The iREP Report

2017 iREP Newsletter Vol. 6, Issue 4

It was also suggested that younger archiv- Liberating African History from Colonial Archives al researchers should be trained not just to recognise faces, but also important by Amarachukwu Iwuala should engage in negotiations with Euro- moments in history. Participants at the peans to release such footage to their round-table agreed that individuals uring the round-table for true owners wherever they are found should establish businesses in archiving, producers captioned Access similar to the way in which African states noting that there is a business case for to Archives - Imperatives of Co- gained independence from their colonial that since the materials can be aggregat- operatives and Collaboration, masters. ed and monetised. Dfilmmaker Jihan El-Tahri, traced the histo- El-Tahri also informed the gathering that The process of commencing such busi- ry of the disappearance of archived con- most archival material is still within the nesses could be as simple as persuading tent from Africa to Europe. continent because upon the establish- people not to discard their old belong- According to her, "African filmmakers ment of the Organisation for African ings and offering tokens to acquire the made deals with their European suppliers Unity (now African Union) in 1963, TV materials where possible. Barter, it was to exchange recorded tapes with empty stations across Africa were mandated to also mentioned, can be employed in ones and the Europeans, in turn, archived drop all their video recordings with the acquiring archival materials, which may the tapes, which now cost between €800 union at the end of every year. be audio, visual (motion and still) plus and €4,000 per minute of archive whilst German film producer Bärbel Mauch written materials. any archive that has Mandela in it could revealed that it could also be difficult to The importance of a legal framework was cost as much as €8,000." access archives in Germany because they continued on P4 As far as El-Tahri is concerned, Africans are not always well-labelled. tary films, she said, “I think it’s absolutely Enabling a Universal Visual Narrative essential that documentary films are made. We should care about ensuring funding to filmmakers who document history way beyond news or short-time reportage. CA- HIER AFRICAIN is a long-term record of the conflict in CAR. For the German soci- ety, it’s really important not only in terms of having long term observations but also to get connected to different perspectives like having a documentary film from an African filmmaker like Dieudo’s MAMA COLONEL in a place like Congo, with its stereotypes. There are people who do something and try to change societies from within but not with NGOs and from the outside. It’s important to make these nar- ratives public.” Beyond the filmmaker’s responsibility, she added that as a people, “We need to en- gage each other more. IREP is concerned by Aderinsola Ajao ters Film Festival in Cape Town, and the Maisha Film Lab. with development and democratisation, IRST STEPS Documentary and I think documentary can really do The FIRST STEPS training is in line with Storytelling Workshop that. You are yourself responsible to IREP’s interest in training aspiring change something: Think for yourself, The FIRST STEPS Documentary filmmakers. “We always want to work with double-check. F Storytelling Session was one of what is important for our partners. We the workshops at IREP 2017. A project wanted to move beyond exchange of films, “What documentary beautifully does, initiated by IREP with DOK.Fest Munich, and the idea for FIRST STEPS was born when it follows one character around in the 5-day workshop was facilitated by Ger- targeting first-time filmmakers who had their daily life, it shows, this is real, it’s not man filmmaker Florian Schewe. At the stories to tell but did not know how to fake. It’s not reality TV, it’s not TV.” end of the sessions, 5 (plus 1) stories were approach it,” Off said. Speaking after the workshop, Florian selected for development and production. Apart from the festival’s Africa Day, other Schewe said documentary film festivals in The finished projects will be screened at initiatives been rolled out by DOK.Fest Europe are recording a larger turnout in year’s IREP Film Festival in include a YouTube channel dedicated to recent times, even in an age of infor- and at DOK.Fest in Munich. African documentary shorts. This is to mation overload or the infamous Documentaries, a Window to the World have a “window into African realities and ‘alternative facts’. Barbara Off, co-ordinator of Dok.Fest perspectives with films that would never “There is an urge from people to listen to Munich spoke about their continued part- reach a German audience.” different stories and characters that are nership with the IREP Documentary Festi- They also plan to establish a university not otherwise accessible but seem to be val and further plans for collaboration exchange programme between students real [in this case documentary film].There within the DOK.Network Africa Initiative. from Nigerian and German universities, is a need to experience, for yourself, other parts of the world - which is where film According to Off, both organisations were who are interested in history and docu- comes in, and it’s more than clicking introduced in 2013 by Marc-André mentary film. “Everybody is coming to through the internet and just accessing Schmachtel, former director of Goethe- Africa to make films here and there are content.” Institut Lagos, at the time when DOK.Fest not so many filmmakers from Africa going was setting up a permanent special focus to Germany to make films, so that’s a huge According to Schewe, there is pressure for on African documentary film. possibility.” the documentary filmmaker on two sides. One is from getting recognition in the Since 2013, the partnership has involved This year, DOK.Fest will host a workshop midst of so much information on the In- curatorial and staff exchanges, festival vis- open to students of film and history, Off ternet, and the other is regarding objectivi- its, panels, workshops, and artist residen- said, referencing African oral history and ty and subjectivity: the author’s “point of cies. Other African film festivals in the the relevance of documentary film in writ- view compared to the objective analysis.” DOK Network Africa include the Zimba- ing and shaping history. bwe International Film Festival, Encoun- On the continued relevance of documen- On the stories crafted in the work- For aspiring filmmakers, Schewe advises shop, which Schewe described as a diverse them to “Go out there, and don’t get dis- The Centre of Excellence in array of ideas, “Everybody wants to do couraged. If you don’t have the money, Film and TV, the training something different.” figure out how you can collaborate with people to get things done. To really do centre where Oshin honed Making films is now easier though, as that is actually quite comfortable and easy, her skills under the late Ig- Schewe believes there is access to technical especially if it’s not a complicated story. equipment. “With access, it also means Film is a team effort, at the end of the we's tutelage, is also not men- more people can do that. Then it comes to day.” tioned in AMAKA’S KIN. the second layer of how do you do that FIRST STEPS: Winning Projects and how do you tell a story with that. It’s certainly relevant where you come from BOTTOM POWER by Stella Oluoma and film market, which was organsied in and to whom you want to speak: who SURVIVING CHILD HAWKING by Abuja, 's capital, between 2003 should be your audience. What do you Temitope Aluko & 2012. want to relay to this people and why. FAIR FINIAN by Ronya Man The Centre of Excellence in Film and TV, There’s a difference between you wanting the training centre where Oshin honed her to produce a film here in Lagos for people BLOOD AND WATER by Funmi Eko skills under the late Igwe's tutelage, is also in Lagos or let’s say for the international Ezeh not mentioned in AMAKA’S KIN. Per- documentary festival in Munich.” BONE by Gabriel Emmanuel haps, Oshin assumes that everyone who will see this film knew the late Igwe, hence To support his ‘mission’ for making docu- Plus One: FARLON By Emeka Loveday mentaries that are truly universal and dis- her failure in revealing the woman's out- standing contributions to the development mantling any stereotypes the participants An Impetus for Female Directors might have, Schewe started off the work- of the industry. shop by showing a documentary with no The filmmaker is interested in producing a by Amarachukwu Iwuala dialogue. critical mass of female film-makers, which is “I show the silent documentaries simply to brilliant. However, there is no indication show the idea that you can actually have ate Amaka Igwe could be said to in the film that the late Igwe etched her moving images and music,” he said, “and have inspired the 21st century name on the viewers' minds due to the fact what that means is telling a story that eve- Nigerian female filmmaker that almost all her projects are world-class. rybody can understand no matter where through the quality of her films L and TV productions. These in- you come from. Sounds simple but it’s actually not. You don’t need people talk- clude Checkmate, Solitaire, Tempest, Fuji ing about stuff all the time: you don’t need House of Commotion, Rattlesnake, Violated, interviews all the time, explaining to you Forever and To Live Again. what’s happening, you get that idea any- In AMAKA’S KIN, Tope Oshin, one of way. You can simply say it’s a moving im- Igwe's protégés, embarks on this film pro- age, have the music, and do the editing ject to pay tribute to her mentor, and to right: that’s another thing.” draw attention to the challenges facing the He stressed the need to make documen- female filmmaker in today's Nollywood. taries that could transcend borders, regard- She interviews about a dozen of her col- Amaka Igwe never failed to acknowledge less of distribution or budget constraints. leagues, who acknowledge Igwe as motivat- Lola Fani-Kayode (Mirror in the Sun) as her ing them to pursue careers in this male- own inspiration. 20 years ago, there were “For most countries I’ve worked in, there’s dominated vocation. only 1 or 2 female directors, but today they the challenge of distribution and also the are over twenty and counting. Therefore, problem of making quality films that speak AMAKA'S KIN however leaves out a lot of the task at hand is not just to grow the clearly to an international audience. vital details whist including some extrane- number, but to entrench a culture of excel- There’s a missed opportunity to shape an ous material. lence, which distinguishes anyone in their alternative narrative, let’s say regarding the Anyone who does not know the late Igwe chosen professions. reality on the ground in Lagos or some- would think that a film tribute in her hon- where else in . There are channels our is chiefly anchored on her pioneering When audiences see a good film, they are right there right now, and everybody needs role in the renaissance of film-making in hardly bothered about the gender of the new and good enough [content] in the Nigeria in the early 1990s. However, Igwe filmmaker. After all, the highest grossing sense that I can broadcast that, for exam- and her husband established The Best of film in Nigerian cinemas yet was directed ple. Distribution is a huge issue but it’s the Best of TV and Film, an annual TV by a woman. not the only one.” and sane future for our nation (and indeed mankind) is attainable, Saro-Wiwa Jr. urges Green Peril us, towards the end of the film, to take ac- tion and encourage others to do same.

Continued from P1 emphasised with a mention of the princi- ples of Fair Use and Fair Trade as institut- ed by US-based Stanford University. The fact that an individual archives a news- paper from 20 years ago does not mean the said individual can use same in his or her documentary without the permission of the publishers. Yet, footage that are 30 years and older fall into public domain and can be accessed free-of-charge. an McCain’s choice of a title, by Wome Uyeye NOWHERE TO RUN is a Tony Abulu, Nigerian film-maker, main- tained that when the fibre optic cables phrase that may sound as eleven northern states; the shrinkage of apocalyptic as it is poetic. Lake Chad, and the intense flash floods owned but under-utilised by telecoms oper- DTruth be told, it reminds us that we are all ators are put to better use, the problem that we experience nationwide. It also in this together. The climate and environ- covers the questions of gas flaring, sea level with archiving will be solved speedily. At mental crisis are the threads that binds us rise along our coastlines, and the increas- the end of the session, it was agreed that – inescapably so. Therefore, we must ingly heavy oil pollution of the Niger- any material that has representation can gradually build resilience together Delta. find usage because it is elitist to separate (regardless of ethnic differences) play what is worthy from what some people our part in ensuring that we find solu- With a rising population and direct de- tions, starting from tree planting to pendency on the environment for food label ‘less worthy’ or ‘unworthy’. avoiding actions that encourage deforesta- and energy, it is crystal clear beyond rea- tion in the first place. sonable doubts that our environment is A Legacy of Egocentrism our life and the stark technicolor of this In 52 minutes, we are visually confronted film screams that the Nigerian environ- by Adefoyeke Ajao with the stark realities of desertification ment requires urgent attention. and climate change. The tap roots of this environmental degradation clearly McCain outdid himself by filming frame imbabwe’s history will be rendered run very deep. The causes of climate after frame of crisp, powerful and in- incomplete without a mention of change (including global warming) are as sightful presentation of complex issues. its infamous president, Robert varied as they are complex. This documen- The raw undisguised emotions ex- Mugabe; but “What do you do to pressed by the participants in this project Za hero or a father who has gone wayward? tary takes an all-encompassing approach from a variety of perspectives. Global have given a voice and faces to the pain Can you discipline a hero? Can you disci- warming in particular is an acute crisis for and challenges environmental degradation pline a father?” These questions sum up the us in Africa because the expected tempera- has brought upon them and their commu- moral dilemma Zimbabweans face as they ture rise here is at least 50% above the nities. make attempts at navigating the delinquen- cies of a despot. global average. From the facts provided in this documen- NOWHERE TO RUN covers the length tary, we can see that there is undenia- In 91 minutes, filmmaker Simon Bright’s and breadth of Nigeria and may well be ble evidence that pioneer environmental ROBERT MUGABE…WHAT HAP- the definitive and most accessible visual campaigners like the late Ken Saro Wiwa PENED? analyses the fall from glory of the document on this subject matter in our were right on track. Zimbabwean president by constructing a timeline from his celebrated appearance on nation. It shows the inter- It is a fitting tribute that the narrator of the country’s political scene (in the 60s) to connected nature of the impacts of climate this documentary is the late Ken Saro- the disenchantment with his leadership up and environmental change from the deser- Wiwa Jnr. While simultaneously leaving tification in Northern Nigeria ravaging us with a sense of hope that a great, safe till the year 2008. continues on P5 Continued from P4 Bright uses an abundance of narration, Xenophobia is not the whole story – Ronke Macaulay archival footage and interviews to tell the that point of view. I did intend to inter- story of a ruler under whose watch a by Enajite Efemuaye view one South African who lived in Nige- country once regarded as the ‘jewel of rian, was brought up in Nigeria where he Africa’ morphed into a wasteland. Mugabe What was at the back of your mind when moved when he was younger because of did not begin as a villain; he was once a you were making this film? apartheid. He was sponsored by the Nigeri- celebrated national hero who was The last block of xenophobic attacks got an government or organisations who instrumental to the country’s deliverance people in Nigeria very heated. It was all over looked after the refugees from South Afri- from white supremacist rule. While Bright the media, on social media, people were ca that time. This man went up to universi- presents a plethora of possible railing against South Africa. At that time I ty level in Nigeria, he speaks Yoruba fluent- contributors to Mugabe’s sharp descent was travelling to South Africa a lot and the ly and he is a South African. So we wanted (such as a sense of entitlement to the South Africa I was seeing was not repre- to have this voice, but unfortunately it fell freedom he worked tirelessly for) he sentative of what I was hearing. It’s like through. doesn’t exactly present a motivation for xenophobic attacks flare up ever so often his preoccupation with consolidating his but in between what is the reality? And so I Most of the Nigerians in GREEN PASS- wanted to look at what lay beneath. What is PORT IN A RAINBOW NATION seem the underlying thing that maybe causes this to be by themselves. They didn’t seem to terror from time to time? That’s what I was go out of their way to mix with South looking at. To me, xenophobia is not the Africans or integrate. There was a lot of ‘I whole story. don’t go out’. Do you think that Nigeri- I don’t want to downplay the fact that peo- ans integrating more with the community ple are being attacked, some people have they live in will help address some of the been killed, properties damaged and all issues they face? that. That is very painful. But, it is not the whole story. It’s a personal choice. For some people, hold on power. While this documentary is they don’t like to go out. But there are a compelling watch, it is sometimes After the recent spate of attacks did you people who are trying to integrate more. marred by background sounds that get in touch with your interview subjects But I think on the whole, compared to interfere with the voice-over narration. to find out how they fared? other societies I’ve lived in like Nigerians in the UK, where I lived for many years, I’m in touch with everybody that I inter- “He who fights with monsters might take Nigerians are much more outgoing in the viewed. For me, we connected. They shared care lest he thereby become a monster.” UK and the US than in South Africa. In their stories with me. It wasn’t, ‘let’s just Bright’s citing of Nietzsche in the film’s South Africa, they’ve learned to put up shoot it and go’. We’re going to go back to opening scene makes one wonder if certain walls. And it’s a pity because if South Africa with the film because they Zimbabweans have ever considered that more of the people intermingle and inter- want to see how the film turned out. And the egocentric turncoat they are burdened act, there could be some changes. with is a creation of British rule. The we want to them to see it. Nigerians and Empire’s inroad into the continent bears a also South Africans, we want them to see In the spirit of the festival theme, Archiv- semblance to Mugabe’s clampdown on the whole story. ing Africa, is there anything you’re doing dissent and opposition. Have to make sure that a hundred years from Zimbabweans also considered that he In the film you interviewed just two South now, footage from your documentary will could also be a creation of their excessive Africans. Were you trying not to overplay still be available? worship? their presence or you didn’t get enough people to interview? I haven’t even thought about that yet. I Like Jihan El-Tahri’s BEHIND THE think I need advice on how to do that. It My intention was not to make it balanced, RAINBOW, also screened at this year’s presupposes the fact that you think your IREP festival, Simon Bright’s ROBERT say, 50 Nigerians, 50 South Africans, it was supposed to be about Nigerians. Since we work is great. For me, this is very early MUGABE…WHAT HAPPENED? expos- were in South Africa, there should be input days, but I’m also a writer and a big sup- es the dangers of handing power to revolu- of South Africans as well. But I wanted to porter of preserving stories for future gen- tionaries. It questions their qualifications interview South Africans who know and erations. I also want to make even more for handling the corruptive influence of understand Nigerians, not the ones who films. So I would love to learn about ar- absolute power. just see them from afar. These ones have chiving, how to go about it and the impact lived with Nigerians and can speak from it has on film as a medium.

“How do you tell history in a film?” by Michaela Moye conversation on failed post-colonial systems, as a catalyst to pursue and produce stories I am excited to learn of, and intrigued by, that are important to her. As an Egyptian the seeming silence on Cuba’s active in- working for the Washington Post, El-Tahri ihan El-Tahri knows what she is talk- volvement in the nationalistic movements of found the news coverage of the six-month ing about. This is my impression of several African countries. El-Tahri herself long war, “really traumatizing,” and even- the Egyptian-French director and pro- explains how it is possible for chunks of tually chose to stop working as a journal- J ducer, the guest filmmaker at the 2017 history to apparently disappear. After the ist. El-Tahri says, “I want to work on issues iRep festival. During the ‘In Conversation’ screening of her documentary on internal that are important to me whereby I can sessions after each of her documentaries, El- conflicts within South Africa’s ruling party, take the time to actually figure it out.” Tahri’s engagements reveal her vast, deep BEHIND THE RAINBOW (2009), she says knowledge and understanding of issues on El-Tahri also narrates how she landed her that, “The mythologies of independence the African continent. I am first exposed to first official documentary job. After watch- were constructed in such a way to cut out a El-Tahri’s work when I receive the advance ing the BBC documentary, DEATH OF

copy of the iRep brochure: I am excited to YUGOSLAVIA, she decided to become a lot of people.” She adds, “The need for a see documentaries on Cuba and Egypt and filmmaker, and approached the produc- single narrative cuts out a lot of people in decide to watch all the screenings of her tion company, persistently seeking employ- the engagement with the future.” work. I read as little as possible beforehand ment until she was hired to work on a film – I want to see these films with no precon- The quest for fact and the drive to engage on the Israeli-Arab conflict. “Out of that ceptions. I do not realise just how much of with 360 perspective may very well stem experience, I’ve moulded my own way of a lesson on filmmaking, research and histo- from El-Tahri’s personal relationship with how I want to tell a story.” El-Tahri’s work ry, I am to receive. journalistic reporting and the realities of the is part-academic, part-humorous, talking individuals who are portrayed in news sto- head interviews richly interspersed with Separate Myth from Fact ries. She cites the Gulf War and her experi- archival footage, and in the case of Beginning with 2007’s CUBA: AN AFRI- ence as a foreign correspondent in Tunisia EGYPT’S MODERN PHAROAHS, clips CAN ODYSSEY, an introduction to the from Egyptian cinema. Continued from P6 Follow the Story Archiving for the Future Beyond being clear about the type of sto- by Enajite Efemuaye According to Mo Abudu, the mandate of ries she wants to tell and how to tell them, Ebony Life TV is to do 1000 hours of pro- El-Tahri’s work is evidently well- t the opening ceremony of the gramme in a year. And it is important to researched. El-Tahri, also a writer, de- 2017 iREP International Doc- her that these programmes are archived. scribes herself as an avid reader – classics, umentary Film Festival, the “We have an IT department dedicated to literature, and of necessity, research docu- film FREE FELA by Theo making sure everything is backed up. [. . . ] ments. She discusses her work ethic with LawsonA was screened. At the end of the We started with tape and now it’s all on the iRep 2017 audience, beginning the screening, one of the major issues viewers cards. We have to take them from tape to narrative with the question: “How do you had was the absence of any actual footage digitise them so that we can save all these tell history in a film?” During the post- featuring Afrobeat icon Fela Anikulapo content. [...] There’s many interesting con- screening dialogue of BEHIND THE Kuti. The documentary was mostly a tent that in the future will become valua- RAINBOW, El-Tahri shares that she com- patchwork of interviews and performances ble [sic]. It is critical that we continue to piled a 700-page chronology of daily events at the concert held in Freedom Park as store,” she said. from which she “reconstructed” historical part of the 2016 . The Nsibidi Institute in Lagos is an inde- accounts “from the memories of the peo- The absence of archival footage featuring pendent knowledge and cultural centre ple involved.” First-hand narrative is im- the subject of what should be an homage that does a lot of archiving work. Their portant to the filmmaker, and discussions might not essentially be the filmmaker’s ongoing ‘Collective Memory’ project, gath- with her are chock-full of anecdotes on fault, since a large part of the archives of ers materials from private collections and seeking the relevant and necessary voices Nigeria’s history, such as documents, au- family archives with the goal of preserving for her work. The multi-lingual El-Tahri dio and video, are not in Nigeria. Often, historical accounts in pictures and to facili- talks about arriving in Cuba and literally accessing these archives involves travelling tate public access to private collections. knocking on every door asking questions outside the country and buying the rights - Dele Meiji who was involved in the British until she could find a person who had at great expense to whomever needs them. Council’s FOOTPRINTS project noted been to Africa with Che Guevera. These How to ensure that Nigerian archives in that there needs to be more avenues for anecdotes are not just amusing stories. the future are owned by Nigerians and people to contribute their memories and They are valuable lessons for anyone inter- easily accessible was the crux of the panel share their stories to a platform that is ested in research, in finding out. chaired by Jane Mote. accessible to all as a way of building ar- chives. Stay Curious One of the major points made was that “Find a story you care about and tell it archives begin as memories, data that are The need for commercialisation of ar- with passion,” Jihan El-Tahri advises privately owned. The challenge is getting chives as a way of ensuring their sustaina- young filmmakers, but she also encourages all these memories together in one place bility is one that is explored. one to “follow the story”, a more organic or platform so that the collection is availa- “Archiving is an opportunity for someone. process that I believe lends such depth and ble to the public. This is how the world’s It will make business sense. We go outside richness to El-Tahri’s documentaries. “Do biggest archives are built, something that the country to find archives about Nigeria you think I decided to make a film on Nigeria has been unable to do effectively. and we pay for it. Archiving should be run Zambia?” she asks me as I interview her. The few archives that exist – like the Na- like a business,” Mo Abudu said. “It just happened because I was following tional Archives in Ibadan – have an acces- the trail.” The resulting film, THE PRICE sibility problem. “The National Archives Keazor agreed. “A lot of the work I do OF AID, released in 2003, won the Euro- is 63 years old,” Ed Keazor said. “There is doesn’t pay and I do it because I enjoy it. pean Media Prize in 2004. a lack of accessibility to those documents. It shouldn’t be this way. It has definitive You need to pay for every photocopy and possibilities once you can cross the legal Following a story’s trail requires percep- the state of the documents is poor.” Bu- barriers of proprietary ownership. Some- tion: During Egypt’s January 25 Revolu- reaucracy is also another challenge in gov- one can invest in the technology and the tion, El-Tahri discovered a vital part of her ernment-run archives. platform that makes it easy for people to native country’s history after buying an old offer the data they have. It needs an entre- “Digitisation is the way forward for ar- photograph from Tahrir Square, of a per- preneur to look at it and ask, ‘how much chives,” Marion Wallace said. The Lead son who turned out to be Egypt’s first is this worth?’” Curator, African Collections at the British president, Mohammed Naguib. This previ- Library, had made a presentation before No matter how one views the subject, the ously expunged historical fact served as a the panel. The presentation included im- need for home-grown and locally-owned crucial launch pad for her 3-hour docu- ages, videos and audio files from different archives is a necessity, at least to ensure mentary, EGYPT’S MODERN PHAR- African countries. that future generations have an eye on the OAHS (2015). Contd. on P8 history of now. conversation show that the majority of South Africans do not see this side of Nigeri- Out of Bounds to Nigerians ans. GREEN PASSPORT IN A RAINBOW by Enajite Efemuaye Nigerian High Commissioner to South NATION does and hopefully it is watched Africa says in her interview. She went on by the people who need to see it the most: n 2008, 2015 and 2017, Nigerians to give the statistics of the Nigerians work- South Africans. living in South Africa experienced ing in academics and other respectable “...history in a film?” Contd. from P7 concerted xenophobic attacks from professions. the people of their adopted home- Awam Amkpa, author of Theatre and Postcolo- The other Nigerians who talk about living Iland. Lives and property were lost and the in South Africa have one thing in com- nial Desires (2003) and Ropo Ewenla, a cul- fragile relationship between the two coun- mon: they work (or study) hard and keep/ ture consultant, have both described Jihan El tries was further strained. stay in their homes. It is not explicitly said -Tahri’s work as “complex” – statements that The expectation from a film like GREEN by anyone that going out at night or leav- El-Tahri corroborates several times during PASSPORT IN A RAINBOW NATION, ing your immediate environment puts you iRep 2017. “I like complexity,” she tells me which director Ronke Macaulay described at risk of violence but it is implied. That when I ask if a film on Nigeria is on the hori- as an investigation of what it means to be 200 Nigerians have died due to police zon. “I find Nigeria fascinating and multi- a Nigerian in South Africa, is that it brutality is a disturbing fact mentioned in layered. The complexity, figuring out how all would address this matter of xenophobia the film but there is no follow-up. in as in-depth a way as possible. However, these things work together, that’s what I find Nigerians make a mini-Nigeria for them- it barely skims the surface. fascinating.” I suppose that we would have to selves wherever they go: their cuisine, see which stories will emerge from El-Tahri’s Nigerians living in South Africa as in eve- their businesses, and of course their curiosity for Nigeria. I too am curious. ry society fall under the categories of rich churches – the film shows footage of a and poor, law-abiding and criminal, Nigerian church at worship; and in a lot The iREP Report Newsroom skilled and unskilled and so on. This film of countries this is welcome. But in a shows us the Nigerians who have their South Africa where Nigerians are stereo- Contributors: own businesses, are law-abiding and are typed as drug dealers and prostitutes, this model immigrants. One will be tempted may not be the best way. Amarachukwu Iwuala to believe that the other Nigerians – the “Once people hear you are a Nigerian, Agnes Atsuah ones living in the poorer parts of town – they have this negative perception of you. Adefoyeke Ajao do not exist. The criminal elements are There are Nigerians that are professional mentioned in an off-hand manner, distant Wome Uyeye and live an honest life, family-oriented. relatives of whom no one wants to speak. They take South Africa as a home,” Clo- Enajite Efemuaye “It’s not a Nigerian-specific problem. It’s vis, a South African says. Sheila, a South Michaela Moye just that Nigerians are many. So we get African landlord with Nigerian tenants blamed for most offences. […] We have agrees. It might help that they attend a Photographer had to seize passports from people who Nigerian church. Opeyemi Balogun are not Nigerians. We confiscate these The xenophobic attacks and following passports,” Mrs. Uche Ajulu Okeke, the Graphic Designer: Aderemi Adegbite

Editor: Aderinsola Ajao

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Lagos City Hall, 30, Catholic Mission Street, . Ronke Macaulay, director. Tel: 01-7746888