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In this interview, BIOLUWATIFE AKINYEMI speaks with the director of ‘Nwaanyi Ike’, Victor Okpala on the Africa Magic Original series and how it will impact the industry and society at large.
What do you think the portend for the Igbo speaking sector of Nollywood. Will this encourage more from stakeholders?
I think it should encourage more producers to do indigenous language content. We went all out for Nwaanyi Ike. If you look at the production values, the team that handled it, the crew, the cast and everything, we want all out of the costume. We didn’t spare anything because we wanted nothing short of the best. If you do it very well, so long as it is a good story that can capture the people, that can hold good attention, people will watch; even with the subtitles or as a dubbed one. So, language is no longer a barrier.
To have directed a 26 episode series isn’t an easy feat. What challenges did you face on set?
For indigenous language contents, you are doing a double job. First, the script is in English language, and then you have to work with the writer so that they understand…because it’s not just speaking Igbo; you must also grapple with the nuances of the language, you must be conversant with them. There are idioms, and parables. Translating English to Igbo, you have to deal with timing. If you are the English, the actors will read the script, internalise it, and shoot; then translate it into the language, which they have to speak it the way you want it to be. You have to narrow it down to the central Igbo. And it wasn’t easy getting everybody from different parts of the Igbo dialect to speak the central one as much as we could. So it was very challenging. It was time-consuming. The time you used to shoot two scenes or three scenes of the English scene, that’s what we used to shoot one, if all of these processes must be observed if you must do a good production. And for me, as a perfectionist that I like to call myself, I must get it right. There’s no middle ground.
What would you say is unique to this Igbo drama series?
It’s unique because the story is not something a lot of Igbo men want to tell. It’s not a palatable story — trying to take power from the men and giving to the women. But I’m a different shade of Igbo man. I believe in women empowerment. I believe the girl should rule the world. So, yes, I am telling The Untold and I’m glad a lot of people are enjoying it and that’s supporting the movement.
Africa Magic and MultiChoice’s investment in Nollywood has upped the standard of movies and now, series. What do you foresee for the industry and its stakeholders?
I say a very big thank you to MultiChoice for the huge impact I’m making in Nollywood. I would say that the survival of Nollywood is largely dependent on the investments that the channels make in the industry. There are productions ongoing year in, year out, hundreds of millions of dollars going into investment. It’s a huge investment and they are keeping homes alive; jobs are put on people’s tables; and a lot of things. They have done a great job and I am grateful to them. The impact in Nollywood is unquantifiable.
This series is said to be the first originally produced Igbo series on African Magic, GOtv precisely. What informed this agreement between the production crew (which you’re part of) and the Multichoice entertainment team?
I didn’t set out to do a series in indigenous language. I wanted to do it in English. In fact, when I pitched the idea, it was in English. As conversations went, there was a twist. The producers insisted the story looked like something that would be fit for a particular channel because of its peculiarity. I was asked if I could do it in Igbo language and I agreed to it. I’ve done a couple of stuff as an independent producer. I’ve done a couple of series and films in Igbo language for the African Magic Channel. That’s how the journey started. I was very skeptical of the reception among the people based on what they are really used to and all that. But I also know that taste buds differ. So I know that if we do something good, something very interesting, people will follow. I had that worry from the beginning.
Nwaanyi Ike is a reflection of Nigeria’s society. How does it impact or promote family values and was this the plan from the onset?
What I set out to do was to do a good show in the language my client, which is the channel, has wanted the show to be on, that’s what I set out to do. And I wanted to address inequality among the female folks in Igboland, where a woman is not allowed to inherit the father’s property just for the fact that she’s a woman, whether she’s a first child or not. I think this is strange.
This is unacceptable for me as a person. And then, my first child happened to be a girl, and then I’m thinking to myself, so if for any reason I’m going to write a will for my children, I’m going to exclude my daughter. And I thought, this issue has to be addressed. There was a landmark Supreme Court judgment on the issue some years ago, which lingered in the court for more than 20 years. And I said this needs to be told. If there’s going to be a subsequent series, we’re going to bring to the fore how the judiciary helped to calm tension of partiality between the male and the female folks. So I think this should be a unifying factor for the people. Tribalism has to be shunned.
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