NOLLYWOOD OR NOLLY-STICK?

Nollywood..not yet what it ought to be.

FESPACO 2009

Nigerian born Newton Aduaka with The Stallion award..at FESPACO 2007

At the recently concluded African film festival- FESPACO,held in Ouagadougou,Burkina Fasso,Ethiopian film,Teza won the Golden Stallion of Yennenga.Coming second was South Africa's entry Nothing But The Truth,while Algerian comedy Mascarades won the Bronze.There was nothing Nigerian near even the least brass that was for picks at the festival.Yet,the Nigerian movie industry was reported to have had the highest representation of officials and celebrities who graced the occasion-from Nigeria's films Corporation's Afolabi Adesanya to Joke Jacobs to Osita Iheme and Chinedu Ikedieze (of the Aki and Paw-paw fame),to Peace Anyiam-Osigwe,C.E.O of the African(?) Movie Academy Awards-AMAA,Keppy Epeyong and Fred Amata,to mention just a few.That was quite ridiculous.If Nigeria was not picking the festival's top prize,what then was that Nollywood crowd doing at Ouagadougou? Just to strut the red carpets in self delusion as Africa's best movie stars? I learnt that the 2009 AMAA's nominees list was unveiled at Ouagadougou.Haba!

The first and only time a Nigerian won the African films top prize was in the 2007 edition when Nigerian born British based film director ,Newton Aduaka won the Golden Stallion for his film Ezra,which was about the Sierra Leonian war.

The truth must be told:Nigerian home made vids,erroneously called movies, are grossly marred by ineptitude,lacking in technicalities and contents.Most painful is the fact that nothing is being done to correct this anomaly.Instead,we are so proud showcasing much of this mediocrity and even equating it to Hollywood. This is where the Nollywood problem lies.

By now,I expect those that call the shots in Nollywood to be very much concerned about why and how a South African made movie named TOTSI, won an Oscar some few years back or why Franco-phone and North African made movies are always dominating FESPACO and what then can be done to make Nigerian movies as good or even better than what other leading African film-makers are doing.