Kannywood’s now a political force – Sir Hafizu Bello

Sir Hafizu Bello is a movie director and pioneering member of Kannywood. He has won several awards, including Best Hausa Movie Director at the African Films Award held in London three years ago. In this interview he talks about the film industry’s role in politics, amongst several other issues. Excerpts:

Weekend Magazine: How would you rate Kannywood so far?

Sir Hafizu Bello: There are a lot of positive developments in the moviemaking business. From the beginning it was an informal business setting where everybody was doing his or her own thing with little or no experience at all. Gradually, the censorship board was established to put things in order. The concept of the censorship board was conceived by the movie practitioners themselves after the implementation of Shari’a in Kano State in 2001. Invariably, all the laws contained in the Film Board Law were drafted by the practitioners and that was how the industry became a legal entity. This has since influenced the kind of movies produced and how they are marketed.

WM: Kannywood seems to be divided along political party lines. Don’t you think this is bad omen to the success of the industry?

Bello: No, it is not. This is a good sign that the industry has come of age and that the national polity has deemed it fit to associate itself with it. As far as I am concerned, Kannywood has become a serious force to reckon with in every political setting.

Also, the issue at hand isn’t that of being divided, but about who will protect the interest of not only you as an individual, but the collective interest of the industry. Unlike before, when Kannywood artistes were used as campaign tools, artistes are now being regarded as part of political and social development which I personally see as a positive omen towards the development of the industry.

However, it is normal to have individual differences with regards to who we support in states and the nation in general. It is also good news that Kannywood is now seen, not only as an entertainment outfit, but also as an important force that should be sort after in every positive aspect of human endeavour.

WM: What is your take on prominent artistes defecting from one political party to the other?

Bello: This is politics and every individual has the right to belong to one political party or the other, either as a passive or active member. This is one good thing about politics. For instance, I belong to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and keep a good relationship with my fellow colleagues that are in other political parties. We seat and discuss what we ought to do to ensure that the industry is kept afloat, irrespective of what political party emerges as a winner in the end. We have mutual understanding that the industry’s interest should supersede our personal interest.

WM: How do you think Kannywood can move forward?

Bello: As one of the pioneering members of Kannywood, I can authoritatively say that I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly in its history. Therefore, I believe I am in a better position to say what the industry wants at this point in time.

First of all, Kannywood needs up-to-date guiding principles, regulations that would guide the industry’s conduct of its own affairs. It will interest you to know that the only regulation document guiding the industry is over twenty years old. A lot has happened within that period. This is why we need a government that will revisit this document and amend it if new ones can’t be made. We believe that by doing so, most of the troubling issues being faced by the industry will be solved without much stress.

It is apparent that there is need to review this law as time changes. The laws were established since 2001 and ever since nothing has been removed or added. It is apparent that the world trends in almost everything is dynamic. Therefore the practitioners and stakeholders in the movie industry ought to have come together and seen to the review of the law to suit our present needs.

Secondly, in terms of education, I am a strong advocate of people updating knowledge of their profession. Without education, you wouldn’t understand what is expected of you, not to talk of understanding what you expect from the people. We need an avenue where our members will access professional education on the job, and we believe the government as the highest authority concerned has a lot to offer in that respect.

WM: What plans do you have for the industry with respect to the political party you are supporting?

Bello: I have to support the candidate who has shown serious commitment to the plight of the industry as a whole. For instance, the Kano State PDP gubernatorial candidate has shown interest in the positive development of the movie making business. We have had several meetings with him on what the industry wants and he has shown serious commitment to making the industry better than what it is today.

We have developed a road map to making Kannywood great, and we hope to officially hand over the document to the PDP candidate soon. That is why many members of the industry are solely behind his candidature and I believe our support is for the good people of Kano State in particular and the nation in general.