With over three decades of experience on the movie scene, veteran actor Prince Jide Kosoko must definitely is worth his salt in the sphere of moviemaking. The successful thespian opened up on a range of issues including his docudrama on Climate Change in this interview with AHMED BOULOR.
YOU are currently neck deep in the production of your docudrama ‘Battle for Life’; is there any particular reason for venturing into this project?
I am sure you all know that it is a global calamity if I may put it that way and there is also a need for us to address the trend. That is why this docudrama is very close to my heart. I am not doing it for the sake of money but I feel there is a need to contribute my own quota to educate and inform our people through this docudrama. There is still more danger ahead and with much more information and education about the Climate Change and its disastrous effect more people will be properly equipped more ways than one to limit the negative effect it may have on our environment and our lives. The situation in Lokoja is terrible and it is enough for us all to be prepared for more danger. It has happened in Lagos, in Oyo, In Delta and now in Kogi. So we must all be prepared.
How did you come about the title Battle for Life?
If you look at it critically, the effect of Climate Change is a threat to mans existence and that explains why I settled for that title. I feel we need to address the issues of climate change today otherwise we may fall victim of its dangerous effects tomorrow. What we intend to highlight is not just to dramatize Climate Change as an issue we are also going to take a look at the inherent dangers of climate change. We intend to for the docudrama to drive home the message of Climate Change while also visually picturing the effect of climate change on our immediate environment in order to create a feeling of empathy in the mind of the viewer. We want people to know that what they’ve been hearing about really exists.
What really inspired your quest to venture into this project?
The Governor of Lagos state Babatunde Raji Fashola decorated me some years ago as one of the environmental ambassadors and having accepted such role, responsibility and honour; I thought it was pertinent for me to contribute my own quota towards the campaign and advocacy for Climate Change. As far as I am concerned, drama is a veritable tool for us to pass on such a message and that is why I settled for a docudrama entitled ‘The Battle for Life’. I approached the UNDP when the script of the docudrama was completed and it was accepted. I have witnessed so many instances; I have seen a whole building cave in due to the effect of flooding. I have also witnessed a child being swept away by flood and I remember shedding tears at what I had just seen. I feel the campaign to educate people on the effect of climate change should be more aggressive and as a creator of wisdom I thought the only way for me to contribute towards spreading the word about the inherent dangers of climate change is by creating a docudrama on the issue. We intend to picture real images of Climate Change induced disasters and how our future hangs in the balance if simple, efficient and cost effective mitigation and adaptation measures are not urgently embraced by all and sundry.
How long has it been in the pipeline?
The project has been in the pipeline for over a year and in that time we also thought out the best way to approach such a project. There are some other things that went the process of getting things done like participating in an initial docudrama by the Ministry of environment which was produced by a Nollywood filmmaker. It was after then that I realized that there was a need to do something more professional and on a high scale. That is one of the reasons why I decided to assemble a crack team of actors and other movie professionals that cut across all geographical sectors in Nigeria.
What plans have you put in place to ensure the docudrama is properly marketed and distributed when it is ready?
We have plans in place to effective market, distribute and circulate the movie when it is eventually released. I know the docudrama will also not lack in the area of publicity and other necessary modules which will see to the effective promotions of the movie.
Will you be working with other actors in the industry?
I have the responsibility of choosing the cast for this movie alongside other proven professionals such as Ngozi Nwosu, Segun Arinze, Anthony Akposheri a.k.a Zaki, Rachael Oniga, Tunji Bamishigbin and a host of others who are also working on the project. Other actors that are part of the project are Kate Henshaw, Chinedu Ikedieze, Ali Nuhu and Nkem Owoh. I want to do it professionally; I would have table casted my preferred personnel if I wanted to but I want to do it professionally and I want contributors because the issue of climate change is not my problem alone but a global one. The caliber of professionals that are on board are people that can add value to the project; that is why they are involved.
Would you say this is your biggest movie project thus far?
I would say yes to that; it is my biggest movie project thus far not in terms of financial reward but in terms of the challenge that it has presented. That’s because the docudrama must be detailed and it should be explanatory enough. It’s about passing on information and educating the people; there is a need for us to strictly adhere to instructions and other safety guidelines like not building houses in heavy flowing drainage and also ensuring that our drainages are not blocked.
What’s your take on re-branding the movie industry especially with movie producers not focusing on telling stories of our rich culture rather than telling stories of cyber scam, ritual killing and prostitution?
There is a need for movie producers to redirect their minds and ensure that they produce films that educate and inform the public. I am using this opportunity to tell movie producers to insert a scene or statement on serious issues that affect mankind.
Nigeria clocked 52 recently and as a veteran actor what do you think should be done to better Nollywood?
Nollywood…? There is nothing like Nollywood.
Okay, I mean the movie industry…
I have always told people to refer to the film industry in Nigeria as the movie or film industry. There is nothing like Nollywood! People fail to understand or agree to the correct history of the movie industry and I will not be a party to that. What they refer to as Nollywood only started in 1992 with the movie titled Living in Bondage. What about the effort of the pioneers of the movie industry? What about the effort put in by those who started making celluloid films long before what in now being referred to as Nollywood? Where do you want to place the efforts made by Pa Hubert Ogunde? We can always find a place for the movie Living in Bondage and not deceive ourselves by referring to that movie as one that gave birth to film productions in Nigeria. The movie Living in Bondage only improved the standards of moviemaking at the time. My movie entitled Asiri Nla and Bello’s film entitled Asewo tori Mecca also improved in the standards of moviemaking in the Yoruba genre.
What exactly should be done to improve the standards of the industry especially at a time when Nigeria is a year older?
First, I congratulate myself and congratulate Nigerians as Nigeria recently clocked 52 and I must say a lot still needs to be done to improve the standards of the movie industry. There have been internal crisis here and there but as a nation we are not divided. We do not want bloodshed and chaos and there is a need for us to set an example for other African countries. On what should be done to improve the movie industry? I think I said it earlier that our movie producers should concentrate on telling our stories in a manner that glorifies our rich culture and tradition. They should also concentrate on telling stories that enrich lives and most the support of government and corporate bodies because I believe the potentials of the industry is still largely untapped. We also need to tackle piracy to an extent; I believe the inability to effectively tackle the scourge of piracy is also down to the situation in the country and those are some of the things we need to tackle for us to have a vibrant industry.
As the outgoing President of the ANTP, what’s your take on the usual disunity and rancor that has besieged entertainment bodies such as PMAN, AGN, DGN and other bodies in Nigeria?
Well, all I can say is that there are problems everywhere and it is not only limited to associations or guilds that are run by people in entertainment. Professionals like lawyers do have their misunderstanding too; engineers do experience such problems and so do doctors. But the fact that entertainers are very popular individually and collectively makes our case more pronounced. The press is also our greatest enemies and friends because you people inform people about whatever that is happening from time to time. We may have internal crises here and there but it is all geared towards seeking change. The same thing happened during my tenure as ANTP President; there is no way you cannot have any form of misunderstanding in such situations because in life you disagree to agree. When I was became the ANTP President, I thought I had all the solution to make the association the best it can be but it wasn’t easy and frankly speaking, I have done my best in lifting the association to where it is today and I wish my successor all the best. Entertainers are a pack of ambitious people and that applies to what we have here; so when you see crises here and there, it is not that it is peculiar to entertainers, it is a general phenomenon.
Is it not proper that these entertainment guilds and associations be regulated by an umbrella body?
The Nigerian Film Corporation is about now facilitating the motion picture council and it is a body which I equally serve on the ministerial committee. The industry has gotten to a stage where we need a regulatory body that would sanitize things. There are no structures and it is only when bodies such as ANTP, DGN, AGN and others are under one umbrella that we can have a united vision.
Being a veteran actor and a very busy one at that, how do you balance work and the family?
I have been balancing that perfectly over the years; there is time for work and there is also time dedicated for my family. I don’t mix both because there is always a border line drawn between my job and my family.
What’s your take on the waning theatre culture in Nigeria?
There are efforts on my part to present a stage play before the year runs out; it’s a stage play titled ‘Boiling Battle’. It is based on the history of Lagos in the eighteenth century; it is about the feud between King Akintoye and King Kosoko. It will be staged for the last time before it becomes a movie. There is also a campaign in the pipeline to try and encourage people to support stage performances.
