By Benjamin NJOKU
IS there much witch craft in Nigeria? This was a shocking question posed to HVP recently in Nairobi by two Kenyan female film makers, who wanted to ascertain why most of Nollywood movies are marked by themes of witch-crafts, voodooism and unrealistic love affairs, which according to them, portray Nigeria as a haven of ferry tales.
The film makers, Mercy Murugi and Janet Kanini-Muiva, respectively expressed shocks and reservations concerning the way and manner, in which these horrible themes are celebrated in the Nigerian movies. They asserted that judging from the Nollywood movies they have watched so far, many Kenyans have the impression that Nigeria is a traditional home of witches.
HVP ran into Murugi and Janet at a function in Nairobi recently. Murugi specializes in making short and feature films as well as documentaries, while Janet is a film maker and TV presenter. In another encounter, the producers said while Nollywood is making waves, as second largest film industry in the world, the movies are relatively unpopular in Kenya.
“Kenyans know more of Hollywood, Bollywood than they do know about the existence of Nollywood,” they stressed, adding that, “ Nigerian films really do apply to Nigerians. Out of the few Nigerian movies we have watched, there is a lot of witch craft, voodoo; references made to witch craft and disparities in Christendom.
That’s not peculiar to Kenyans. We have witch craft here also, but it’s nothing that we should be making films about it, as it’s the case in Nigeria,” one of them said.
Murugi, however, acknowledged how Nigerian film makers have been able to use the big screen to tell the Nigerian story, in such a way that they get people from other countries to become interested in the their own story.
“This is what the Kenyan film makers are trying to achieve: to learn to tell the Kenyan story and make them interesting enough for people from other countries to watch,” he went on.
In Kenya, Nollywood movies are relatively scarce, only house-wives,maids and Nigerians residing in that country may show interest in such movies.
“This is the group of people that watches Nigerian films in Kenya. “Out of 10 people who watch Nollywood films in Kenya, not up to 4 persons will want to procure them for keeps,” he added.
Most Kenyans, according Murugi, prefer to watch Nollywood movies on Africa Magic, which they believe is cheaper, and afford them the opportunity to watch different movies at different times.
For Janet, Kenyans are disposed to watching Hollywood and Bollywood, than they are to Nollywood. “The latest Hollywood movies are brought into the country by Chinese because it’s much cheaper to buy here in Kenya.
Yes, we do watch Africa Magic, but the viewership here is not all that large, ” she stated.
A producer of immense repute, Murugi has worked on projects with National Geographic, Discovery Channel, NBC-Universal, all in Kenya. She co-owns Hot Sun Films, an award-winning film/video production company based in Nairobi. Hot Sun Films, according to her, taps new talents and tells stories from and about people seldom seen on screen.
“We make films to entertain, raise awareness and cause social transformation. Through our non-profit arm, Hot Sun Foundation, we train and develop new talents amongst the youth and the children of the urban slums of Africa. My biggest project yet being the successful production of Hot Sun Films feature film, Togetherness Supreme, which is now on post production, she explained.
Its clear to me that the last anonymous post are by the same person-Cynthia probably trying to make it sound like Kenyans are so in love with Nigerian movies.Very childish.Having said that let me make the following points
1. It is clear from the posts that even some Nigerians agree that Nigerian movies have a slight tilt to the occult and it is something that some Nigerians are calling for a change.One the other hand maybe it is what sells and has a wide reach hence why Nigerian movies are tilting in that directions.
2.The two Kenyan film producers did not say that Kenyans did not watch Nigerian Movies.The simply gave stats of viewership and ownership.Indicating that Nollywood could do better to promote not just viewership by ownership/sales of Nigerian movies.
3.Africans world over are for African empowerment and therefore when people criticize Nollywood it is not because they are jealous.It is because they know Nollywood can do better .So the insults against Kenyans or Nigerians do not any anyway help the film Industry in Africa
4.It is a well known fact that Nigerian movies in Kenya are mainly watched by a certain class of people.Not to say that they are entirely confined to that class.Just as Congolese music is listened to by a certain class of people and that is what come across in the opinion of the two women.It is simply a fact.Not to say that Congolese mapuka or Nigerian Movies are bad .
That said I think the whole idea of criticism was not to put down Nigerian movies or even Nigerians but to entice Nigerian film makers to make movies that are more appealing for all African and not just a certain kind of African.
We know Nollywood can do better and we want Nollywood to do better .We are not Jealous of Nigeria but the truth must be told even when some want to shoot the messenger.Have a blessed African day .
Enough insults,why fighting ourselves?Let the movies be,everybody has a choice and right to opinion.Hollywood wants us to believe whatever they want,so is bollywood,nollywood is the same.
Lere Shakunle let me ask you what do you mean by nollywood movies and yoruba movies, are yoruba movies not nollywood movies and in general nigerian movies, it is people like you that do not support unity in a country, there are so many good Nigerian movies out there without any voodoo in them and it doesn’t matter what part of Nigeria the are from they are all Nigerian movies stop the division. Don’t Hollywood movies have witch craft in them yet nobody sees America as a voodoo country and just like strongman said there a lot of pornography in Hollywood as well as they have the porn industry itself in America but nobody is trashing them on that instead the receive more praises but when we see our fellow Africans and brothers trying to succeed we turn our backs on them. What is the contructive criticism about what these Kenyan producers said, please tell me something better.
samantha kabarega you are very stupid, let me tell you there are nigerians in kenya and some of them distribute nigerian movies which makes them a lot of money, tell me if the weren’t popular in kenya why do they still stick to distribiuting these nigerian movies. These your kenyan producers acted so unproffessional they couldn’t competite with nigeria the decided to trash talk them. If there is nothing special about nigerian movies why is it so very popular, well let me help out your dump ass and answer that question for you, it is because the tell the true african story not the way hollywood would tell it, yes nigerian movies are not of good quality and standard but hey rome was not built in a day, it will only take a little bit of time for them to get it right of which they are already doing it right with movies like the figurine, nnenda, across the niger, 30 days, white waters, arugba, cindy’s note,laviva and many more one can only hope for the better for the nigerian movies. samantha kabarega if you are still a doubting thomas the nigerian movie the figurine will soon be premiering at silverbird cimema in kenya, when you see it then you will know how far the nigerian movies have come.