IGWE MUST HEAR THIS

When my close friend Anayo George Udogwu who I fondly call Baba Agbada asked me to accompany him to Nnewi and Nnobi in January, I kept saying “Igwe must hear this” in response to how Nollywood portrays elders and youth of the South Eastern geopolitical zone in movies.

The term “Igwe” means King, and when a person is supposedly offended in movies, he often screamed this as he ran or cycled to the King’s palace.

Although I served in Asaba, I never crossed the River Niger Bridge into Anambra like most of my fellow Corps members did. I always thought the right time would come, and I had that time this year.

My journey and stay in Nnewi and Nnobi was very eventful, but what caught my eye was the how industrialized the South East has become, particularly as they are often portrayed as backward areas reeking of extreme poverty, where only a few people who were high chiefs owned bicycles.

It was hard to see a family that didn’t own a bike in Nnewi.

Stakeholders in Nollywood must now begin to look further than the Igwe must hear this scripts that have malnourished Nigerians. The taste buds of so many Nigerians yearn for more, so much that millions have vowed never to touch whatever it is Nollywood cooks, even with a long stick.

We need to produce movies that talk about building and owning businesses, in the true spirit of the business minded Igbo Man. We have to consciously tell stories about actual strengths and weakness of the Igbo business and political terrains, instead of incessantly harping on Igwe must hear this stories, or of oppressed widows and virgins.

I do not think I even have to mention that in the two months I have collectively spent in Igboland, not once have I witnessed people screaming Igwe must hear this. Not a single time. Times have changed, and with the popularity of Showmax, Netflix and other streaming platforms, many Nigerians would only watch movies that are qualitative and worth their time. Movies must be scripted and produced for what they factually present, and what people can gain entertainment wise from it.

Continuing to portray Igboland as a wasteland of decrepit old men killing themselves and punishing widows and seizing lands, because all the youths have gone to engage in money ritual schemes in Abuja or other cities is counterproductive and demeaning to the region as a whole.

We can do better and not tell the Igwe about some of our moves.