Nigerian Movie Industry(Nollywood) and its contributions

   

Nollywood is the name attributed to Nigeria's movie industry. By definition it is Nigeria's movie industry by Nigerian production teams for the Nigerian people. Nollywood has over the years become a world phenomenon, as its movies are being sold in Ghana, Togo, Kenya, Uganda and South Africa as well as Jamaica, USA and the UK to name a few. The Nigerian movie industry (Home video Industry) a.k.a Nollywood has been typically accepted to have started immediately following the success of Ken Nebue’s “Living in bondage” in 1992. From then on, its expansion and attendant complications are known. However, events preceding 1992 are not popular even although a few have tried to trace the history of Nollywood. With revenues estimated at $200 – 250 million annually, the industry developed in the late 1980's when the depreciation of the local currency made foreign film imports extremely expensive. Today, over 1000 movies are produced annually with an average production budget of $15,000 - $25,000 with most movies directly for the home video market. Shooting time is on average between 10 - 14 days and quality is variable. On average, movies sell about 20,000 - 50,000 copies but best sellers (e.g. Osuofia in London) sell between 200,000 to 400,000 copies. The genre varies from romance, thrillers, witchcraft, and religious. Interestingly, the export market does not only consist of the English films (form about 65% of titles) but films in one of the three major languages appear to be populated.

Nigerian Senate Criminalises Same-Sex Marriage

In an apparent defiance of the pressure by Western interests, especially the United Kingdom, which has threatened to stop its financial assistance to any country that legislates against gay marriage, the Senate Tuesday passed the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Bill.

Henceforth, people found guilty of indulging in same sex marriage risk a jail term of 14 years with no option of fine.

True heroes never die: Ex Biafran leader ‘lives on’

 Everyday leads to another

Each one different from the other

Sometimes life don't seem fair

It's a game of do or dare

But true heroes never die

They just leave before good-bye

Hi Ho Silver away

We'll meet again someday

Legends live on and on

You were the unknown phenomenon

It's funny how time slipped by

Like the blink from a teary eye

I see you face in the full moon

Sometimes your voice fills the room

You are my true hero

Your light forever glows

http://www.usmemorialday.org/poetry/angelo.htm.

The entire nation is in sorrows over the death of the Leader of the defunct Biafran state colonel Chukwuemeka  Odemuegwu Ojukwu who passed on  to glory on the 26^th of November 2011. Born in Nnwi on November 4, 1933, he became the military governor of the then Easter Region in I966, at 33 years old.    

Pope's Trip in Africa: challenges ahead.

The trip of Pope Benedict xvi to Benin from the 18th to 20th of Nov. 2011 is indeed, a missionary trip to and for Africa. It is a trip of special mission for Justice, Peace and Development for Africa witnessing recently violence, provoked by injustice and which has contributed to her stunted development.

Pope benedict xvi would be going to Benin to make a presentation of the Post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation of the Second Special Assembly for African Synod of Bishops. Arrangements are made and things are already set in place for this special visit, including the musical Album produced with the name  “Africa Tenda Amani” (African Make Peace!), which reflects the theme for the second synod of the African bishops “The Church in Africa in Service to Reconciliation” , and this  encapsulates the central message of the Papal visit to Benin. This album expresses in music the desire to accompany the fruits yielded by the Second Special Assembly for African of the synod of Bishops.

It is indeed a big challenge to the church at present to pursue the cause of peace in Africa. His Holiness travelling to Benin will dwell really on this to see a way out of religious and political violence ravaging some countries in Africa.

        

Berlusconi asked to resign: better option?

                        

The seat has been very hot and uncomfortable for him but he has remained tough and ‘heady’ to give up. He has survived several votes in the house but could not get over the Key budget vote of 8th November, which manifested his betrayals who consciously absented themselves from the meeting scheduled for the vote. Taking note of the power of the majority in the vote, the opposition group played their expected role but the greatest surprise of Silvio Berlusconi is that some of his own ‘thought members’ were absent in the lower house on the 8th November for the vote and this denied him the majority vote. Behold, it has become a seemingly evidence that Berlusconi has not been ruling with the majority of the house. The question is: would he really heed to the call of the voices echoing resignation? 

                                              THE SENATE ON SEAT

Increase Killing of Journalists in Nigeria: Government’s Silence ‘Speaks Volume’.

“Zakariya Isa, 41, a reporter and cameraman with the state-run Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), was shot dead in front of his residence in Maiduguri, capital of the Northeastern state of Borno, on Saturday 22^nd October 2011, around 7:30 p.m. local time, Sale Mahdi, news manager of the local NTA bureau, told CPJ. Moments before the murder, the gunman and another man had approached Isa to borrow a water kettle, supposedly to perform ritual Islamic ablutions before prayer, Mahdi said. Isa had been on vacation since Friday, he added. http://allafrica.com/stories/201110250293.html

Government of Abia State and Disengagement Policy: ‘Selfish Inconsideration’ Policy.

“ON AUGUST 25, 2011, Abia State Government issued a circular which directed non-indigenes on its employment to disengage and return to their various states by October 1, 2011. The only exceptions were those engaged in the tertiary institutions.

To give effect to the policy, the circular, HAS/S.0071/II/13 issued by the Head of Service, Mr. G.C. Adiele, directed heads of ministries, departments, agencies and Local Government Service Commission “to submit the names of all non-indigenes in their employ on or before 1st of September, 2011, failure of which or any connivance thereto shall attract strict sanctions by Government”.

Entitled, ‘“Back loading on transfer of non-indigenes in Abia state public service to their states of origin”, the Head of Service said, “I write to convey the approval of the Government of Abia state that all non-indigenes working in the public service of Abia state [including local Governments] be transferred to their states of origin with effect from 1st October, 2011. This policy does not apply to tertiary institutions in Abia state”. http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=277480446515&topic=19427.

Proposition for Prostitution Legalization In Nigeria: Senator's Identity Crisis.

One of the practices of democracy is the election of the candidates who represent the electorates in the various offices and positions in the government. As a matter of fact, the citizens who elect these candidates expect to be well represented politically, socially, economically, religiously, culturally and otherwise. It will be a contradiction and a misrepresentation when an elected candidate does not fulfill this obligation. And I strong think that one of the adverse effects of this failure will be the suffering of the electorate whose interests have been relegated to the background.

My problem is that up till now, most of our representatives in the house of assembly even at their age, are still suffering from cultural identity crisis. They still do not know 'where they come from', 'their language', social- economic background and cultural values. They are still faced with confused cultural identities and struggles in attempt of trying to find a balance in this multicultural, multi-dimensional life style rooting the the world today. At this point they are leaving touch of their rich heritage and loosing their root. This simply for me, is a shame. How can a man we sent to represent us in the house of assembly go there to tell them to allow women to sell their body or use their body for money by sex. Eh! Aru. (Abomination). And the proponent of this abomination is from a rich cultural background of Nigeria, Igbo land. A culture where a young lady before the puberty age is still innocent to the point that her nakedness is not' recognized'. At the celebration of the puberty age, she becomes conscious of her nakedness as sacred, and respects her body.