 in the movie: Visa to Hell. I have followed Uche Jombo’s career closely for many years and happened to be on set the day she nearly got fired on the set of ‘Girls in the Hood’ Uche did not impress the director nor the producer and was going to be decast. She asked for a second chance and got it. That second chance redefined her career. Uche returned to set the next day on fire. Her acting skills had drastically improved overnight to the shock of the entire cast and crew. I suspect that she didn’t sleep that night but rehearsed and rehearsed till she could rehearse no more.

When I speak to upcoming actresses, Uche is a name  I am quick to mention. She  is a clear example that hard work, determination and passion pays. She’s climbed to the top of the ladder by sheer hard work and a strong determination to succeed. Just when you think she’s about to slow down, she comes up with something new.  In 2010 she funded and co-produced Nollywood Hustlers. And on Sunday the 31^st of July, 2011, Jombo will be premiering her first solo production: DAMAGE at Silverbird Galleria.

Nollyarts congratulates her and wishes her a successful career as a producer.

The new Sodom and Gomorrah

I know recently there have been a lot of sex movies in the market but most of them have come from Ghana so I have ignored them. Until yesterday, when I saw the trailer of Dirty Secrets. It's probably all in a bid to sell( I understand these movies are hot in demand) more copies but isn't this stooping a little low? Particularly when popular acts are involved?

Do people actually find these things interesting? I think nudity on the black man looks disgusting.

Surely there must be other ways to get the public attention. We are an African nation please: discretion and moderation being some of our core values. Let us not lose everything that we are for a few wads of naira.

Most families watch Africa Magic in the evenings with their children, never mind that it is 9pm and the movies are rated 18. Makes you remember Frank Oliseh: 'It's 9pm, do you know where your children are'.

Should these movies make it to cable, will our children be watching these soft porn movies? The movies are obviously not censored. There's no way they would get past censors baord with such graphic details.

Below are some of the trailers. As one of my favourite TV characters,John Cage would say, I am troubled.

Kajola

People say that Nollywood is dying but optimists like us insist the industry is being rebirthed. Kajola is a futuristic drama/action movie directed by Niyi Akinmolayan.

Kajola is the Yoruba word for commonwealth. In the year 2059, Nigeria becomes a totalitarian state. After a second civil war, the rich relocate to the Island areas of Lagos state and turn it into an ultra modern city. The war torn mainland of lagos state is disconnected and abandoned.



A rebel leader, Allen learns of a plot code named kajola to build cities on the mainland and eliminate the remaining survivors. He leads a rebellion against the government and must be stopped by Yetunde, the police chief. Though mortal enemies, both discover that everything they thought they knew was nothing but lies. It’s a story of love and lust and it heightens the fact that if we don’t deal with the segregation and negligence issues facing the country today, then our future is quite predictable because TOMORROW IS TODAY.

The movie shows at Silverbird cinemas, V.I from the 30th of July. Make it a date. I would usually not be interested in sci- fi but coming from one of our own, I'll be sure to see it.

Congratulations Niyi!

Nollywood as a social tool

7,000 copies of EDIKAN- A Royal Arts Academy film has been purchased by Steppingstones Nigeria for free distribution in Akwa Ibom and Cross Rivers States. This is in a bid to educate parents on  the ills of labelling children as witches and causing them bodily and pschological harm.

More information on this can be found here.

Please visit SteppingstonesNigeria's website to lend a helping hand. Let's join hands to stop this wickedness to our children.

UCHE JOMBO HOLDS ON TO HOPE

If you’re looking for the definition of a ‘success story’, Uche jumbo is the person to look at.


Several people said she couldn’t make it, others even bet on it. But the determined beautiful young lady defied all her critics and has come out to be one of the biggest brands in Nollywood.

Watching Uche play bitchy roles in movies and play them to the T, you’d think that there was a bit of her in those roles. But if there’s something Uche isn’t, it is bitchy, except of course the bit that is in every woman, the one Shakespeare was talking about.

‘That’s the beauty of acting’, she says, ‘ I can be anything I want to be and get away with it.’

On locations, she’s the crew’s favourite. A good word for someone here and a smile for another and the thing that Nigerians love best, a tip.

Uche is probably one of the biggest givers I know, and that may be the explanation for her rise and rise in the industry and in life generally.

‘Givers don’t lack, it may seem like such a cliché but it is so true, I have found that the more I give, the more the blessings just keep coming my way.’ She says with that bright smile of hers.

Jombo says she wants to empower everyone around her, I believe God blessed me so that I may bless others. If I sit on my blessings then what’s the point?

Uche has starred in several hit movies namely: Celebrities, Games men play, Girls in the hood, Darkest night, Girls cot and so many others.

‘What you need most is passion, that’s what kept me going. I wanted to act and even when it seemed difficult, I knew it was something I wanted to do so I stayed on it. It’s also important to develop one’s craft; the competition is fierce now particularly for new comers so if you’re coming into Nollywood, you must bring something to the table. Producers are not here to do favours, if you have something they want, they’ll find you. So the question upcoming actors should ask themselves is: how can I make myself stand out? If you’re lucky to get a role, even if it’s one scene, play it like you’re playing the lead and someone will notice you.’

According to Desmond Elliot, the new kid on the directing block, Uche is any director’s delight, She always has her lines, it doesn’t matter when she got the script and she doesn’t spend five hours making up. He adds with a mischievous grin. He also expresses pleasure over her interpretation of roles. ‘She’s good, that one, makes your job real easy.’

Uche Jumbo is presently one of Glo’s ambassadors and has an NGO: Uche Jombo and you geared towards the empowerment of youths in Nigeria. There’s also something that’s in the pipeline that’s making her smile a lot, but she’s not ready to say yet.

Her movie: HOLDING HOPE, co-produced with Desmond Elliot and Emem Isong will be premiering next month. NOLLYWOOD HUSTLERS, where she is executive producer will also be released next month.

On her words to young people looking up to her, Uche quotes Aristotle:

‘We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore is not an act but a habit.’

I DO NOT COME TO YOU BY CHANCE

A beautiful title for a beautiful book. Adaobi last weekend read from her book at a fully packed reading which held at Quintessence. Adaobi reminds me of Adichie in a funny way though the only similarity I can quickly point to is the simplicity of their writing. Nwaubani has written a very easy to read book, not one of those tedious writings common to the Nigerian Literary world. It is a book that has the potential to sell thousands of copies in Nigeria alone if aggressively marketed. We're looking to you o Cassava republic!


A new one from ROYAL ARTS ACADEMY

THE ERA OF E.

Nigerians are mostly known for their can do spirit. Long before Obama started screaming yes, we can, Nigerians were showing that yes we could. That even without electricity supply, we would build a multimillion dollar entertainment industry. With most of us self taught, we used candle lights to write scripts and generators to power equipments and birthed Nollywood. The music guys, with most of them coming from not so porche areas of Lagos produced Tu face, Wande Coal, Psquare, Asha and several others that the world has come to recognise. All these without a health care system, electricity supply, security and sometimes even shelter. Fashion has also grown big, the designers probably used chineese made lamps to sketch their designs and now they walk red carpets in major cities across the globe. Yes, certainly, the young Nigerian has shown that he/she can.

Now in our usual self taught manner, we've taught ourselves new media skills. Probably tired of waiting for publishers, Myne Whitman self published and released her book-A heart to mend- online. A group of bloggers followed suit with a collective work: In my dreams it was simpler. Both books are available for purchase on Amazon.

This goes to show that with a little empowerment, a few more resources made available, an enabling environment and the average young Nigerian can take on the world.

O leaders, that thou hadst ears to hear and eyes to see.

Nollyarts felicitates with these fresh talents and encourages other youths to do something positive not withstanding all the forces against us in this our dear country. Someday, we will overcome.

NOLLYWOOD AND ITS MANY ENEMIES

The minister of communication; Mrs Dora Akunyili certainly tops the list of Nollywood Bashers. Every time she talks about Nigeria’s problem, she is quick to attribute it to Nollywood. All Nigeria’s image problems lies with the fact that we’re making Juju films, she couldn’t be more wrong. In the past few years, Nollywood has produced mostly love stories, I would even welcome a movie bordering on rituals just for a change. Yes we had our session of rituals. It’s the way it works; one person starts a trend, succeeds, everyone else follows till someone else breaks the trend. Hollywood is particularly guilty: They came with NEXT and PREMONITION and DÉJÀ VU etc, and then for a while, the Directors all visited Africa, LAST KING OF SCOTLAND, BLOOD DIAMONDS, CATCH A FIRE etc. Now they’ve all gone surreal: TIME TRAVELLER’S WIFE, GAMER, 2012 etc.

Mrs. Akunyili is minister of information, an extremely sensitive position, before she can inform people, she must first be informed. All she needs do is grab a few copies of Nigerian movies from Idumota or sit facing Africa Magic for a few hours and she’d know a bit about Nollywood. It’s a bit embarrassing every time she makes a statement in error. In a recent statement, she blames Nollywood for the movie District 9. She says if we had been making movies about how Nigerians contributed towards ending apartheid, then District 9 may not have been made. Is she for real? The director of District 9: Neil Blomkamp clearly stated that he believes most of the crimes perpetrated in SA are by Nigerians, he’s probably never seen a Nigerian film.

Nigeria’s infamy is from corruption and internet scam, nicknamed yahoo, yahoo. And that’s the image she’s trying to clean, where does Nollywood come into the matter? Only recently, Amnesty International just accused the Nigeria police of extra- judicial killings stating that they ‘kill at will’. Someone will probably blame Nollywood for this development.

Even if we were making juju films as claimed, is this why my green passport is scanned a thousand times by immigration officers outside the country or why the guy in the bus in Germany shifts beside me uncomfortably, clutching his bag tighter. Or why the shop attendant in Dubai immediately becomes more alert when I mention that I am Nigerian. I bet they don’t even know we have a movie industry in Nigeria, all they remember is the number of crimes that have been perpetrated by Nigerians in their country. Why then is Mrs. Akunyili bent on blaming Nollywood? Only months ago, she asked Nollywood to help her rebrand Nigeria, now she turns around to rebrand Nollywood

The minister would do well not to tongue lash the Arts for it is the Arts that has saved Nigeriá’s face and given us global recognition. It is Uwem Akpan’s book that was selected by Oprah for her book Club, Asa who has gained acceptance world wide, I personally heard her on radio Leicester, Femi who has been nominated for the grammies, Chimamanda Adichie who has won several international awards, Lancelot Imasuen who has been featured on CNN and Genevieve Nnaji who was featured on Oprah.

But it is not only the minister that hates Nollywood. There are several websites dedicated to just spew venom on Nigerian movies and particularly at more successful producers. Most members of these sites are Nigerians in the diaspora or more specifically, Nigerians in the United States. Someone summarised their problem as beef(Nigerian English for envy) We succeeded where they couldn’t. We didn’t wait for them to return home with their Harvard or nursing degrees(not sure how nursing would help develop the country), we went ahead and produced an industry out of absolutely nothing. With most of us self-taught, we wrote scripts with candles, powered equipment with generators and made movies that have left the world gaping. How did we do it? Everyone is seeing the opportunities and potentials, except these set of Nigerians. South Africa, realising that winning the Oscar(Tsotsi) is not the all and all, have decided to go Nigeria’s way by creating Jollywood which they say will compete with Nigeria’s Nollywood. Ghana’s Gollywood is also following closely behind with the full support of their Government.

I was invited to a film makers workshop in Berlin based on a Nollywood script. The participants couldn’t believe my script had been shot as a feature film, they all wait for grants, grants that may never come and their dreams will be buried with them but in true Nigerian style, we found a way out without waiting for the Western Messiahs to come lead us right.

Nollywood has given me as a writer, a platform to be heard. I am privileged to write both screenplays and literature, while I enjoy both, in writing literature, my audience is mostly Western and I am forced often to look back to be sure that they are following me as I paint my dear continent black but with Nollywood there’s a freedom to be you.

Nollywood has also contributed towards bringing back the middle class in Nigeria. An average practitioner lives comfortably, travels round the globe, most times without having to pay for tickets.

While this profession will always attract its fair share of criticism, for most of the critics, it’s not aimed at bettering the industry, it’s sheer envy and hatred, they would give their left arms to see it fail so they can continue to feel justified for some of the conditions they live under abroad. Loads of them have tried to do it ‘better’ and few if any have succeeded so far.

While some movies make you cringe, some send you reeling with laughter or with tears. I choose to celebrate those ones.

Apart from Joy Isi Bewaju’s review of Guilty Pleasures and Molara Wood’s review of Figurine, a lot of what you read online is sheer balderdash. Ini Edo’s hair didn’t match her figure or Mercy Johnson should go learn how to kiss. These for movie reviews?

I read several reviews of Clint Eastwood’s ‘Invictus’: Some by critics and some by viewers. It left me with a prayer: Lord send us some intelligent critics in Nollywood. Chikena!

Nollywood takes a leap!

I saw Through the Glass. I liked it but what I liked more was Stephanie's Okereke's tenacity. I doff my heart for her. She has really done well. Survived a near death accident, went to New York film School, made a film and saw it through cinemas. It grossed 10 million, the highest any Nigerian film had ever done. And then came the Figurine, that just left me feeling good for a long long time. Well done Afolayan and the entire team of Figurine. Good job. Not just the movie but the entire package, He thought out of the box, took a big risk but it paid off. He has taken Nollywood to a whole new level. The movie is still in cinemas and is expected to gross even more than Stephanie's film.

The next big one is Guilty Pleasures. It's already out in America but will be hitting the cinemas in Nigeria from the 29th of November. It is a must watch. Not just because it's from Emem Isong and Desmond Elliot, both of whom are my family(lol, yes, I know I am name dropping) but because it's really great. It thrills you from start to finish. If you don't watch it for anything else, you must watch it for Ramsey's Stellar performance. He deserves an oscar for that one, he was at his best.

Pete Edochie Kidnapped?

Pete Edochie, popularly known as Okonkwo from his great performance in 'Things fall apart' has been reportedly kidnapped in Onitsha. As at press time, no demand for ransome had been made. Recently, there have been several reports of kidnappings in the Eastern part of the country. Now that a popularl person has been kidnapped, one hopes that the coverage it is already generating will force the government to beef up security in the nation.

Nollyarts sympathises with Edochie's family and prays that he will soon be returned to them unhurt.

A more detailed report on Edochie's kidnapped can be found here.

EDIKAN

Edikan was inspired by steppingstones

Still on Slumdog Millionaire

A friend of mine just drew my attention to Reuben Abati's article here-http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/editorial_opinion/article02//indexn2_html?pdate=060309&ptitle=Slumdog%20Millionaire%20and%20Nollywood (sorry blogger wasnt accepting the link, had to copy and paste.)

I knew someone was going to make the comparison, I just didn't think it would be him. It is a well written piece as most of his articles are but what exactly do they mean by this:
'If the Indians can do it, Nigerians can do it too. If we want to rebrand Nigeria, that is what we should be doing. Slumdog Millionaire is a great branding opportunity for India.'

How exactly is Slumdog millionaire a branding opportunity for India? what is it branding? The slums? the crime? the abject poverty? the child prostitution? etc. I have never been to India but this is the image I now have of it,thanks to Slumdog millionaire. Is this the same way we want to brand Nigeria; to show the corruption, the crime, the juju, the lack of power supply, the inefficient police etc. Because we would have to show the dark side of Africa to win an Oscar. Tsotsi- the South African film to win one did and so did City of God-the Brazillian film.
While these things exist in these countries, they also exist in the West, but I am yet to see a movie depicting and possibly exagerating the teenage knife crime in the Uk.

To win an Oscar, dear Reuben Abati and Toyin Subair, while a good story, directing etc may be important, what would be most important would be to show the darkest side of us. Binyavanga Wainana puts it perfectly in his article 'How to write about Africa'.
Nollywood needs to up it's game as they very well will, but it won't be in an attempt to win an Oscar, it would be first to give its audience a better experience which they deserve.