Why We Need Witch Doctors in Nigerian Movies - Nollywood Producer,Actor, Kunle Afolayan

Kunle Afolayan

 

In an exclusive interview with Premium Times, multiple award-winning Nigerian actor and film maker, Kunle Afolayan whose movies have graced all film festivals in the world, has spoken on how film-makers portray some of our Afrian religious beliefs and how viewers see it in movies.

 

 

Below is an excerpt from the chat;

 

It’s been noticed over the years that Nigerian films mainly entail going to Alfas, Cele Churches or native doctors. What would be your advice to film makers churning out such?

I would never try to change that because that is who we are really and that’s our reality. People face a lot of problems and they believe the solutions lie in all these places and that is why those stories are real. It explains why people could relate to those stories. People seek interventions through different means and when they are telling stories, we preach morals a lot in our films.

So, why don’t you do same in your own films?

In my films, you can see a bit element of that but not the way it’s being portrayed in most of these films. Also, the way and manner most of the directors present those things are wrong. Very wrong. But it doesn’t change the fact that that is who we are, that is how we run, that is how our daily life-to-life is, people seeking interventions from Cele, C.A.C, people think that if you have a predicament, it’s the devil, so must go seeking intervention in those places. If you watch Indian films as well, any time they are in problem, they go to the temple. You can only preach what you know.

 

Nigerian films tend to portray certain religions as superior to the other. Do you agree with that?

I don’t agree with that because whichever way you want to look at it, religion is a fundamental problem all over the world. The only problem I have with Nigerian films is how those religions are being portrayed. Those who try portraying the herbalist (giggling), always make them live in very dirty surroundings. It’s just silly! Some of the Cele ones are placed in one very small church. It could be better. Like I said, that is who we are and how we get intervention from God.

 

Talking about the babalawos (native doctors), some years ago, in the course of an investigation, I had to meet with a native doctor who even did divinations for me as a part of my story. This guy and his other colleagues drive latest brands of jeeps. But native doctors are a far cry from what our film makers portray. What could be responsible for the various wrong characterization/character portrayals?

 

I think they not being deep is as a result of not doing proper research and investigations. If you do research and get to find out how a babalawo sets up their shrine, you can create it at the backyard of your house. Meaning, you don’t have to go anywhere. All of these have to do with professionalism and doing proper research. Like you said, I equally did a couple of documentaries for M-Net, and I had to interview some babalawos and that gave me deep insight into how these things work. So, a lot of people make films but they don’t do research. No matter how low your budget is, how many people will you explain to why you have a bad film? People don’t care; if you are doing a film, you are doing a film. If you don’t have enough budget, then don’t do a film or do a film that won’t require such story and would help you achieve a very good result. It’s about doing proper research and going ahead to recreate such.