cinema any more. 
NAGIB: I am eager to hear something about 
the film you shot in Brazil and how you 
started the relationship. 
BALOGUN: There is this producer, Jose 
Valladan, who brought a financier from Brazil. 
He wanted to do a co-production with 
Nigeria and this was the time I made a proposal. 
NAGIB: And how come you learned Portuguese 
so well? 
BALOGUN: Because I was forced to. None of 
the cast or crew at the time spoke English or 
French. 
NAGIB: SO you learnt Brazilian Portuguese? 
BALOGUN: Yes. 
NAGIB: And this was the time of Cinema 
Novo, may be late Cinema Novo. Did you 
have any contact with the people from Cinema 
Novo and the style of shooting and 
making films at that time? 
BALOGUN: NO, I worked later on with a director 
of photography who has been quite involved 
with Cinema Novo, Jose Meideros, 
the late Jose Meideros. I also met a couple of 
the Cinema Novo people. That was the only 
project I undertook in Brazil, so I cannot 
speak widely on them. I hope and look forward 
to long term relationship with Brazil. 
NAGIB: And after this, nothing else devel- 
OUR FILM MAKERS MUST COME 
TOGETHER — Breudan Shehu 
W ^reudan Shehu. Chairman, Nigerian 
M"C Film Corporation spoke to Sola 
JLJ Olorunyomi and Onookome 
Okome during the anniversary of a centenary 
of world cinema in Ouagadougou, 
Burkina-Faso. 
QUESTION: What prompted your decision to 
attend this festival and in what ways do you 
think Nigeria can benefit from this gathering? 
ANSWER: First and foremost, I am here to 
make and establish contacts in order to sell 
the facilities we have in Nigeria. We've just 
set up a colour laboratory and a dubbing 
studio in Jos, but unfortunately both are yet 
to be utilised by either our film makers or 
those from abroad. 
The other area I am looking forward to making 
acontact in, is in respect of co-production 
and distribution, so that we can pool our 
resources to increase the number of African 
films and try to get outlets for our films. 
When our cinema houses are not showing 
video films, they are showing foreign ones. 
So, if we don't make efforts for external 
markets, we may not be able to make profit or 
even recoup what we have invested in our 
production. The third reason why I am here is 
to see their set-up, how they are organising 
...For the whole of last year, we 
couldn't produce a single film. This 
is partly explained by the economic 
situation in the country and to some 
degree, the political crisis. 
Nonetheless, we are trying to come 
to the aid of film makers by looking 
at the films they have earlier produced 
and by trying to reproduce 
additional copies for them. You 
won't believe that some of them 
have only single copies, which 
cannot be shown anywhere because 
they are so battered. 
oped? 
BALOGUN: I have not had the opportunity to 
go back to Brazil to do another project. 
Maybe this is the time to think about it. 
NAGIB: SO you know of the Yoruba culture in 
Brazil? 
BALOGUN: Yes, yes. I was in Bahia. 
NAGIB: HOW did Bahia interest you? 
BALOGUN: It is a very powerful linkage between 
Africa and the new world. 
OKOME: And this link is very apparent in 
Black Goddess and Bisi Daughter of The 
River' 
BALOGUN: Yes. 
OKOME: I will take you back to the Nigerian 
Cinema. One of the complains that we have 
heard is that the Yoruba Cinema, so to speak, 
poses some kind of national question. It is 
said that it does not aspire towards a national 
cinema. 
BALOGUN: I do not know. Nigeria is a pluriethnic. 
pluri-cultural society, therefore it is 
the coming together that makes the Nigerian 
entity. Bear this in mind. 
OKOME: Don't you see some unevenness in 
the content of the films produced in Nigeria? 
Some critics argue that the Yoruba film could 
alienate; the language is Yoruba. the culture 
is traditional Yoruba. and indeed the whole 
social system is Yoruba. 
BALOGUN: It is inevitable that we have to deal 
with each other on the basis of what our 
cultures are. So we cannot emasculate our 
individual cultures on the basis that people 
from other cultures would not understand. 
NAGIB: From what you have seen here in 
FESPACO 95, what would you conclude is 
the main tendency of African cinema? Would 
you argue that it has been developing upward? 
BALOGUN: I must say I have not been feeling 
too well, so I have not seen so many films. It 
won't be fair, therefore, for me to answer this 
question. 
OKOME: One more question. Filmmakers in 
Nigeria are said not to be organised, and this 
is why representation are not properly made 
to government in international festivals such 
as this. What are the reasons for this situation? 
BALOGUN: I would say it is the difficulty of 
organising in a large country such as Nigeria. 
It is difficult to have an umbrella organisation 
that would bring the different people 
together in one situation. 
OKOME: But other big film cultures, for instance 
Brazil, and Cuba, have been able to do 
this... 
BALOGUN: But you see the production in 
these countries is structured in a different 
way. In Nigeria, production is sporadic, a 
free for all. There is no cultural organisation 
through which things are done. GR 
59
their film festival. If you can recall some two 
years ago, we had our own film festival. But 
we couldn't hold one last year because of the 
economic situation in the country. We hope 
that before the end of the year we would be 
able to organise another national film festival 
that would eventually be of international 
standard. 
QUESTION: What is your assessment of 
FESPACO '95? 
ANSWER: Honestly, my impression is that it 
is more or less a French affair. The 
Anglophone countries are marginalised and 
everything is French. 
QUESTION: What are the impulses behind this 
marginalisation? 
ANSWER: Because France thinks she's supporting 
one of her colonies, a former colony 
- Burkina Faso. They fund them in order to 
produce the kind of films they want to see in 
their own country, France. Neither they nor 
any other person can do that to Nigeria. We 
produce what we think is good for Nigeria, 
not what others feel should be seen about 
Nigeria. 
QUESTION: What do you think would be the 
impact of post apartheid South Africa on 
African cinema? 
ANSWER: Well, I think they want to be exposed; 
they want to reach out as much as 
possible. I know there is a big market both in 
Nigeria and South Africa which ought to be 
exploited. 
FESPACO IS STILL 
A FRENCH AFFAIR 
tation badge whereas before it took about 
three days. 
Though, we still have the problem of language 
here. Most of the things are still done 
in French, and the Anglophones are just left 
out. So, it becomes a French thing. This is 
very sad because you go to see some films 
and if you don't understand French, then you 
- Ukadike 
Frank 
scholar, 
on cinema, 
Ukadike, 
and 
including 
author 
film maker, 
of 
the 
several 
most 
critic, 
books 
rei
tende 
onl 
s bette 
y on 
d before 
e
r 
da 
organise 
y o
. A 
r hal 
t leas 
d
f 
tha 
a da 
t thi 
n
y 
th 
t
s
o 
tim 
ge 
e one 
t m 
e i
y
s
t 
I'v 
too 
accredi 
k
e at 
me
-
- time 
thrashes. 
films 
showed 
the 
coming 
few 
For 
from 
ones 
here, 
instance 
Nigeria 
that 
and 
come 
the 
everybody 
most of 
film they 
are only 
the 
cent, BlackAfricanCinema.awietoFes/wico 
from his base in the United States and had 
this interview with Sola Olorunyomi and 
Onookome Okome. 
QUESTION: What is your assessment of this 
year's Fespaco? 
ANSWER: For me I think this year's Fespaco 
We still have problems because the 
film makers still need to come 
together. Even if the Federal Government 
provides all the facilities, 
the film makers still need to pool 
their resources together and work as 
a team, if the film industry is to 
develop. 
QUESTION: Are Nigerian film makers conscious 
of this? 
ANSWER: That is really what I don't know; 
for the whole of last year, we couldn't produce 
a single film. This is partly explained by 
the economic situation in the country and to 
some degree, the political crisis. 
Nonetheless, we are trying to come to the aid 
of film makers by looking at the films they 
have earlier produced and by trying to reproduce 
additional copies for them. You won't 
believe that some of them have only single 
copies, which cannot be shown anywhere 
because they are so battered. With the facilities 
in our own laboratory, I believe we can 
then turn them into competitive titles that can 
be presented in film festivals. 
QUESTION: Can you elaborate further on the 
overall objectives and functions of the Nigerian 
Film Corporation (NFC)? 
ANSWER: The NFC is essentially set up to 
provide infrastructure for the film industry. 
We ought to be able to come to the aid of film 
makers financially but, unfortunately at the 
moment, we can only limit our efforts to 
equipment and manpower, largely because 
we are not funded to give out loans. 
QUESTION: In specific terms, which film 
makers and artists have you assisted? 
ANSWER: For now, Eddie Ugboma, the late IShow 
Pepper, Bankole Bello and a few others. 
QUESTION: In a synopsis, how would you 
assess the current development of cinema 
and the film industry in Nigeria? 
ANSWER: We still have problems because the 
film makers still need to come together. Even 
if the Federal Government provides all the 
facilities, the film makers still need to pool 
their resources together and work as a team, 
if the film industry is to develop. Of course, 
there is a role for the private sector to play, 
because government has other priority areas 
such as education and health. 
QUESTION: The Copyright Council has just 
concluded a conference in Nigeria, what is 
the NFC's attitude to issues of copyright 
violation? 
ANSWER: The Copyright Council is doing a 
good job by creating the awareness. In the 
past, we didn't know what copyright was all 
about in Nigeria. But today, film makers 
know their rights, what and where they can 
make claims and demand their entitlements. 
I must commend the Copyright Council for 
doing a good job. GR 
My interviews with Ugboma, Breudan 
Shehu, with Kwaw Ansah, none of 
them told me they've benefited 
anything from Fespaco, because 
Fespaco doesn 't promote Anglophone 
films. Which is true, but in a way that 
is not one hundred per cent true 
because we have very few Anglophone 
simply walked away. 
are lost. My question is: What is the focus of 
this festival? Is it French heritage or Pan 
African? If it is Pan African, then there is a 
problem from that perspective. 
You just don't bring people from all over the 
60