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Africa Media Review, Vol. 3, No. 3,1989© African Council on Communication Education.

Film Makers and Film Making inNigeria: Problems and Prospects

by Augustine-Ufua Enahora:

AbstractThis paper presents the problems of film makers and film making in Nigeriaand points out how the problems are militating against the prospects of theNigerian film industry. It proposes a radical restructing of the film industry inNigeria in order to facilitate its indigenous development. To this end, itsuggests the nationalization of the film distribution and exhibition sections soas to achieve a viable integration of the whole industry and to promote it as avehicle for cultural-and socio-economic development of the people of Nigeria.

Dr. Augustine-Ufua Enahoro is a lecturer in the Department of Theatre Arts,University of Jos, Nigeria.

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Cineastes et Cinematographie auNigeria: Problemes etperpectives

d'avenir

RESUME

Ce document retrace less problemes des cineastes et de lacine'-matographie au Nigeria et propose des solutions auxproblemes qui se posent a I'industries du film au Nigeria. IIpropose une restructuration radicale de I'idustrie du film auNigeria en vue de faciliter son deVeloppement indigene. A cettefin, il suggere que sit nationalises la distribution du film et lessecteurs d'exhibition afin de reaiiser une integration viable detoute I'industrie et de la promouvoir comme un instrument dede"veloppement culturel et socio-6conomique de toute lapopulation nigeriane.

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Introduction

Cinema is one of the most important public issues over whichsuccessive Federal governments have exhibited inexplicableindifference, may be, borne out of ignorance of thesignificance and the functions of the film industry. Cinema isthe least developed of the mass media in Nigeria. The countryinherited the colonial structure of film industry and, despiteher political independence in 1960, the system has notchanged. Nigeria is a cinematographic province of India andAmerica while its colonial masters are the Indians and Leba-nese.

One of the driving forces for struggling for the independence ofNigeria was the belief that development would obviouslyfollow independence. That is, as soon as the citizens wereallowed to manage their own affairs, they would attain the levelof development reached by the developed countries, and, if theresources were properly utilized for the benefit of the nation bythe people themselves, the nation would develop. But politicalindependence has not automatically ushered in economic in-dependence. Film distribution and exhibition in Nigeria are inforeign hands and foreigners decide the films to be screened inNigerian theatres. They screen very old films that they boughtat give-away prices and the core of their politics is todiscourage indigenous film production. These films are ofWestern and Indian cultures and styles. The Nigerian filmaudience is conditioned by these styles and they find itdifficult to appreciate Nigerian films.

This perpetual presence of Western aesthetics has influencednot only the film goers, but has adverse effects on the filmmakers. We are not arguing that it is bad to watch foreignfilms, but there is need that these films should treat relatedproblems.

Films screened in Nigerian theatres today have neglected oureducational philosophy, its goals and objectives, our insti-tutional framework and cultural background. They havecreated social and psychological problems.

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Cinema and CultureFilm is a means of socialization, i.e. the process andexperience that help the individual to become sensitive to theexpectation of other members of the society, their values andculture. Cinema is an important tool in building cultural insti-tutions, and reinforcing cultural pride. The cinema could beused to heal the psychological wounds created by slavery andcolonialism and to provide moral upliftment. Cinema is likephotography; it is not an accident but a concept. That is,cinema is a manipulation of the viewer through its language ofimages; it is the recycling of reality through the way it ispresented. We cannot afford to go to Rex Cinema, Jos, and bepassive to the political assumptions that the film is built on.Cinema is a means of information, eduction and cultural deve-lopment of the masses. It is a means of communication andcomprehension.

Culture is the unifying force among Nigerians. It kept theirspirits alive and gave them the impetus and courage toorganize for their so-called independence during the Britishdomination. In Indian, European, and Hollywood films, thegeneral approach is to present the best of their cultures to theaudience. Cinema itself is a culture and is also the most effect-ive vehicle of propagating culture.

The cultural background of the film maker functions as theframe of reference for his cinematic languages. The film is areflection of self-consciousness and self-expression of thepeople. Cinema is like any other arts, it is employed in thepeople's reflection of freedom, justice, life, etc. Cinema takesroot in the realities of society. It is a means of documentingculture and people's way of life. Vieyra (1969) remarks that 'Thecinema is one of the most efficient ambassadors providinginformation on inter-state because cinema carries with it bitsand pieces of its country of birth'.

In Nigeria, where we have many illiterate people, cinemacould be used as a means of communication, comprehensionand information. We have failed to use the cinema to motivate

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Our people. The uses of cinema for cultural projection are veryimportant because 'the functioning of every human body ismoulded by the culture within which the individual has beenreared but also by the way he was born into society with adefinite culture he has been fed, and disciplined, fondled andput to sleep, punished and rewarded' (Mead 1953:377—8).

Culture plays a vital role in the physical and mental develop-ment of an individual in any society. If it is required of themembers of the Nigerian society to develop the basic physical,intellectual, social and emotional capabilities, then Nigerianfilms could be very helpful in this respect.

Our experience of slavery, colonialism and neocolonialism,coupled with economic and cultural domination has led us toself-alienation. In the present state of cultural invasion, theinvader does not need to go personally to the invaded land, butthe action is carried out by technological instruments. It isalmost impossible for the Nigerian film makers and filmaudiences in the present situation to grow above the modelsestablished by their invaders. Cultural invasion leads tomanipulation, which in turn leads to conquest and conquestleads to domination. The Lebanese and the Indians are mani-pulating the situation which is indispensable for their domina-tion. Cinema is a cultural action which operates in and uponthe social structure; it either maintains the structure ortransforms it. We need a cultural revolution to transform ourmentality and cinema could be used to restore the lost con-fidence.

Nigerian cinema halls are poluted with films of oriental martialarts, thrillers, Indian melodrama and American action-adventures. Nigerians have been over-fed with thesecinedrugs. Nigerian cultural forms are being devaJued every-day and we fold our hands and look on; sometimes we applaudto encourage the situation. These cinedrugs are used to anaes-thesize the people so that they do not think of their situation.As early as 1910, a French Colonel noted that the cinema couldhelp us to conquer Africa' (Opubor et al 1979). And it is stilleffectively used to conquer us today.

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The cinema industry in a neocoioniai country is a reflection ofthat system. Cinema is the result of an economic practice,technology and aesthetics which is enveloped by a dominantideology. It is a public art, a collaborative creation which isaimed at the audience. Cinematography is a profession ofpublic utility and the Nigerian government should stop neglect-ing this industry.

The Federal Military Government promulgated the Nigerianenterprise decree in 1972 to limit the involvement of foreigninterests in a number of economic activities and to reservesome of these exclusively for Nigerians. Foreign enterprisesoperating in Nigeria were forced to sell a stipulated percentageof their capital to Nigerians. This decree gave exclusive mono-poly for the distribution and exhibition of feature films toNigerians. But, as cited in Hennebele Guy (1972),

Even though this law of exclusive monopoly of the distribution andexhibition of feature films by Nigerians is still in force today, the govern-ment made no major attempt to enforce it, hence the business is stillalmost completely controlled by foreigners.

The NDO Films and ACINE Films are Lebanese companieswhich control the importation and distribution of Indian filmsand the films from other Asian countries. The Lebanese inter-preted this decree to mean more opportunities since they natu-ralized and obtained Nigerian citizenship. Some even wentfurther to marry Nigerian women to buttress their security forexploitation.

This monopoly of distribution and exhibition by foreigners inNigeria is creating marketing difficulties for Nigerian filmsmade by Nigerians. The government is not only helpless inchecking the situation, but seems to have been willingly aidingand abetting their perpetuation. We have all failed to tackle theproblems created by these alien companies which dictate thepattern and pace of our film industry.

The Federal Military Government has the power to exerciseboth direct and indirect controls, but has failed to play that roleeffectively. The state governments, through the statesministries of information, have also failed to effectively control

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the distribution and exhibition of feature films through theentertainment tax.

No matter what may be the official pronouncement by theNigerian government or the Nigerian Film Corporation on filmsin Nigeria, the observed attitude towards problems of the filmindustry constitute, in reality, the cinematographic policy. Thepolicy denies the existence or capabilities of Nigerian film-makers, because if you cannot find the products there will beno need to look for the producers.

The structure of Nigerian film industry is the same now as itwas during the colonial period. The late Professor Cheikh AntaDiop lamented the fact that Africans would leave others to dowhat they could do for themselves. The Nigerian governmentfailed to recognize that the film industry is as fundamental asagriculture for Nigeria. We have all failed to recognize that thedevelopment of film industry in Nigeria is very important to thedevelopment of cinema in Africa. This is not only becauseother African countries look up to Nigeria as the giant ofAfrica, but the area now called Nigeria has, from historic times,been one of the major crossroads of Africa, culturally and eco-nomically. Politics is based on the economy. Those whocontrol the economy of the film industry also control itspolitics. And, as such, they influence and control the lives ofthe citizens.

The Cinema in National DevelopmentFor one to play a responsible role in community development,he must be well informed to select appropriate courses ofaction. We have failed to use the cinema to create awarenessand interest in our development programmes. Cultural develop-ment is an integral part of any nation's development. Filmrepresents cultural forms which play an important role in thesocial development of the citizens. We have always stressedtechnological development, but then how do we think of tech-nological progress if the technology is not rooted in ourculture? National development should be man-oriented notinstitution-oriented, that is, individuality in collectiveness notindividualism.

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We agree with Claude Ake (1972) who stresses that we shouldreject the concept of development in the present situation andthink in terms of liberation. Liberation here means disenga-gement from imperialist countries, freedom from the tyranny ofmaterial wealth. He says that:

If we think in terms of liberation we can accept that we are not all that weought to be without necessarily feeling inferior to someone else. If wethink in terms of liberation, we will open the question of the path of oursocial evolution instead of committing ourselves.blindly to the pathsomeone else has taken

The cinema as a means of education could play a great role inthe development of the nation. One naira invested in the intel-lectual development of a Nigerian could augment the nationalrevenue more than one naira invested in a steel company or anautomobile industry. The cinema could be used to contributeto a feeling of nationness, as a voice of national planning, tohelp teach necessary skills, to extend the effective market, tohelp people look to the future and to prepare people to playtheir role as a nation among nations' (Schramm 1964). Thecinema can be used either as a national stimulant or tran-quilizer. We should note that the cinema would not necessarilycontribute to the development of any nation; this will developon its use and content. The cinema in Nigeria today hasdiverted our attention from our national development problemsso that whereas we could use it to explain the policy, aim,objectives, plans, etc., of the government to the generalpopulace, bypassing the imposing barriers of illiteracy, we nowuse it to lull the people to stupefaction.

Film Makers and the Art of Film Making in NigeriaThe Nigerian film maker is subjected to many measures inorder to halt his work and to place obstacles in his path so asto prevent him from carrying out his mission. The constraintsare directed against Nigerian film makers in order to silenceand undermine the great role he could play in reflecting andexpressing the efforts and endeavours of the people. TheNigerian film makers lack adequate supplies of film stocks andsupport services such as credit to produce films. The absence

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of financial support is one of the major problems inhibiting thedevelopment of the art of film making in Nigeria. Majority ofthe film makers do not have enough assets to satisfy the colla-teral requirements of the banks. Problems of inadequateinfrastructural facilities, like power, transportation, telecom-munication, etc. help to make the film business unfeasible.The alien film companies pose multidimensional problems toindigenous film makers and the art of film making in Nigeriawith their monopoly of distribution and exhibition channels.These companies do not only fail to produce films in Nigeria,but also discourage local productions.

Film equipments and film processing facilities are notavailable. Even when the shooting of a film is done in Nigeria,the processing is done in America and Europe. There is noopportunity to see the rushes immediately after the day'sshooting. If the films are over-exposed or under-exposed, thereis no immediate opportunity to reshoot.

It should be noted that there is a shortage of qualified man-power in key areas. The peculiar economic, ideological andpolitical problems of Nigeria have also constituted obstaclesfor film makers and the industry. The Nigerian film maker is inmost cases the producer, director, scriptwriter, distributor andexhibitor. It is impossible for one person to assume all theseresponsibilities successfully. Even when Nigerian films arereleased, the aliens who are the owners of the theatres wouldnot agree to screen the films. These theatres are extensions ofthe neocolonial establishments with the aim of exploiting andperpetuating the same kind of negativity.

With all these problems facing the film industry in Nigeria,when the Nigerian film makers ask how responsible and res-ponsive to the people the leaders are, the leaders respond byconfiscating part or the full length of the film. But when Leba-nese and the Indians screen the cinedrugs in Nigeria, nothinghappens to their films because these films have been 'innocu-lated against the socalled censorship'.

There are two types of censorship facing Nigerian films. Theyare the bereaucratic governmental censor and the industrial

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censor. The bureaucratic censor decides what is to be shownto the public. But the industrial censorship is more effective inNigeria. It is carried out by the alien theatre owners. After thefilm has been made, it must pass through the distributors andexhibitors. The distribution and exhibition components of theNigerian film industry are in the hands of those who are notinterested in films made in Nigeria. Since the industrial censor-ship is in foreign hands, the determination of the type of filmsto be screened is also in foreign hands. The government policydiscourag.es and alienates a potential filmmaker. Dr. OlaBalogun, after a degree in French and postgraduate certificatein film technique, was offered a salary much lower than thatoffered to a new graduate in administration because he optedto work as a filmmaker (Opubor et al 1979:9).

A professor of history, who was a member of the interviewpanel that interviewed the author to teach cinematography in adepartment of theatre arts, under the Faculty of Arts where shewas the Dean, told the author before the other members of theinterview panel that 'Films are no publications and can neverbe equated with publication of a paper in a journal'. It is worthstressing here that this expatriate professor invited the authorto produce a documentary film on the circumcision ceremonyof the Anaguta people of plateau State of Nigeria six monthsafter the interview. The documentary film was to be used toteach African history in New Zealand. This film was notproduced because the professor never thought that therecould be any significant financial involvement in the art of filmproduction.

The Filmmakers Association of Nigeria (FAN) is still in its form-ative stage. It is not yet a strong organization for social actionaimed at social policy. The lack of militancy on the part of FANto exert pressure on the government and to promote collectivecriticism of the contradictions of exploitative film companiesis an impediment to the revolution of the film industry inNigeria.

ConclusionsIf the Nigerian film industry is to develop, there is need for a

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fundamental and total examination of the errors we have madein the past. We should think of cinema in terms of history andculture. The cinema must deal with reality and must not help toperpetuate exploitation and deepen the misery of our people.There is need for Nigerian film makers to be artists rather thanmere technicians. Their strength and power should come fromthe people and not from financial profit. Lack of communitysupport is one of the reasons Nigerian film makers have notbeen able to expose their products to the general public.Nigerian film makers must reply to the negative imagerysupplied by foreign films screened in the country by creatingcounter-images.

The film question in Nigeria requires a radical restructuringthat will bring about the true development of the industry. Weknow that there are bound to be problems in any attempt torevolutionize the film industry because of its conservative andexploitative distribution and exhibition models. If the revolu-tion is well managed, the results would be very progressive andprofitable in many ways. The goal of self-reliance can only beachieved by a break with the past. For the desired change tocome, the government should co-operate with film makers whohave foresight, courage and determination. The problem is acomplex one and there is need for a systematic approach inorder to enable reason to prevail. To think that cinema can beseparated from politics in the Nigerian situation means losingsense of the reality.

Nationalization of the film distribution and exhibition industryin Nigeria would contribute greatly to the development of filmindustry. This method has worked in Algeria, Brazil, andBurkina Faso and if this is correctly interpreted, it wouldcreate the same favourable conditions in Nigeria. Dialoguecannot exist in the absence of the exploiter's interest and faithin the development of film industry in Nigeria. Dialogue is not avertical relationship but a horizontal relationship in whichequality and mutual trust between the participants is thelogical consequence. The answer to the question is notnegotiation but nationalization because the culture ofdomination can only be confronted through action.

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There is the need to establish a Nigerian national film school,film processing laboratory, and the need for inter-relationshipand inter-dependence. The producer must co-operate with thedistributor because the distributor needs the product (film)from the producer to distribute to the exhibitor. The Nigerianfilm censorship board should develop audiences for Nigerianfilm by artistic control of films and their promotion. Betweenthe spiritual conception and the realization of film, the filmmust pass through many stages. We have failed to give thenecessary opportunity to the Nigerian film maker for self-discovery, self-development and of serving his society as awhole. We have made mistakes and, if we forget thesemistakes, then we are bound to make even more mistakes, forfilm is not a question of profit and maximazation of profit but asimple question of life.

References

Ake, Claude (1972). 'Development of What? For What?'. Paper presented at aconference on Development Strategies in Africa of the 1970s held in Arusha,Tanzania, September.

Hennebelle, Guy (1972). 'Les Cinemas Africains en 1972'. L'Afrique Litteraire etArtistique No. 20. Paris: Societe Africain D'Edition, p. 7.

Mead, Margaret (1953). 'The Concept of Culture and Psychosomatic ApproachContributions Towards Medical Psychology'. In Arthur Weider (ed.), NewYork: Ronald Press, pp. 377—378

Opubor, A.E. and O.E. Nwuneli (eds.) (1979). The Development and Growth ofthe Film Industry In Nigeria, Lagos.

Schramm, Wilbur (1964). Mass Media and National Development. Stanford:Stanford University Press.

Vieyra, P.S. (1969). 'Les Cinema et L'Afrique', Presence Africaine. Paris.

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