Half Of A Yellow Sun: Selling Nollywood For Profit

             

Odogwuemekaodogwu.blogspot.com brings you Vanguard report on half of a yellow sun. It goes thus:

The rave reviews that trailed the release of the movie ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ which is a motion picture adaptation of Chimamanda Adiche’s best-selling book with same title unarguably put Nigeria on the global spotlight. But it also signposted the rising profile and influence of Nollywood- the self-styled nomenclature for the Nigerian movie industry.

Since May this year when the flick was first released to international audience in the USA, the history of Nigeria’s fratricidal civil war of the late 1960s reverberated in sharply different tones as understood and interpreted by the film makers on one hand and the Nigeria Film and Video Censors Board on the other. Even though the latter eventually authorised circulation after a questionable decision to delay clearance for its release in Nigeria, the needless controversy generated over the globally acclaimed production is a debate better suited for industry practitioners, movie enthusiasts and regulators.

This piece is an attempt to spur a conversation on Nollywood’s contributions to Nigeria’s national brand index and how it can be optimally operated as a veritable instrument of cultural diplomacy to promote the country’s image and positive cultural values abroad. Interestingly, the movie industry has moved far beyond its mere entertainment value to become a crucial national economic interest.

Nothing confirms this more than the recent rebasing of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which revealed that Nollywood contributed 9 trillion naira ($5.1 billion) to the 80.3 trillion naira ($509.9 billion) figure for the year 2013. This amounts to 1.2% of GDP. Before the rebasing (which by the way had not been undertaken in 15 years), the estimated GDP for same period was put at 42.4 trillion naira ($269.5 billion) and notably, nothing relating to entertainment and pictures featured. By this GDP rebasing which now places Nigeria’s economy as the 26th largest in the world (also largest in Africa), the growing importance of the sector is underscored.

What more, in the global rating of the motion picture - industry especially in terms of size, Nollywood is second only to Bollywood, its counterpart in India. With dizzying production rates of between 30 to 50 films a week according to some estimates and an increasing migration to digital viewing on platforms like Iroko TV by millions around the world, there is little to suggest that Nollywood should still be left to its own devices in a world where cultural diplomacy is a strong complement to traditional diplomacy. According to a recent report on CCTV, China’s global broadcast network, Iroko TV which is founded by Jason Njoku, British born Nigerian entrepreneur, offers content to viewers in about 178 countries supporting its conclusion that “Nollywood has a huge global following.”

To be sure, government’s assistance to the movie industry especially in recent times is noteworthy. For instance, incentives like the 200 billion naira Nollywood intervention fund, has been put in place to help grow and develop the sector. Also, a few movie stars who have been outstanding have been bestowed with national honours by the President of the Federal Republic ostensibly to encourage excellence. Some others have been appointed to public office and positions of responsibility in the country. While all of these are geared towards promoting the movie industry for better performance, it is not quite clear how government is maximizing these incentives towards achieving improved national brand value.

If Nollywood is indeed rightly perceived as a soft power tool that can be used to enhance the image and brand index of the country, then regulatory and interventionist policies of government must be holistically articulated and systematically implemented to achieve results in this regard. According to Koichiro Matsuura, a former director general of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) quoted in a report on Nigeria’s film industry by AfricaRenewal, “film and video production are shining examples of how cultural industries as vehicles of identity, values and meanings can open the door to dialogue and understanding between peoples.”

Good that government is offering support and encouragement to the sector but is the investment being made with a view to receiving appropriate returns - that adds value to Nigeria’s soft power? How has Nigerian movies contributed to promoting the culture and image of the country? Given that at a certain time films scripted along themes of African traditional religion, ancestral myths and juju were preponderant but did these help to project Nigeria’s image as a country of attractive cultures and positive values? During another phase, the common thread running through Nollywood productions was the epic story line which tended to depict African kingdoms as warring fiefdoms deploring savagery and brutish wits for survival but did these films actually promote positive values indigenous to Nigerian history? The industry has progressed both in phases and sophistication in genres like thrillers, comedies, romance and even soft porn but how are these progressions and productions selling Nigeria’s image and cultural brand to Nollywood’s teeming millions of global audiences and admirers?

In spite of government’s recent interventions in the industry, it is a fact that the business of movie production is still largely private sector driven. And for business persons who have invested capital (bulk of it in some cases), the profit motive occupies prime place. Thus, it is often the case that themes and script of movies must pander to popular sentiments and trends (for market value) which may sometimes be offensive to public morality or worse still, be detrimental to national image and interest. Given this scenario, can government fold its arms and allow the profit motive to override other germane considerations? Without prejudice to the work of the Censors Board referred to earlier, are there some ways government can subtly influence (if not out rightly sponsor) movies to promote positive cultural values and thereby enhance the country’s soft power?

In the case of Bollywood in India, the position and posturing of government in this regard offers a good point for comparison and consideration. Granted that the industry in India is older and perhaps more diverse in terms of experience than in Nigeria but the former had deliberately programmed Bollywood as a veritable tool for cultural diplomacy and an avenue for the promotion of its soft power. As far back as 1948 there had been a Films Division domiciled in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting which produces and warehouses a “cinematic record of Indian history” and produces documentaries and other video works to publicize and promote government programmes.

According to official information, the Division is “not merely a store-house of this legacy but also an active participant in making it by providing equipment and facilities to aid Indian film makers.” This may be an explanation why ‘film diplomacy’ has been useful in improving India-Pakistan relations especially easing from a period of total ban of India movies from coming into Pakistan.

The lesson here for Nigeria is that government must carefully and deliberately develop and implement policies on Nollywood that would make the industry add value to the country’s cultural diplomacy efforts. The industry has done well for the economy but if it can be made to do more why not?

Written by Oke Epia in Thisday