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Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Nollywood And Political Campaigns – By Jerry Uhuo

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L-R VP Namadi Sambo, PDP Nat Chair Adamu Muazu, President  Goodluck Jonathan, Dame Patience Jonathan, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, PDP  governorship flag bearer at the 2015 election campaign flag-off in  Enugu
L-R VP Namadi Sambo, PDP Nat Chair Adamu Muazu, President Goodluck Jonathan, Dame Patience Jonathan, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, PDP governorship flag bearer at the 2015 election campaign flag-off in Enugu

The Nollywood, a branch of the entertainment industry in Nigeria comprising of men and women involved in film making, acting and directing home movies has carved a niche for itself in our society and gained international recognition. In fact, the Nollywood or the entertainment industry as a whole including musicians and others is said to be second highest contributor to Nigeria’s economic growth. For many years, Nollywood has remained a reference point in correcting some social deficiencies, manipulations and misinterpretation of certain aspects of our cultural values. That aspect of the entertainment industry was seen as a way of bringing up young people who see actors and actresses as role models in their areas of vocation and they aspire to become like known names in the industry that have created a niche for themselves. Such names like Joke Silva, Olu Jacobs, Pete Edochie, among others are living legends in the industry. However, in recent times, the story appears to be changing as representations of women in Nollywood films “fail to depict them in ways which evaluate the sordid reality of things in the real world” but instead “construct negative and outrageous images of women in conflict with known tenets”.

The current situation in the entertainment industry generally in Nigeria has raised several questions as to what extent are our actors, actresses and Musicians act as Role Models to the young ones in our society who look upon them. Wikipedia and different English Dictionary books have defined a role model as “a person whose behavior, example, or success is or can be emulated by others, especially by younger people”. Today many people who are associated with entertainment all over the world are reveled as role models and celebrities even though the attitude of many in the industry tries to portray others in bad light and the society begins to frown at the negative influence the industry has on young people growing up being that most of the so called role models are not carrying the responsibility associated with the fame in public consciousness.

An American Lady, once said, “I was thinking who our young girls have to look up to in the entertainment business. I am sure there are good role models but it seems the bad ones get all the press. In an internet conversation between two people who expressed concern over the growing insensitivity in the entertainment industry, there was an agreement that the industry needs to change its values if it must be a model for young people especially in the context of our culture.  One of the people in the conversation said that it is sad to say that the “Nollywood of my generation is dying.”  Cases of broken marriages are alarming just as the issues of indecency in dressing, high level promiscuity, profligacy and false life depicts some of the characters in the industry and send wrong signals to the young people.

While Nigerians are getting obsessed that the entertainment industry is losing focus and beginning to distract the young ones from our cultural values and calling for more orientation, code of ethics and training on the part of the Film makers to ensure that we do not destroy our cultural values and the future of Nigerian youths, many of the actors and actresses appear to have abandoned their calling and turned to politics. Of course politics is a game that produces political leaders through proper electioneering process, but sometimes people who venture into politics often fail to realize where their vocation or calling lies. It is not everybody that will be in politics even though Aristotle defines man as a political animal. It is not just enough to think that because there is low patronage or attention in the acting profession probably because most of the actors in the industry are no longer creative, therefore, the next alternative platform to make money is politics. The fact that only a few people of the actors got party nomination to stand for elections despite the number of men and women who picked interest in the political race from the industry, was indication that Nigerians are yet to see how some of the actors could be political leaders if they have failed to be good examples in the entertainment industry. The new trend where actors and actresses have become part of the crowd hired or rented by political parties to political rallies in Nigeria is worrisome to the stability of the industry. It is common these days to see actors and actresses in Presidential and governorship or even National Assembly campaign rallies rented through their leaders, some even on their own lobby for recognition and with some amount of money jump to campaign podium to endorse and show support to politicians yet without any concrete reason why such support is given other than that money has exchanged hand.

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For people who are “role models”, one would have expected that any support given to any politician would be based or predicated on issues and achievements which majority of the people (who are fans of such celebrities) would testify to, as a justification for the endorsement of such candidate for a public office. It is a sad story today that our “celebrities” appear to have lost focus, lost creativity, determination and perseverance in their areas of calling. Notable actors and actresses abroad some of who our own people imitate do not give cheaply to politics as rented crowd who end up in politician’s hotel room after rallies for cheap cash. Notable celebrities earn their income through hard work which attracts endorsements from multinational corporations to them in millions of Dollars and they live well. Politicians who need endorsements from such celebrities pay heavily to secure it because of the large base of their fans and supporters and not to be rented as part of the crowd to mount podium and shout party slogans.

The value of the entertainment industry is depreciating in terms of what it ought to bring to the homes of Nigerian youths who look upon them as models. Apart from a few individuals who through their creativity have bagged several endorsements, international awards and are world class models like Omotola Jalade-Keinde, Chioma Chukwuka Akpota, most of our actors and celebrities of the new age are tempted to quick wealth and they are losing focus and falling cheaply to politicians. It is more worrisome that the government despite the acclaimed support to the industry by way of grant to promote creativity and productivity do not seem to have the political will to enforce relative laws to protect the film industry from piracy so that those who spend time to create movies would not lose their income to pirates because it is the sole responsibility of government to protect the industry from piracy. This is the reason why some actors and actresses who have little or no experience would jump into politics as alternative platform for income as their little effort is sometime lost to pirates.

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This is not to say that actors and actresses do not engage in politics. Far from that, in fact, over 60 actors and actresses known in the world have participated in politics and held positions of authority but they were not part of rented crowd as the present case in Nigeria promoted by the leadership of the Actors Guild Of Nigeria, in the name of support to President Jonathan. Jumping from one podium to the other in the name of campaign for President or any politician has not only brought the esteemed office of the Guild down but showed the “celebrities” as no different from other rented crowd for campaign rallies. Renowned celebrities in developed world do not need to jump from one podium to another to show support to a person seeking political office, all it requires is to make a positive pronouncement, the fans of the celebrity will cue to it.
The celebrities in history who ran for political positions did so with dignity and honour of their profession and not as praise singers of those in government. A few examples will suffice here: Ronald Reagan was an actor, contract football player and Television Star and later entered politics and became two terms American President (1981-1989); Arnold Schwarzenegger is a known Hollywood actor and Star who later got into American politics and was elected Governor of California 2003 to 2011; Jesse Ventura of Minnesota was a Nurse from German Descent, a professional wrestler and was elected Mayor of Brooklyn from 1991 to 1994 and from there he became Governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003; Jerry Springer is a presenter of popular Television programme in America, he was once Mayor of Cinematic 1977-1978; Sonny Bono was a singer and actor. He later became a Congressman for California 1988 to 1992; Shirley Temple was an actress who began to act at the age of 3. She was appointed Ambassador from 1974 to 1992 and Mary Carey also an actress who ran for the governorship election of California in 2003 though she lost.

The examples above testify to the popular saying that as you make your bed so you will lay on it. Our actors and actresses need to redefine and rediscover their vision, focus and project the Nollywood to Nigerians and the world not in the way Americans want it, but the way our culture and society permit. A society without culture is dead. Their support to politicians should not be on basis of a plate of porridge but on conviction for the sake of the future of our society. We need Role Models and not desperate wealth seekers without vision and focus.

  • Uhuo is a Public Affairs Analyst based in Abuja

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