Abuja — For the second time in less than a month, Information and Communications Minister Dora Akunyili was shown on national television either canvassing for the boycott of products or demanding apology for damages done to the image and reputation of Nigeria.
The first time was when she appealed for the boycott of Sony products after what the government determined was offensive article in the company's website which appeared to depict Nigerians as scammers and fraudsters. Her latest appearance is in reaction to a new South African film 'District 9' which the government says portrays Nigeria in bad light. The film is currently being sold and shown in the Nigerian.
'District 9' is produced by the South African Film Corporation. Its central and sub-themes suggest that Nigeria and its leadership are fraudulent and its people cannibals. It made its public debut on the screens of Silverbird Cinema. With her rebranding effort called to question, Akunyili has officially protested to the South African government over the film and is demanding an apology from its makers It is not a surprise that this latest image bashing comes from South Africa, a country that is showing unrestrained intolerance to other Africans, as we have seen in the mass assault on citizens of its less-privileged neighbours, especially Zimbabwe. While we sympathise with the minister and share her sense of nationalism, there are salient issues which must address. The first being whether the content of the film represents the truth that is known about Nigeria. It is a painful fact that some Nigerians are indeed scammers and fraudsters. Indeed, our local film industry, Nollywood daily portrays us so to the entire world. There are citizens of other countries who are scammers and fraudsters
Nollywood producers place much emphasis on some of our communities' penchant for disorderliness, violence, fraud, cannibalism and criminal behaviour, and project them to the world as standard Nigerian practice. It is therefore, possible this projection is the aggregate of what Nigeria exports as art mirroring its own society. Secondly, disturbing as it may be, District 9 may not be totally wrong in portraying the criminal behaviour of the few the filmmakers have had contacts with. But for the District 9 producers to try to morph the conduct of the few as the national vocation of the 150 million Nigerians is not only lazy art, it is libelling the Nigerian nation.
The film industry, without direct censorship and in the hands of patriots, can be a great vehicle of nationalism, social mobilisation and ethical re-orientation. Unfortunately in the Nigerian context, it has been left totally in the hands of script-writers with little depth in the strength of art and no inkling as to the damage rushed scripts can do to the image of a country. Partially, this is the result of official neglect or incompetence, because with support, Nollywood would be an instrument though which the government can portray the deep sense of patriotism which usually drives Nigerians to criticise their country and leaders. The absence of this interface will always cause the bitterness of having others who know little or nothing about us making irrational judgements. This is where the challenge is for the government and the National Film and Video Censors Board to do its homework and get into action by using film as vehicles of repair, national cohesion and development. While we admit that Nigeria's pre-colonial past, like any developing society is not perfect, this country has made giant strides in its development and has grown from the primordial age to where it is today. We think, for instance, that Nollywood can portray this with excellent storyline and shoot at locations that project the scenic beauty of the Nigeria, in effect telling the Nigerian story in a much more contextual way that no one else can.
As far as the approach of the Minister on this issue is concerned, we think that quiet diplomacy would be useful. The gung-ho method she has adopted may in fact cause more headache for the government than it is fighting to contend with; she has only succeeded in unwittingly popularising the negative traits she sets out to correct in the first instance. This is why we believe that all organs of the Nigerian government, especially its foreign service must work together with its government to present a balanced image of Nigeria to our foreign friends and partners.
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I think minister of information should take panadol and easy her pain, Germans, Americans, Jamaicans, Colombians etc have been portrayed in bad lights in many movies, she is searching for an apology she must be smoking something really heavy. Madame Minister talk to your Oga and tell him that he needs to act fast in changing the country or the next time they will use his name to make a movie instead of obasanjo name.
I think the minister of information should take panadol and easy her pain, Germans, Americans, Jamaicans, Colombians etc have been portrayed in bad lights in many movies, she is searching for an apology she must be smoking something really heavy. Madame Minister talk to your Oga and tell him that he needs to act fast in changing the country or the next time they will use his name to make a movie instead of obasanjo's name.
Dear any Objective Reader,
I will not want to start by expressing the pain in me when the question of Nigerian Image is raised; But rather, would like to please encourage every reader to contructively CRITISIZE (if necessary) AND offer a SOLUTION (all the time)when this kind of matters are discussed. I think:
We are not solving our problem by just critisizing our government officails without hailing them for their acheivement; Let us ingore the economic hardship we find ourselves in in Nigeria, develop a positive attitude which is the only way forward.
God will not change the condition of poeple until when they themselves change the innermost of their own behavior.This is no spiritual, but also Psychological.
Wishing hospitable, hardworking Nigerians the best of everything.
NAIJABOY |FOREVER WHATEVER TOGETHER
This is a movie and nothing else and I don't know why this lady is making a big deal about this movie. That's like saying nobody should make a movie about Al Capone because it would make the US look bad. The Africans countries sit up all of the ministers with nothing to do so she is trying to earn her money. The SA government can't control how a movie that is made with private money because these people can go to another country and make this movie. I saw the movie " city of Gods' this was a movie made in Brazil and about Brazil and the Brazilians didn't say this movie should not have been made. This lady is doing more to hurt the image of Nigeria than any movie with her talk of apology from the SA government.
The problem with us Nigerians is that we are not patriotic to our country. That is one of the reasons why a state governor for example, would steal the state money and take it to settle his family in Europe and America. Good or bad we must love our country because we do not have any other country to call ours. It is necessary when we sing the national anthem for us to know the meaning. We should be more patriotic and nationalistic to send the right signal to the world. You dare not insult other countries such as India or countries in the middle east. Their Citizens would come out in numbers carrying placards, burning flags chanting deaths for those who dare to insult their country. What I expected Nigerians to do is to come out and protest especially against SONY corporation and ban all their activities from Nigeria. We do not need companies like that in Nigeria. Similar thing could have been done in the case of District 9. Please let us learn to be patriotic, these insults from left, right and centre must stop.
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