IBRAHIM RAMALAN writes on the reactions and counter reactions of Kano Ulamas and the concerned industry stakeholders, trailing the proposed N3 billion film village in Kano.
Just about a week after the federal government had announced its plans for the establishment of a world-class film village to be situated in Kano, that will provide over 10,000 jobs to Nigerian citizens and also increase revenue generation, some Islamic scholars in the state have began to air out their point of views as to the permissibly or otherwise of such project in Islam.
Chief among their stance is the fact that such project could only breed nothing but waywardness, nudity and pervasiveness that is in clear contradiction with the tenets of an ideal Islamic society. While some others see the project as devilish geared towards propagation of western agenda.
A source close to Blueprint in Kano revealed that aside the audio clips of clerics threatening Nigerian leaders with worst kind of prayers should they insist on creating the Film Village in Kano, prayers (Qunut) have been intensified in some mosques in Kano towards making the plan a dead-on-arrival.
To the contrary, in light of this, a good number of well lettered intellectuals in the North who are abreast with the Islamic jurisprudence, especially in the digital age that we are, came out to dismiss such position in its totality. They see these positions as myopic, self-centered effort of these Ulamas since, the project leaves nothing in doubt regarding its objectives – creation of a commercial entity aimed at boosting the economics and economy of not only the state, but the region and the country as a whole.
It could be recalled that during the unveiling the plan, by Member of the House of Representatives, Abdulmumin Jibrin, during the stakeholder’s interaction session with Kannywood , the Federal Government would release 1billion Naira for the kick off of the 20-hectare film village, which would be modeled like a film center in China and India.
The legislator further revealed that the choice of Kano state in sitting the project has been influenced by the fact that Kano state has been the nerve of movie production in Nigeria, adding that the proposed film village would include a 400-capacity auditorium for training, a cinematography centre, sound stage, hostel, eatery block, hotels, shopping mall, a stadium, and a clinic among other amenities akin to world-class film village.
Also in attendance at the session were the Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on National Assembly matters, Kawu Sumaila, the Kano state governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, Managing Director of the Nigerian Film Corporation, Danjuma Wurim Dadu, former president of Motion Pictures Association of Nigeria, MOPAN, Sani Mu’azu, industry stakeholders like Ali Nuhu, Falalu Dorayi, Adam A Zango, Ummah Shehu, Rahama Sadau among others in attendance.
Speaking to newsmen after the session, Adam A. Zango, applauded the federal government for the project, saying that, “this is what we really desire and we are all grateful to President Buhari who has promised to be part of the entertainment industry and with this project we can only say thank you Baba.”
However, despite the much applause this project has received, it is surprising how it is still being dented by these Ulamas. Even as it is a common knowledge that entertainment has taken centre stage in our lives, it then has become an avoidable factor that could be easily leveraged on as a great source of employment, hence the need for a greater attention into improving its efficiency.
Consequent upon this, one of the latent questions the intellectuals adroitly asked was, “how could sanity come into the industry without government coming in to enforce regulations?”
On his social media handle, a social critic, Ibraheem A Waziri, who is well versed in Islamic theology, taciturnly challenged these Ulamas issuing these threats to know that they are not privy to Islamic knowledge which they claim have placed them above all to start issuing free-for-all threats and misgivings in the name of Islam, which he itemized as thus:
“1. That they are not gods. 2. We who are not them know as much that God who created us love us and decide our fate not them. 3. He also listens to us and helps us against our enemies as much as they think he listens to them and helps them. 4.
That we also read and understand Latin, Hebrew, Aramaic (which was the ancient form of Arabic) and the modern Arabic.
“5. We know in the scripts they are only authorised to preach only not to issue threats. 6. We also read history and understand much about the pious predecessors and their societies and how they ran or lived in it. 7. We also know about and have written what we know.
How truth and morality were actively preached and pursued, as in our recent past in Sokoto Caliphate,” Waziri noted.
A Communication lecturer with the famous Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Muhammad Hashim Sulaiman, derided these Ulamas who, according to him, are wallowing in an abstract realism, by urging them to see the project from a concrete realism of what is derivable from economic and ideological realities.
“When you see film, film making and film industry as purely entertainment, then you can climb on your morality pedals and condemn the sitting of the film village in Kano state. However, people like me see film, film making and film industry as both an economic venture and an ideological industry.
“One properly shot blockbuster can generate more revenue to Kano state than the entire farm centre market. One properly shot, edited and properly distributed film can endear more people to Islam than the entire Facebook Sheiks.
“What more, entertainment is the most subtle way of selling ideas to the subconscious mind of man. It is through entertainment that Northern youths have been indoctrinated into European football,” he concluded.
Offering his take on the matter, a lecturer with Bayero University, Kano, Muhsin Ibrahim, got down to brass tags when categorically stated his position to a layman’s understanding by saying that, “with the creation of the village, the practice could be more easily sanitised; the production controlled, the shooting simplified, and more jobs created. All the “maikantis” (shop owners), the cobblers, the “mai nama” (kebab sellers), drivers and riders, etc will now have more customers than ever. The state, itself, will generate more IGR and taxes, etc.
“I am not a big fan of President Buhari’s government. Yes, this is me. That’s why I seldom criticise him whenever I see him doing anything wrong. That notwithstanding, I see nothing bad in establishing a state-of-the-art school/village for film making, studies and business,” he stated.
Muhsin, who is a known Kannywood critic, also recalled that films have already been made in Kano for over two decades now.
“Even when the filmmakers were banned – twice, I think – from the state, Kano remains the epicentre for the marketing and consumption of their products.
“Thus, whether or not there’s a village for the filmmakers and actors, Kannywood films will always find their ways into our homes and almost everywhere else,” Ibrahim thundered.
He therefore believed that we should not be thinking in the box. We should rather be hoping and praying for the kick off of the village project and its speedy completion for the betterment of our state and country in general.
