Victor Dugga, a professor of Theatre and Media Arts from the Federal
University Lafia, has canvassed for awards for Nollywood films that
promote national peace and patriotism.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Dugga made the call on
Tuesday while delivering a lecture at the on-going Consumer Forum of the
National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) at the Yankari Game
Reserve.
The Don who spoke on “Nigerian Movie Industry: Peace,
EconomicDevelopment and Social Enginneering”, said that Nigerian films
need to engage the need for peaceful co-existence, and they should be
motivated.
“Promoters of Nigerian films should create award categories for films
that promote peace, novel ideas and the vision of a great Nigeria.
“Peace has eluded us in recent times, shattered by all shades of
violence such as Boko Haram, Herdsmen/farmers clashes, kidnapping,
militancy and communal clashes.
“Film is a powerful tool that should be used deliberately and
consciously for social engineering and peace building, and there is need
to stimulate the change from outside the industry,” he said.
Dugga noted that the Nigerian motion picture industry was a veritable
tool that could be used to drive national narratives, build values of
love, peace and tolerance among Nigerians.
He therefore urged stakeholders in the movie industry to use their
works to promote national unity and patriotism among Nigerians.
“Film should and must be used to sustain our conversations on issues that bind us together.
“The stories of people saving others in times of crisis and love in the midst of conflicts have not been told.
“Filmmakers should tell stories that cast Nigeria in good light and
reinforce tendencies that promote our diverse cultures, economies,
languages and dialects.”
He however frowned at the practice of using films to portray Nigeria
and Nigerians in bad light, a trend among some filmmakers in recent
times.
He lamented that such negative images often reinforce negative tendencies in people.
NAN reports that the Consumer Forum is a flagship program of the
NFVCB aimed at sensitising stakeholders in the Nigerian movie industry.
It brings together the actors and producers, entrepreneurs,
financiers, and relevant government functionaries to discuss the
enormous potentials available in the sector.
“It is also a platform to educate participants on how to take
advantages of these opportunities for empowerment and building a strong
economy and better society.
The lecture offered participants opportunity to share thoughts and
brainstorm on contemporary issues of importance to the growth of the
Nigeria movie industry.
High point of the event was the presentation of a book titled
“Introduction to Film and Video Production” by Mr Thomas Adedayo, the
Executive Director of the NFVCB.
The book is written by a veteran artiste Dele Osawe and published by
the NFVCB as part of its efforts to educate film stakeholders.
The forum with theme: “The Movie Industry: The case for Peace,
Economic Development and Social Engineering”, held from
Jan. 29 to Feb 1.