REGULATING OR STRANGULATING ORIGINALITY AND CULTURAL REPRESENTATION IN KANNYWOOD?
By Odusanya Omowonuola
That the Nigerian movie industry, also known as Nollywood is one of the largest movie industries in the world is no more newsy. In quantity, the industry is doing just fine. In quality, the new Nollywood is practically changing the narratives. In penetration across borders, the availability of new technologies and multiple distribution platforms are becoming promising and encouraging. In cultural memory, preservation and representation, the news is not cheering yet. In language and sectional film making, there is motion everywhere, but the movements seem static.
Filmmaking is Nigeria is sub-divided into different segments and sects. yoruwood from the southwest, kannywood from the north, effiwood from the south, and igbonglish or onitshawood from the east. Kindly ignore the woods for another discussion, at least for now. Having these sub-sections is a positive vibe for the industry, after all, the language of film is shot and not the mother tongues. But one unique feature about these sectional units of the industry is the peculiarities of their operations. These different segments of Nollywood have their rules, culture, regulations and way of doing things.
The Hausa film industry, kannywood is known for its strict regulations and censorship among the Hausa actors and actresses. This development can not be disconnected from the religious background, the tenets which part of the country holds in high esteem. The shariah law is closely imbedded in their norms and culture. The Islamic doctrine manifests in their professions, trades and ways of life as well. And that has tremendously helped to maintain some degree of decorum in their film industry.
In recent times kannywood actors and actresses have been involved in scandals and other forms of issues that oppose their culture and the regulations guiding the Kannywood. This has however opened up the industry for public scrutiny and the regulations have been praised and also bashed by different people.
In August 2007, a video taken privately on a mobile phone was leaked online. It showed popular Hausa actress Maryam Hiyana having sex with her boyfriend. It was a moment any creative minds would not have wished for. The video immediately went viral, and the whole of Kano began talking about it as the first Hausa “blue movie”. The Kano State Censorship Board (KSCB) after this incident came up with even stricter regulations to curb this act among kannywood actors and actresses.
More recently, Sadiya Haruna, a kannywood actress was sentenced to six months in prison without the option of fine by a high court in Kano State. Sadiya was charged with defaming her colleague, Isa A. Isa’s character. A negative vibe within the fold you would say.
According to the executive director of the Kano State Censorship Board (KSCB), the board’s position on content posted on social media is that, anything you produce and show to the public, as far as it is a film, it has to be censored before it can be released to the public, whether it’s on YouTube or DVD. The censorship board law covers IPTV, VOD, streaming and any other platforms of exposure, including social media.
If you as a film maker indulge in releasing films on YouTube, you are still liable because you are releasing them to the public, whether it is in CD, DVD or any other forms. He described the task of the board as ‘preserving Hausa culture’. The 2001 censorship laws states inter alia, ‘Exhibiting a film, video-work or audio-visual cassette without securing clearance and certification of the state censorship board laws attracts a penalty,’ as contained in section (112) of the censorship board laws.’
“Whoever violates the law will be punished. Film makers and producers should understand that non-compliance with the law attracts some punishment. We will not spare anyone that insists he/she will not follow the law” said the chairman in an interview.
Others laws that were said to bind the kannywood film makers include; ‘No body contact between men and women. No handshaking, let alone kissing, And no nudity or transparent dresses. As an unwritten rule, women stop acting once they marry.
There has been a long time cold war between the filmmakers in kannywood and the censorship board. This stems from the stringent laws put in place by the board which limits the filmmakers from reflecting originality and appropriate interpretation. The censorship board is allegedly dominated by clerics and Islamic rulers who see filmmaking as inimical to their cultural beliefs and religion. As reported by some practitioners, the conflict between the filmmakers and the board often times leads to arrest, prosecution, detentions, destruction of properties, accusations and counter-accusations.
Utter condemnation of the Federal Government’s plan to construct a film village in Kano in 2016 further fueled this cold war between the two parties. The government had to cancel the project which was meant to further boost filmmaking endeavors in the north, enhance film/pro poor tourism, and create jobs for the youthful locales, when Muslim clerics led by Sheik Abdallah Usman Gadan Kanya vehemently opposed the project because it will according to them promote immorality.
However, in the face of biting economy, insecurity and policy summersaults, the northern film industry has been a major source of job creation for youths in the north, and has continued to grow over the years. These stringent regulations however have discouraged young people to an extent from seeing Kannywood has an option of employment, hence increasing unemployment in the region. Some actors and filmmakers were said to have stopped making movies because of these regulations.
As sensitive as this topic could be, the potentials and opportunities that could be tapped into at this region can not be easily wished away, especially if the population is put into consideration. The censorship board was put in place to regulate the industry and serve as a guide to filmmakers, but from the current regulations and censorship, one can say the board seems to be doing more harm than good in that creative industry.
In the same development, one can not rule out other self-inflicted hardship in Kannywood. Recently, veteran actress in Kano, Ladin Chima, also known as Mama Tambaya, has come out to say that in her many years of playing roles in Hausa films, she has never received a payslip of thirty or fifty thousand naira. All she gets never exceeded N2000 or at most N5000. Following this declaration, there has been lots of reaction corroborating and disagreeing with her claims.
However, it is clear that the need for a holistic reform in kannywood is essential at the moment for that promising industry to thrive. As much as the Board is doing a good job to guide against cultural encroachments and erosion, it is equally important to look at the industry holistically with the aim of repositioning Kannywood for better output. The Board may need to include issues like remuneration, distribution, legal issues and many others in its dragnet.
