Nollywood can’t
work without structure –Emeka Mba
By Sola Balogun and Azuh Amatus
Friday, August 22, 2008
 |
•Emeka
Mba
Pix: Sun News Publishing |
| |
As part of efforts to make the newly inaugurated distribution
policy popular, Mr. Emeka Mba, Director General of the National
Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), recently paid a courtesy
visit to the corporate headquarters of The Sun Publishing
Limited, Kirikiri, Apapa, Lagos.
Mba, during his visit, spoke on a wide range of issues, especially
the controversial framework distribution policy, his challenges
at the board, how he intends moving the motion picture industry
forward and many more.
Why NFVCB is visiting The Sun
The SUN has deepened the newspaper business in Nigeria. Of
all the papers that I have seen, yours is the only one that
has helped and engaged the people and I really want to congratulate
the management and staff for doing an excellent job and I
pray that the paper will continue to do a lot more. The NFVCB
is an agency under the Federal Ministry of Information and
Communications.
Essentially, the board was set up by an act in 1993, as a
regulatory agency for the film and video industry in Nigeria.
As our name implies, we do the censorship of films, classification
of films as well as licensing of cinemas, retailers, exhibitors
among many others. We are about 15 years old. Part of our
visit is to begin a new phase with the management and staff
of The SUN and also to thank you for your media support since
inception. You have helped in the promotion of our issues
and courses and have also challenged us especially when you
feel we are not getting it right sometimes.
We have been in Lagos for a few days now and visiting media
houses. We are here to explain some of the programmes and
initiatives of the board, especially in the last three years,
since I joined the board. Chief of this initiative is the
Nigeria, In The Movies Project, which actually seeks to promote
a lot more responsibility in film making by our filmmakers.
We believe that the idea of censorship in a digital age is
an uphill task. And without the active participation of filmmakers
and the citizenry, it would be impossible for us to make progress.
It’s also aimed at creating a channel of empowerment
for people within the industry and also help give it structure.
Also to help lend our efforts to the fight against piracy
and generally promote the cause of good society through what
we do at the Censors Board. We have also launched the media
literacy programme. We have also launched the Nollywood Interactive
with NACA, to fight the dreaded HIV/AIDS.
We want to promote ideals that are beneficial to the industry,
using our film industry. We believe that the media, which
the film industry is a central part of, can help reshape and
redefine and also help change our attitudes as a people. We
need the media to become an active player in the growth of
our nation. And The SUN being one of the most influential
papers in the market of mass media, it would be a big plus
for us to join it in this initiative. We will cherish the
relationship that we will begin to build from this day.
State’s censors boards
Under the current constitution that we operate, censorship
is on the concurrent list, meaning that both state and federal
government can operate simultaneously. It’s an issue
that is quite worrisome to the industry. At the moment, there
are issues going on in Kano State. The same constitution also
says that states should remain in abeyance, when there is
a clash with the federal. We are seeking to get a judicial
interpretation from the office of the Attorney-General and
Minister of Justice.
The National Assembly has also waded in. We believe we are
not a federal film agency, but a national one. We also have
zonal offices within the six-geo political zones. We have
also set up zonal consultative groups, for stakeholders within
that group to participate in our activities. Our offices are
in Kano, Onitsha, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Bauchi and Jos and
of course, Abuja. Hopefully, with the review of the constitution
that we are looking forward to, we will be able to clarify
the mode of operation. Its a fight for all of us in the media
and creative industry.
Censorship in a democracy
We are preaching the idea of responsibility now. If one is
trained as a film maker and has the higher sense of responsibility,
it’s much more likely that he would produce good films.
Very soon, our role would be centered on classification and
providing the information for people to make decisions. Today,
there is no US film that would not reflect the country’s
national flag. That’s not censorship, but responsibility
and professionalism. Meanwhile, children now have more access
to the Internet and there is porno and others. I agree that
the word censorship is almost obnoxious, but there has to
be regulation. The better word should be regulation not censorship.
Censors Board and pornography
I must confess that part of our responsibilities is to deal
with the issue of pornography. It is also an issue for the
wider society to tackle. Over the last three years, we have
actually had what we call the National Anti- Pornography Task
Force. We have also taken a more strategic stand in dealing
with major producers and suppliers of pornographic materials.
Our surveillance teams are currently working. We will soon
begin an anti pornography campaign. We are also soliciting
the help of the media in this direction.
This is why we insisted that everyone, who is retailing films
in Nigeria, must be covered, we must know who you are, where
you operate and where you get your supply from. The law or
act on this issue is clear. We are currently creating the
database of the operators. This year alone, we have arrested
more than 30 persons and some of them are still standing trials.
Its a big challenge and all of us at the board are determined
to continue unbent. Though, we can’t work effectively
without structure, we are happy that the number of those who
are complying with the framework is now greater than those
who have not. The doors are still open and the forms are available
in all our offices.
Why some marketers refused to register
It is not popular among marketers who have been milking the
system. And they also will lose out now that we are democratizing
the system. Several marketers have registered, OJ and Ulzee,
are among them. For championing this noble cause, I have received
several threat text messages.
Big Brother controversy
Every agency of government has its turf. The Big Brother show
is under the National Broadcasting Commission, (NBC). If the
content were to come in the form of a tape, VCD or package,
it would then fall within our jurisdiction. It’s an
interesting issue and NBC is on top of it, they have set conditions
for the organizers.
Net worth of Nollywood
It is difficult to speak on any form of accuracy on the net
worth of the industry. I can give what we considered to be
the estimates; based on what Leke Alder did, using the economic
stimulus index. Probably, a statistical analysis of between
250 and 300 million dollars on an annual basis. We are currently
doing the baseline survey of the Nigerian entertainment and
creative industry in collaboration with HITV. This will help
us make an informed investment decision. We have told all
marketers to engage lawyers and accountants for the benefit
of their businesses, but they are kicking against it. We have
also told them to get insurance cover for their creative works,
so that it can be valued. This can even help them access loans
from the banks. We are also not fighting anybody. We believe
in lifting people. We are not out to chase anybody out. This
form is online and accessible any where, because the train
is moving very fast.
Going back to the cinemas
All these things point to the perception of a very disorganized
film industry. People are afraid to make investment decisions.
They are scared of making elevated investments. There has
to be confidence in the environment. It costs a lot making
celluloid films and it also requires a lot. We are recording
and not yet filming in the industry. What our producers do
now is what I call point and shoot.
Censoring a movie
We look at essentially five thematic materials whenever a
film is submitted for censorship, mainly in the areas of context
and impact. We censor sex, nudity, violence, drugs and imitable
techniques. But the key is context and how the movies impact
on the audience. The officers are trained to follow these
criteria. And a filmmaker that is not satisfied with our decisions
can appeal. some of our responsibilities are training and
empowerment, thus bridging the ignorance gap. We need to have
more informed and properly trained filmmakers; if we must
maintain our position in the global film hierarchy, otherwise
we will be a laughing stock. For example, rituals in movies
have dropped. We are also organizing script workshops with
professionals being invited.
The way forward
I will speak in terms of my expectations, in the sense that
we look forward to a better-structured industry within the
next year. We would also begin to see better movies, a lot
more investments in the industry. Even the people currently
agitating, I expect that they would soon realize the benefits
of what they are fighting. Remember when Soludo started the
banking reforms, those who kicked against it are now reaping
bountifully today and also celebrating and giving him awards
everywhere.
|
