Concord Times (Freetown)
Olusegun Ogundeji
6 September 2008
Freetown — To lawyer, law teacher, social commentator and film maker, Sam Kargbo, the entertainment industry can generate more foreign exchange for Sierra Leone than the widely-acclaimed diamonds.
"Perhaps, I don't think the general citizenry believe that the entertainment industry is part of the natural resources of this country and that it has the potential of earning foreign exchange for this country much more than the diamond," he said during his recent visit to Freetown recently.
Kargbo who paid a visit to the country on a low-key from his base Nigeria, explained that his claim is realistic.
"Let's say we have ten international stars from Sierra Leone, those that can compete with the 2Face, the D'Banj, the P-Square, the X-Project or those that can be sold to Europeans and Americans.
"Assuming each of them is selling 100,000 copies of their CDs in the UK or Europe, their bank accounts would be fattened at home despite the number of leakages in the earnings.
"The cumulative effect of this is that you'll find ten rich young men in town who will be like the Mohammed Kallon," Kargbo said enthusiastically.
Citing Akon as a case study, Kargbo youth in the country can be made to maximise their potentials if given the needed encouragement.
"Think about what Akon is doing for Senegal. Akon is earning more money than footballers in that country. And if you have ten Akons in Sierra Leone, just imagine what that would mean for the youths. It would be a sort of motivation for the challenges they are likely to face while trying to develop their talents.
Kargbo is highly talented which is why he had his hands in many endeavours. Many people identify him with many fields, particularly in the entertainment sector. Although a regular TV guest on many topical issues and a newspaper columnist in Nigeria and other parts of the world, Kargbo has done so much for the Sierra Leone entertainment industry to get a boost.
Born in Sierra Leone in 1961 and married to a Nigerian from Akwa Ibom State, Kargbo made Blood Diamonds which has been to be one of the highest budget films in in the history of the Nigeria home video industry, Nollywood. Yet, Mr. Kargbo maintains that filmmaking is just an avenue for him to pass his message across to a target audience.
When asked about his plans for another film, he said he has so much in the offing as far as film production is concerned especially those that would centre around issues in Sierra Leone and handled by Sierra Leoneans, but his schedule is very tight in other areas of endeavours. Kargbo said the needed equipment are not a problem for him as he has high quality film production equipment that could produce films that will compete with those in other parts of the continent. He reiterated that he would like to put his best in any production he would embark on so he needs enough time to concentrate.
On his observation of the entertainment industry in Sierra Leone, Mr. Kargbo said: "What I would say is born out of my optimism. I have the absolute faith and believe that very soon, every sector of this country would have its fair share of the good things of life. The entertainment industry is part of it. Because of the fact that majority of actors in the industry are youths, they need the encouragement though I know they have their challenges for now but I can tell you that they are not getting much of the patronage they deserved." A little about Mr. Sam Kargbo I am a twin. My twin brother is a teacher in Sierra Leone. I studied Law. I graduated in 1990 from the University of Benin (Nigeria) with a Second Class Honours Degree. I was called to the Nigerian Bar in July 1992. I took a Masters Degree in Law from the Lagos State University in 1998. I was the best graduating student with a 4.58 GPA. I am a Partner in the Law Firm of Jackson, Kargbo & Associates. I intend to pursue a PhD programme very soon. I have published articles in several areas of the law. I write regularly in newspapers about politics and social values.
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