KANAYO THREATENS TO SAM-LARRY NIGERIAN PRODUCERS: WHAT IT MEANS

When 62-year-old Nigerian veteran actor and lawyer Modestus Onyekwere, who is popularly known as Kanayo O. Kanayo or Nnanyi Sacrifice, threatened to Sam-Larry any movie producer who dared to work with Angel Unigwe two months ago, it trended heavily, with opinionated Nigerians either supporting his assertions while others described it as irrational or Neanderthal.

In a video that trended just after the death of Ilerioluwa Obadimeji Aloba, who was known as Mohbad, Sam Larry was seen crashing into a set where Mohbad was recording a music video with Omoniyi Temidayo Raphael, who is known as Zlatan. He was wielding and threatening to swing what looked like his belt or horsewhip.

Although Naira Marley’s lawyer clarified that there was a longer version of the video that showed Mohbad and Sam Larry made up and eating amala together shortly after, it didn’t stop Nigerians from adding Sam-Larry, Sam-Larried, Sam-Larrify to their ever-growing vocabulary.

At first, the rumours spread that the Lady was a minor who was being kept late, but that was false news and a piece of malicious propaganda as it showed Nnanyi Sacrifice was preying on the vulnerability of a child. She was 18 and now 19.

It is also worth stating that she wasn’t a newbie in the industry and hence should have, together with her mother (whichever role she plays in her daughter’s career), understood what filming is. Her actions of deliberately withdrawing her child from the set affected the cast and crew in spirit and discipline. It also meant that they would either have an unfinished movie, a recasting of actors, or they would spend a longer time on set.

For the producer, the financial implications are dire, as it would mean they are haemorrhaging money, which is eitheer lan or scarce in Nollywood.

Despite the above-stated facts, the video Kanayo O. Kanayo made was ill-thought, ill-timed and self-incriminating. In my estimation, for a man of his age, with his status as a Nollywood veteran and knowledge (he is a lawyer), such a reckless show of aggressive strong-arm tactics must be beneath him.

Of course, the video has raised several concerns. Firstly, the video confirmed and consecrated the decades-long conspiracy theory that there are forces in Nollywood you have to bow and scrape before, or else they will use dirty tactics to end your career. Ending a person’s career over a disagreement or because you dislike them is unethical and the basest form of abuse of privilege and power.

We have read or listened to comedians, musicians and actors in Nigeria talking about how they were shunned for gigs, roles or endorsements because they happened to be friends with a person who was on the bad books of major promoters. It also lends credibility to feelings of sexual impropriety and sexual misconduct, where you had to mandatorily pay or sleep your way up.

I mean, if a Nollywood actor can have enough power to threaten his colleagues, many of whom have spent decades in the industry, what is to say he cannot Sam-Larry, an up-and-coming artist or sound engineer? The power?s that be has long existed and has malevolently dictated the tune younger or less powerful Nollywood practitioners danced to.

Secondly, despite the gains in recent years, Nollywood is still in a mess. Nollywood is in a state of mess because I cannot imagine Keanu Reeves’ mother storming into a set to cart her son away. It shows we have a long way to go in terms of planning, structuring and organizing. The stench of indiscipline, lack of control and unprofessionalism is as obvious as a full moon in the black skies.

Furthermore, only professionals should be used on set. Unless there was a clear breach on the part of Modestus Onyekwere and his team, Angel Unigwe had no right to walk out of set, no matter how much her mother egged her on. It is distasteful, wrong and even atavistic to have to opt to vamoose from the set, derailing production plans and exsanguinating precious naira from the producers.

Thirdly and finally, proper contracts that are enforceable must be given to crew members before they commence work. Nollywood producers and directors rarely do this because of the liabilities and lawsuits they may incur. It gives them a Superman feeling, knowing they can kick you offset and you can do nothing about it. The reverse is that when crew members are out of line, there is little resource to sue them with.

Today is not the day I talk about the tales of verbal and physical abuse by senior actors, but this is a fair warning to them: change or fade.

Bend or break.

The end of your unruliness, highhandedness and Sam-Larriness is nigh