The Director General of the National Arts and Culture Council, Chief Olusegun Runsewe, has called for calm over the uproar created by the production of a new movie, “Gang Of Lagos”.
Runsewe, in a statement on Friday, said Nigerian filmmakers needed a strategic rethink on cultural narratives to avoid public resentment and backlash.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that ‘Gang of Lagos’ co-produced by Jade Osiberu and Kemi Lala-Akindoju premiered on April 7 and drew reactions from the Lagos State Government.
The state government had earlier in its reaction said that the film portrayed Eyo Maskarade as a weapon-wielding villain while decked out in full traditional attire. The state also argued that the Eyo masquerade was a misrepresentation of the cultural ethos and insulted to the traditions and history of Lagos indigenes.
Runsewe, however, pleaded with the state government and the good people of Lagos to forgive the offenses the film contained, assuring that such cultural sensitivity is arrested head on.
He noted that the Eyo masquerade was one of the major cultural tourism products associated with Lagos and Nigerian culture.
Runsewe advised the filmmakers to steer well in their production of Nigerian cultural history for public consumption so as not to cause tension and anger across the country.
“The Lagos state government, for example, continues to invest and advocate for the growth of the creative sector, targeting youths to train them in all aspects of filmmaking and production.
“With community theater halls built in each of its local geospaces as well as the John Randle Yoruba Museum, where research on Yoruba culture and tradition can be learned first-hand.
“Therefore, films with narratives about the lifestyles of our people must tend to the best profile of acceptable and sensitive information,” he said.
He recommended that dedicated research should be done in the creative industry. Creatives should also cooperate with the guardians of national cultural and traditional institutions.
“During the last National Festival of Arts and Culture in Lagos, NCAC wrote to the Oba of Lagos, requesting the participation of the iconic Eyo masquerade.
“We recognized and understood that the public appearance of the Eyo masquerade is guided by traditional ethics and procedures, so we expect our filmmakers to follow the same path of commitment.
“Indeed, we at NCAC appreciate the efforts of Nigerian filmmakers to use these narratives to contribute to the regeneration and acceptance of national cultural tourism, including its international cultural tourism value chain.
“But we need to advise that the context of cultural sensitivity and content analysis should be part of the production and post-production ecosystem,” he said.
