There are a million stories in Nollywood, the Nigerian film industry, but it seems like no one is telling them, at least not in book form.
But that is changing. The award-winning writer, Michael Ekenyerengozi, compares this change, visible in the countless reports by the western media, to the scramble for and partition of Africa long ago. But still, there are not enough books to tell the Nollywood story for posterity.
That is one reason why Nollywood Mirror is a welcome development. Self-published by Ekenyerengozi, it chronicles the contemporary history of Nollywood in over 100 pages.
A hundred pages may not be enough to present Nollywood succinctly to the uninitiated, but Ekenyerengozi is very creative in his presentation, such that the reader is able to get a compelling introduction to Nollywood and the practitioners whose sweat and blood built it.
Dedicated to Kenneth Gyang, whose film, Confusion Na Wa, swept both the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) and the Best of Nollywood (BON) awards last year, it also lists the top 20 Nigerian film-makers including now the late Amaka Igwe.
Also in Nollywood Mirror is President Goodluck Jonathan’s intervention in entertainment, particular providing a grant to Nollywood to help train practitioners. The Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, also gets a mention for lifting of the industry.
The book also brings to the notice of the reader the many young practitioners in the industry that are doing things behind the camera, among many other things capping it up with a top 10 sexiest actresses in Nollywood list. What is more, Ekenyerengozi doesn’t just tell, he also shows with high quality pictures that add colour to the book. Such pictures depict the last AMAA ceremony in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, movie posters and the practitioners themselves. Perhaps that is where the only problem in this well-put-together book lies. That is, the lack of photo credits. But it gladdens the heart that there is another edition in the works and, hopefully, Ekenyerengozi will correct this the next time around.
Ekenyerengozi is a writer and blogger who has put his name on such books as: Children of Heaven, Sleepless Night, Scarlet Tears of London, Bye Bye Mugabe and a host of others. His articles have been published in several journals the world over and online.
