IBRAHIM RAMALAN writes on the Rahama Sadau’s recent invitation by Akon and Jeta Amata to feature in Hollywood following her recent ban from Kannywood
The recent suspension of one of Kannywood’s A-grade actresses, Rahama Sadau by Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MOPPAN) over a music video she appeared hugging a man from behind could be a blessing in disguise as more and more supports and offers from within and outside the country are beginning to come her way.
The most recent of them is an invitation to Hollywood by a popular singer, Akon and a successful filmmaker, Jeta Amata to visit their film set in Los Angeles, California, where they are working on a project which will take them to Senegal, South Africa and Nigeria in December, after having been accepted into to lead in a new Ebonylife TV series titled: “Son of the Caliphate” in Lagos.
Akon aid in his twitter: “Looking forward to seeing you in LA. Let’s empower our women and motivate them to grow. Fanning them is cooler than banning them.” Jeta Amata also said: “We look forward to seeing one of our own in Hollywood!”
Responding to the invitation through her twitter handle, Rahama warmly accepted the offer and expressed her happiness over the development, as this would actually translate into boosting her pedigree in the acting world.
To begin with, borrowing from Kannywoodscene.com, “Rahma is truly a definition of an artist (minus her susceptibility to controversy of course). She is motivated, passionate, enthusiastic, lively, extremely glamorous and humble, even.
“Within three years, she has established herself as a force to reckon with. She has added sparks and glamour to the industry. She has an outstanding followership and media presence. She is fast becoming the face of the industry. Her expulsion could hurt the industry in number of ways.”
On the other hand, coming back to the issue at hand, although Rahama has previously made it clear that she was going to challenge her suspension in court, she appears to be fighting this battle all alone, no reported support or a show of solidarity from her colleagues of recent except from her mentor and boss, Ali Nuhu who out rightly condemned the suspension in all its ramification.
He said even though Rahama violated Kannywood’s codes of conduct by holding ClassiQ’s hands and falling on his back in the music video, she did deserve that harsh punishment
His words: “I don’t think she should be banned, maybe a suspension. There are situations where people create big things out of small ones. That is why before deciding to do something, one needs to think. I would advise that in the future when things like this happen, they deliberate amongst themselves and maybe call in a few others in the industry before making it public.
“People do things in an organization and are suspended or given queries, but these organizations won’t go to the media and announced it. It was blown out of proportion,” Ali Nuhu added.
By and large, even though Rahama doesn’t seem to be regretting her action, she appears to be nursing the wound of the suspension as her heart still remains with the Kannywood. Pointer to this is her recent interview with PREMIUM TIMES in Lagos when she said: “I am not looking to cross over to Nollywood as such but all I am after is how best to strike a balance between both Kannywood and Nollywood.
“I believe an actor is an actor irrespective of the industry or language difference. The only challenges we have in Kannywood are our culture and traditions, which we hold dearly, and can’t go against,”
Rahama added: “I am a typical Northern Nigerian girl and I have roles that I wouldn’t play and lines that I will never cross. I can’t go nude or wear short clothes in any movie. Whether we like it or not, I belong to the North, and most of my fans are Northerners. So, I wouldn’t do anything that will frustrate my fans or makes them my enemies.”
