Jumbo pack: Good things also come in...
My ambition is to document my cultural heritage
By JOSFYN UBA
Saturday, February 3, 2007

Her name may not be in the A list of the Nigerian movie industry, but she has come a long way and as such, has paid her dues. Uche Jumbo, a gratuate of Mathematics/ Statistics from the University of Calabar.

The voluptous girl from Abriba, in Abia State who stormed the movie circuit about seven years ago told Saturday Sun recently in an interview that she is a staunch believer in the gradual growth of the movie industry disclosing that although her parents may not welcome her initial decision to become an actress but as one who cherishes her rich cultural background and an Ambassador of her people, it is her ambition to document the rich culture of the Abriba people in a movie script for posterity.

The talented actress who has proved her prowess in several flicks also expressed her displeasure at the seeming unfairness with which Nollywood is being compared with the foreign film industry

Cultural affirnity
As an Abriba girl, I am very passionate about my culture and tradition of my people. I am very proud of my heritage and I walk tall with my shoulders high that I am from the Igbo stock.
The renowned actress revealed that “I am mostly delighted in the deep family ties whch forms the core and intergral part of my people’s culture, however, the only aspect I feel very bad about is that, where a family becomes more interested in a deceased person’s properties and acquisitions while leaving the wife and children empty-handed and forsaken.

Although, things seem to have greatly improved in that direction. I am happy that this practice is gradually phasing out with awareness and education, that aspect of our culture is fast being swept away into the dust of history.

I am an Ambassador but whenever I write a script, I will like to write a script to project my people in positive light and this I hope to do.

Assessing Nollywood
Nollywood is a child of circumstance. It saddens me when people tend to compare us with the established foreign entertainment industry. I am not saying that all is well or right with Nollywood but it is not as bad as it is being painted.

For me, it cannot be all bad. I believe that there is something good in it, it is just a question of time.

Nollywood can’t be all bad
I am a beliver in this industry and I strongly believe that we will surely get there. The growth may be gradual and seemingly slow but we will get there.

Afterall, I got into acting with many other people but where are they today? They left acting probably to some other places but they are trying and making frantic efforts to come back.
Nollywood, if given time, will grow, it is not a day’s job. We will get there. It is a question of time. It is not fair to compare it with an industry that has been in existence for centuries.
Nolly wood is fast developing as an industry and I am very hopeful that the practitioners will reap the benefits.

Epic movies have not totally gone into extinction rather, I would say that Nollywood accomodates all trends. Now, it may be family oriented movie, next it is story line of wars. The industry is always agog with all kinds of movies, we have everything. And this for me, makes the market vibrant and exciting. I prefer it that way when it is some sort of mixed grill.

Although, it is important for us to care about the trend where a particular movie becomes the vogue because marketers will capitalize on the storyline and insist that it is either that particular movie or nothing for him. And you don’t blame them because they have to realise their capital and equally make profit so, they don’t care whether all the films produced are the same thing, so long as they make profit .
Now it is a market full of different movies like love stories, wars, even epics etc and this, of course is a lot better than when it was made up of a particular film with just a particular storyline.

Awards
As an actress, I love it and feel proud of my constituency when awards are given to deserving practitioners in recognition of their performances.
Now, talking about these awards, I guess that the real reason most of all these awards can’t be said to be well recorgnised and as such loose sream, is because they are too many from different quarters.
For me, I think that it would be well appreciated and a lot better and wiser if they all come together under a strong and credible body to do one big eventful award ceremony only then and then, can all these several awards be meaningful and more credible.

Future of Nollywood
I think our major problem is the Nigeiran factor which is that we are always in a hurry. We are always hurry to make it. If the practitioners, actresses and actors settle down properly and put up structures towards building a successful and vibrant industry especially where funding, training and infrastructure are concerned, we will be a lot better for it.

Sciptwriting is my first love and I am a behind -the-scene person
I have no ambition to produce films. I am more into the technicalities of editing. I see production as stressful. I am an actress and I know the stress involved in production. I have friends who are producers and I know what troubles and headaches they pass through. I’d rather write scripts and have someone else take the burden of producing the films.

As a matter of fact, I have been approached at some points by some rich people to produce a film but I politely declined and I guess that script writers are not well paid and that is the reason not many people would want to go into it.

As an actress, I make more income from acting than in writing. I started acting about seven years ago but my first script was produced five years ago. And in this industry, I have always said that every actress should have an alternative plan. A kind of plan B so that if an aspect of her acting career is not very favourable in income generation, she can strike a balance in the other. It is simple. I make more money in acting. I can act six movies in a month but I can’t possibly finish a script in a month. Writing scripts is not an easy task.

Education
The importance of education is not only stressed for people in acting world, it is very vital for anyone who wants to suceed in life. In everything that one does in life, one needs to have that basic education to be able to succeed and knowing your fundamentals is very imperative for you to achieve.
Having passed through school will prepare you for tasks ahead so it is not right for one not to, at least graduate through high school before venturing into acting. It gives you the ability to speak at least simple, passable English otherwise you have no business being in front of the camera.

Self respect
Now Nollywood is booming so every school drop-out and those stuck mid-way think that acting is the next atternative to make it.

I remember what I went through trying to convince my parents that I wanted to be one but I didn’t get in by chance I have always wanted to be an actress.

And even if I didn’t end up being an actress I would have been doing shows. The basic problem with the life of entertainers is that they are ever in the public glare. So they go through the public searchlight on a daily basis. But it is important that one strives to live respectably and to be taken seriously. It doesn’t come easy though. There is one common thing with people in the industry who would sey”I don’t care” but at the end of the day you would care”.

Self respect is important to me so as for others to respect me.
I am very conscious of myself and what people will say in my absence so I care about what I do.
I have a lot of respect for directors especially those that I have worked with. But for heavens sake, one doesn’t have to make an actress strip nude because you want to achieve a sexy scene or seduction.

I believe that there should be some other ways, more moderate ways to display a little to the imagination.
I believe that for one to become a suceesful actress, she would need to have some kind of a alliance or link in chemistry with a director for him to be able to bring out the character he really desires to bring out in such actress. .