(AllAfrica) – You may have heard about the recent battle
between the old Nollywood and the new Nollywood. It was more like a war of
words actually but I'm sure you agree 'battle' sounds more dramatic. Whether
you call it war, battle or debate, it's nothing out of the norm. It must be in
man's nature for the old to contend with the new and vice versa. Although as in
most things, trust the Nigerian factor to emerge as the protagonist of this age
old struggle for supremacy/relevance.
What started this latest battle between the old and the
new stemmed from film maker Charles Novia's interview with Emma Ugolee on The
Gist in which he reportedly dismissed some new Nollywood actors as Instagram
stars, etc, etc. His companion on the day was fellow film maker Moses Inwang
who had issues with the fact that some of these actors preferred to see
themselves as 'new' Nollywood. I like many people only caught the 'controversy'
that this interview generated rather than the original interview.
Mind you, this will not be the first time Charles Novia
would be ruffling some feathers. Which is why I don't need to watch The Gist to
get the 'gist' of what Charles Novia supposedly said. Not too long ago during
the MOPICON (Motion Picture Of Nigeria) draft bill debate, he referred to some
Nollywood actors as upstarts or was it up tarts? The beauty of upstarts is that
it also contains up stars.
Expectedly, reactions have mostly fallen along age
lines: Young, perennially (and imagined) young people tended to side with the
new while the old, those who crave respect (like oxygen) and like to ascribe
age and veteran-ship to themselves tended to fall in line behind the so called
old Nollywood. Who is really old Nollywood anyhow? Is it the film makers from 1992
(agreed birth year of Nollywood) or those from the 50s and 60s? Or even much
earlier? But I digress.
It would be much easier to fall in one of the two lines
drawn: old vs new. But I love the freedom that comes with being open minded too
much to choose sides in this particular instance. Wait, maybe I am here to take
sides. That would have to be the third side. I know I hadn't told you there was
a third side. Now you know. There's a third side which includes those who aim
to embrace the positives in the other sides. This position is not so new
because it predates this new 'battle'. I'd rather we did not knock anyone-sweep
aside an entire generation away with one giant broom just because of age, tribe
or their attitude. We're now all witnesses to what the political broom of
change has brought on Nigeria.
In any case, not that long ago, it was other 'old'
people calling those who now consider themselves 'old' Nollywood neophytes and
impostors. Those older film makers thought it insulting that the then 'new' film
makers could consider themselves film makers. Their main grouse was with the
fact that the newcomers who didn't shoot their films on celluloid had the
effrontery to call themselves film makers. Video makers, maybe. Even that they
found too generous. There must be many definitions as to what constitutes a
film. I subscribe to the definition of a 'film being about moving pictures,
telling a story.'
Those older people had issues with more than the
platform stories were being told. They turned up their noses at even the
stories, treatment of stories, etc. I suspect some of them had issues with the
very existence of these new film makers. And in Nigeria, you can expect that
some people are going to complain about the fact that the new people were not
showing enough respect, were too full of themselves and so on.
I haven't even mentioned those who found the very term
Nollywood terribly offensive. An assault to their collective royal
sensibilities. Those people, those who think lumping them into Nollywood somehow
lowers or cheapens their craft may still exist How dare anyone try to name
their industry after Hollywood? What was with aping someone else? Even though
some now consider plagiarism par for the course and even flattering to the one
plagiarised, those senior citizen film makers didn't care to seek validation
from being identified with Hollywood. Naija wood? Some people love to hate the
term 'naija'. Nigeriawood then? What's with the fixation with woods? In any
case, don't some people have a problem with Nigeria because it was the brain
wave of Lord Lugard's girlfriend Florence Shaw? Why Nigeria? All this 'history'
just goes to show that there's no end to what people can disagree over.
Nonetheless, the one thing, we who find ourselves in
this accidental nation called Nigeria can do is to help each other along. There
are far too many things, too many real problems for us to expend so much energy
on how disrespectful or untalented the new generation is. Or how outdated the
old generation is for that matter.
I didn't support those who said only shooting on
celluloid qualified anyone to be called a film maker. I don't support knocking
the new-now. In any case, before you know it, the new becomes the old and
another 'new' comes along. And don't be fooled, each needs the other, one way
or another.
In case it wasn't obvious, I do respect Charles Novia as
a film maker. I also respect his right to his opinion even if I think there are
much more pressing issues to fight for/against in Nollywood.
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