DISTRICT 9- A CHALLENGE TO ALL NAIJA AUTEURS

The movie District 9 has gotten a lot of attention in the months of it's release. First the anticipation of a riveting Sci Fi movie. Then the people that were blown away by how well executed it was, then recently the concern and up rise of the portrayal of Nigerians in the movie.

I must admit, sitting in the cinema, every time "the Nigerians" was hammered in description to the negative characters, it stung a little but i carried on regardless. I wont say i hated the movie, because it was indeed, very well done.

BUT in retrospect i can see why peeps would be enraged. It's bad enough that Cop shows and Sitcom make us a punch line. But this was something else on a whole new level.

My consolation was that , they were not Nigerian actors, nor did they speak in any Nigerian language, nor did they have Nigerian accents. BUT , most non Nigerians would not detect that fact

Many people would say

"We have more important things to be worried about"

but we have to remember how powerful a medium film is. Both to the intelligent, and those that just absorb and believe EVERYTHING that they see on TV and in the movie, Film leaves a powerful impression on the mind for a very long time.

We all know how Germans have been associated with Nazi ,Neo Nazi History in the movies. The same goes for middle easterners as terrorists. Indians as convenience store clerks and Asians as martial arts masters. These portrayals find their way into the subconscious,and even if it is for a microsecond,affect our perceptions , and with a movie as popular as District 9, it looks like it is going to become a part of popular culture.

The fact is, the consistent reference and Hammering on "The Nigerians" was unnecessary, and "the gangsters" would have been sufficient enough,without specifying a nationality.


I found this quote on a blog , which i find very insightful

"Whatever any film maker may portray, the most important thing really is that Africans need to start telling their own stories more than they have done so far. Africans need to make their own compelling films – both fiction and non-fiction. As an an African proverb says “Until lions are able to tell their own stories, the story of the hunt will always glorify the hunter”  -Supo Orimogunje

The Nigerian entertainment scene is growing in large proportions, TV ,and especially music which is now global.

Isn't it about time, we loose all the VooDoo, Advanced Fee Fraud(419) and Prostitution stories in our movies? There are sooo many other aspects of Naija life we can write and make films about.

Chimamanda "Purple Hibiscus" Adichie, has become the pioneer of a new generation of Nigerian voices. .A voice that the world has taken seriously because of the QUALITY of the compelling and captivating stories she writes .

Isn't it about time we do the same in our film making? Compelling stories, that are well made and excellently performed, that would sweep the floor and blow minds all across he world.

This is a challenge for all screenwriters,directors producers and all those involved in TV and Film of Naija origin both inside and outside Naija.

We have the potential to tell fascinating Nigerian stories, those grounded in reality, fairy tale or fantasy, which we have many.

What stops us from adapting stories by Soyinka, Cyprian Ekwensi,Chinua Achebe and others, into screenplays?

What stops "The return of Ikenga"(War Epic) or "Things fall Apart"(Historic) from being made into epics, or "Without a Silver spoon"(Triumph of the human spirit) from becoming Naija's answer to "The Pursuit of Happyness" . We have sooooo much potential, which can stop the recycling of predicable and somewhat contrived stories.

I've said it a million times "City of God" is a prime example to show the impact a well made film can have to an industry. It's a Brazilian film made outside Hollywood, on a minimal budget and no big names, and it took the world by storm. The Nigerian film industry has that untapped potential too.