THE SINS OF RAHAMA SADAU, AFAKALLAH AND KANNYWOOD

Rahama Sadau began her career in the entertainment industry as a stray dancer, jumping from one stage to another, before the keen eyes of Ali Nuhu spotted her and saw the potential of making a star out of the stage dancer. Associating with Ali Nuhu as her mentor, coupled with an excellent ability to act, paved her way into stardom and before you know it she has became a household name eclipsing former stars. It happened in a rollercoaster fashion, all thanks to her nagging ambition and belief that she can only reach the top and stay there by stirring controversies that will surely stay in the mainstream consciousness in wanton disregard for her peers, profession and the people she ought to represent.

The recent ruckus about Rahama Sadau isn’t the first, second, third or even fourth but the fifth. Let us go down memory lane. Early on in her career Rahama Sadau wrecked Adam Zango’s shooting location and it took all the efforts of the disciplinary committee of MOPPAN to settle the dispute between the two Kannywood stars. She profusely apologized and promised to avoid any controversy henceforth. That wasn’t the only time she wrecked a shooting location as after she was casted by the Maiduguri born producer in a leading role for his movie, she failed to honor her contract which led to some dispute between them and she resort to bringing some soldiers down to the location and they disrupt the shooting. Despite putting all in place for the movie, her actions eventually ruined the production and the producer died in an accident on his way back, which some people attributed to the agitation and frustration in consequences of her actions.

But shortly thereafter she was embroiled in a far larger controversy when she was in the news again over the cuddling and hugging of the rapper ClassiQ. The video didn’t go down well with conservative north and there was an uproar which led the MOPPAN executives banned her as reported by Guardian in 2016 where Salisu Officer said ““Rahama has been banned for life from acting …this is as a result of her recent immoral appearance in a certain video song where she appeared ... hugging and cuddling,” Before reaching this decision the MOPPAN executives were divided over suspension or ban and the 10 member committee voted six to four in favor of total ban citing her insatiable quest for controversy and shedding crocodile tears every time the disciplinary committee intervenes.

Soon after her ban, Rahama received invitation by the popular American singer, Akon and Nigerian film maker Jeta Amata to Hollywood. In his tweet, Akon said “Let’s empower our women and motivate them to grow. Fanning them is cooler than banning them” in an apparent attempt to slight MOPPAN’s actions. MOPPAN on its part communicated to the DG Kano State censorship board their decision and the DG, Afakallah endorsed it. Rahama in the beginning carried on with her new found fame and international recognition thus started producing her own films outside Kano, but as the American contact cools off she started thinking of ways to be accepted back into the fold of Kannywood. MOPPAN official told me she tried to bribe another MOPPAN official with 50,000 to facilitate some sort of meeting with MOPPAN in order to receive pardon which he declined.

Just last week she is once again embroiled in another bigger controversy that appears double edged. First she posed in some pictures that seem to offend the sensibilities of many. Before I go further on this, people need to understand that even in America and the west, mainstream sensibilities are protected by law that is why under the penal code we have the public decency law which stated that it “considers as offense to display in public any act of lewd, obscene or disgusting nature which outrage public decency”. We have seen how the Supreme Court in America (that allows gay marriage) doesn’t condone to obscenity by upholding the ban on the use of the “F” word in television broadcast to protect, especially the young. In 1984 when Madonna released her song “Like a Virgin” there was an outrage from the Vatican. The 1991 Salt N Pepa song “Lets talk about sex” and TLC’s “Ain’t too proud to beg” were all met with some outrage by the public. In Islam there is a basic code for dressing where the Quran mandated women when going into public to cover the most provocative parts of their bodies, from the neck down to below the knees. Rahama Sadau as a Muslim had violated this code and exhibit for all to see, and one of the reasons why God cautioned against indecent exposure is because it usually leads to greater evil, which happened in this case. Wittingly or unwittingly the comment made by the provocateur on her photos, has the potential of creating more chaos in a country that is recovering from the recent ENDSars protests. Thank God the Inspector General of the police acted swiftly by ordering the Commissioner of Police in Kaduna to act “proactively with a view to ensuring that the development does not result to any act that could threaten public peace and security”

As for the DG Kano censorship board, Afakallah, his commission on the issue of Rahama Sadau is, after endorsing her ban, he unilaterally lifts the ban to allow her films be censored by his agency. This action undermines MOPPAN and emboldened the erring actress and not long after she is back at what she do best, stirring controversy again. Afakallah, having the privilege to be the first industry man to assume the important office of DG, has failed in many ways to revive and uplift the Kannywood industry. Even the most friendly Governor to the industry, Kwankwaso, didn’t gave Kannywood this kind of chance and one cannot fail to appreciate Ganduje (despite what many sees as his government political witch hunt in the case of Naziru Sarkin Waka and Sunusi Oscar) in recognizing Kannywood, as he rewarded them with key positions unprecedented in the entire history of the industry. Besides appointing an industry player as DG Censorship Board, Al-Kinana, Yahanasu Sani, Rashida Adamu, Nura Hussein, Ado Baffa (Late), Ali Lilo and Ibrahim Ibrahim were all appointed into Ganduje’s government as advisers. Kannywood has never had an opportunity to galvanize government partnership and support to move the industry forward. Afakallah having the leading position should have rallied all the industry players inside and outside government to move Kannywood forward. Unfortunately all the appointees are busy with themselves caring less for the industry that facilitates their positions and forgetting that after the appointments they will return back to the industry. In my interview with a pioneer and an elder in Kannywood, Hamisu Iyantama, he accused the DG of lacking basic skills of interaction as he chaired one of the committees set by the DG for several months before they parted ways. The committee headed by Iyantama tried to bring out policies that could revive the moribund Kannywood market. He claimed they have focused on the marketing aspect and piracy and got inroads where they were able to revive, even briefly, the Marhaba cinema and made some viewing centers incorporate Kannywood films as part of their programs. On Piracy he said they traveled to many states encouraging distributors to accept only films where producers showed them their censorship certificates. They organized sensitization meeting with over 200 downloaders in the presence of most arms of the security to stop the illegal act. They also made efforts at floating an online channel to showcase Kannywood films. Iyantama claimed that the Censorship DG failed to even provide simple basic sitting or traveling allowance for their activities and they had to finance themselves from their own pocket with the exception of the sensitization meeting that Afakallah sponsored at Murtala Mohammad library. Despite all their efforts in abandoning their businesses for months the DG neither appreciate their work nor concentrate on its implementation thus they have no option but give up. I was thrilled when Afakallah was announced as the DG way back, but it is clear he has failed so far, the only consolation is that he still have two years left and if he so choose, could work in the remaining time towards ensuring he has left a legacy behind.

As for Kannywood, like every other aspect of our lives in the North, we don’t think for the collective good but individual gains. This is an industry like no other and I always believed it has the biggest potential in providing jobs and creating wealth in our poverty stricken region. As I mentioned in one of my articles, from the moment a writer put his pen on paper, that power of the pen, creates a cascading chain of jobs ranging from, scriptwriters, artists, producers, directors, technicians, translators, editors, cinematographers, transporters, hoteliers, tailors, hawkers, marketers, distributors and even married women that rent out costumes and cook food for shooting locations. Hardly an industry is as rich as the film industry. The importance of this industry in creating jobs and generating wealth could only be understood by the realization that no less than 26 different professions are associated with it, directly or indirectly. MOPPAN had failed to even ensure that all its guild are working and empowered to control and take care of its members. With strong leadership and transparency in the guilds members could easily be assisted, empowered and disciplined. Most of the guilds have two irreconcilable factions and MOPPAN could not even pay its rent at times. The bloodline of any entertainment industry is its awards and not a single creditable one existed in Kannywood today. The one with the potential to serve was left to die and the existing one is not creditable and limping as it is operated by outsiders that cares only about what they get out of it not what they put in to it. Here too, Afakallah and all the industry players in Ganduje’s government had failed, as they should have sold the idea of Government investing in at least an Award for Kannywood that could attract investment to the industry and the state and also serves an IGR revenue for the state.

Until the day there is collective awareness by individual members, organization and government that Kannywood is indeed a cow waiting to be milked through concerted and sincere efforts, we will continue to see the industry suffocated. But the good news is, Kannywood has come to stay and it will survive all of us and even as epileptic as it is, I am sure it will reach its destiny whenever the wise ones comes along and begin to milk it.