My brother @adeolu.adefarasin wrote an open letter to Nollywood. Nollywood here means the players in the industry. While this will not resonate with everyone, it will resonate with some and I hope it spurs those “some” to start to think of the kinds of stories they want to tell moving forward.
Nollywood is on the cusp of something massive! Never-been-seen-before kind of attention and funding, and it is our responsibility to be truly prepared, and not just by mouth. Preparation includes deciding what our narrative is.
What is our story?
Of the top 3 film industries, we seem to be flailing.
Bollywood- Romance, music/dance, rich culture, religion, tradition, heritage
Hollywood- LGBTQ+ rights, indestructible America, savior stories, dreams come true stories…
Nollywood-???
What is our story? What is our message? If we study 100 movies, what will the most recurring theme/story line be?
Are we happy with it? Is it the image we want to portray to the rest of the world?
For those asking, “Lady T, what should we do?”, I’ll tell you.
- Let’s all start with a general consensus of the kinds of stories we want told. In the comment section, what values of Nigeria would you like Nollywood to start highlighting? Is it our resilience as a people? Is it our culture of kindness and generosity? Is it our intelligence? We are some of the most intelligent people in the world!! Is it a One Nigeria story e.g, where a Hausa woman can marry a Calabar man and live happily ever after? What should the recurring themes be?
- Those with the funding, is your story serving the country’s image? If it is, thank you, If it’s not, can we start working on National Image stories?
- Those without funding, get your stories ready. Polish them. Refine them. I won’t say too much but funding is coming. Funding for wholesome content that will transform our image and even us as a people, so be prepared.
Thank you Adeolu for penning this letter down. Thank you for not cowering to the fear of men.