By Lari Williams

MY article ‘’Nollywood: A Location or an Allocation” published July 3rd, 2008 in the Vanguard Newspaper was a discuss on the profession or the commercial name for the union of performing artists but I see that it is misunderstood that ‘’Lari Williams is against Nollywood”. I only expressed my concern in this article and as the first president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, I make bold to say that I am indeed against the word ‘’Nollywood”, not the profession or the practitioners.

Please read the cull from the article ‘’Nollywood: Location or Allocation” for better understanding instead of going on air/net to say that ‘Lari Williams is against Nollywood’.

NOLLYWOOD: Location or Allocation?

What is this about Nollywood?

We’ve heard of Hollywood in California, Pinehood Studios in England and Bollywood in Bombay. They are Locations, physically existing. Infact in December, 1980, I visited the ‘woods’ in California.

The ‘woods’ that gave name to Hollywood. Located in state of California, U.S.A, where the film city was built and established in 1932 for the sole purpose of making movies. It was set up by the American actors, elites, film producers and studio owners, one of whom was Walt Disney who was famous for producing cartoons and the establishment of Disney land. The colourful prickly leaves and small white flowers with berries of variety of colours still beautify the large expanse of land where the film city is located.

Where is Nollywood in Nigeria?

When was it christened and if ‘wood’, why ‘nollify’ it and why not Nigerwood or even more familiar ‘Calmwood’? Who were the priests at the naming ceremony or christening of Nollywood? The absence of the Oloja of Oja, The Village Headmasters, the councillors, Amebo, Teacher Ogene and the ceremony performed at the Oja Village. Nollywood should be annulled. Anyway, if that is over-ruled and name upheld, then where will the location be?

Natural beauty

Speaking as the first elected president and elder in the profession and industry,I would start my suggestion and nomination by first applauding the ingenuity of the mind that found and established the Tinapa project.

I visited the complex and drove round the vast land in Cross River State. The natural beauty of the land and the shades of green that flank the cool of the land, the peaceful estuary that satisfy the thirst of beautiful creatures round made me applaud the complex masterpiece of creative minds and say ‘well if Nollywood needs any meaning, Tinapa can give it profoundly’. It gives credence to a direction for Nigeria like Hollywood did for America.

We maintain and insist that Nigeria’s entertainment industry needs a Ministry of Arts and Entertainment to grow.

This nation is losing trillions of naira every year because the arts and entertainment industry is not well structured and managed, which can only be done by setting up an Arts ministry. It is not logical to tie the plough to the long and colourful neck of the giraffe when we can employ the horse to plough the field.

Talking about leveraging economic growth through tourism, culture and value re-orientation via the federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, I hasten to ask, which of these units constituting the ministry can stand on its own and make as much money as Arts can make for this nation.

To start with, Tourism without arts is a desert walk or, at best moments of stupendous gaze at natures wonders. The Cattle Ranch, the waterfalls or just daring close to the beautiful and the wild animals, while shivering in caged vehicle, driving through open zoos. After this, the blisters from the walks and the fired heart-beats from over-excitement need to be calmed and soothed by entertainment.

What we need for the progress of the industry and profession is improved quality of work to give value to the profession. It is not good enough to make acting an all-comers affair. We should make it be for the trained professionals groomed for the business instead of infighting against each other. We have professionals administrators, where are the professional practitioners?