In late 2013, the United States
Consulate General in Lagos and the US Department of State’s Bureau of
Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO), decided that they needed to
contribute towards reducing the likelihood of conflicts in Nigeria’s
oil-rich but violence-prone Niger Delta region. So they launched the
Niger Delta Legacy Engagement. Together with a board of distinguished
Nigerians, they set for themselves a goal to “reduce the likelihood of
mass violence in the Niger Delta in the next two years.”
One of several strategies they adopted
was to partner with Nigerians already in the forefront of non-violent
civic activism, with the hope that the mentality in the Niger Delta that
violence pays will give way to a new narrative of peace and hard work.
That’s where Jeta Amata came in. The
Niger Delta Legacy Engagement entered a partnership with the 39-year-old
prolific movie director on a very ambitious project which Amata, more
than any other director in Nollywood, was more suited to perform.
Amata’s records as a professional who consistently made movies that
addressed tough, topical and political issues in a compelling way were
there for all to see. Amata has production and directing credits in
movies like Amazing Grace, a story about the slave trade which was the
first Nigerian movie to be screened at the Cannes Festival; Mary
Slessor, a 2008 TV series about the woman who abolished the killing of
twins in Nigeria; Queen Amina; Black November; and most recently, Road
to Redemption, which he wrote, produced and directed in 2013.
The audacity of a partnership
One of Amata’s works which no doubt
helped convince the US Consulate General and the CSO that he was the
right man, was the documentary, “Into the Delta,” which was screened in
nine American universities including Cornell, New York University and
UCLA.
While the US government provided the
financial backing, the task before Amata was to go into the Delta; visit
local communities; select teams of youth who had inspiring stories to
tell; and then train them on the art of filmmaking. Afterwards, these
young people were expected to return to their local communities with
their skills, equipment and finances to produce real-life stories around
themes of non-violence, conflict, oil, reconciliation, among others.
Their movies will then be released on the silver screens with
star-studded movie premieres.
Meanwhile, the whole experience, from
their selection to their transformation will be made into a TV reality
series titled “Dawn in the Creeks.”
By February 10th, 2014, when
the press conference announcing the launch of the initiative was called,
none of the participants had been selected. However, less than a month
later, on March 3rd, Amata and his team, had visited three
communities in Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta, selected a team of seven from
each of these communities and sufficiently trained them on
“transformation, leadership and Nollywood filmmaking” that the 21 young
people now confidently introduce themselves with statements like: “My
name is Chibuzor Joseph and I am a professional director of photography”
or “My name is Lucky Singer Elvis and I am a professional producer,”
among others.
The task is only half way done, but
already Amata says he has “realised that this project is the most
meaningful thing I have done in my life. When I picked them I was hoping
just to transform them, but now, they have transformed me.” Coming from
a man who has had over 50 movie award nominations and whose movie has
been premiered at the United Nations, during the General Assembly, the
statement carries great weight.
The speed at which things are
progressing is however one of the major worries about the ambitious
project. For instance, questions are being asked whether two weeks (the
time between moving the participants to Lagos for their training and
their graduation on Monday) are enough to transform total novices into
professionals in various aspects of filmmaking, from unit production
management to script writing; copy editing to directing, among others.
Amata says the two weeks of intensive training was enough time for him
to confidently say that the three teams which are each expected to
produce a film, will do “an above average job.”
Their Monday graduation was in itself a
story of how far they had come. Hosted by the US Consul General, Jeffrey
Hawkins, at his Ikoyi residence, the event started two hours behind
schedule, which – from their nervous glances – the Americans found quite
embarrassing. Even after Amata arrived and explained that the tailor
had showed up late with the dresses of the graduands, it did not sound
as a good enough reason to keep everyone waiting. However, when a
ten-minute documentary showing the selection process was played, it all
made sense. It was hard to reconcile the lovely, resplendently dressed
people sitting in the consul-general’s lawn that early afternoon with
those in the documentary – some of them in faded wrappers, with
decrepit buildings in their communities as backdrop as they were given
the good news of their selection to participate in the life changing
project. A transformation had obviously taken place. Amata said he had
to make a judgement call to “annoy people a bit and wait for the suits
and pretty dresses to arrive because I wanted this to represent a fresh
start for them.” It was well worth the wait.
Looking at their faces as they watched
their old selves on the screen and congratulated themselves with
high-fives and tears of joy, it dawned on all present what a big deal
the project was.
All 21 of them, have amazing and
inspiring stories. Yemi Adamolekun, the executive director of Enough is
Enough Nigeria, who is a member of the board of the Niger Delta Legacy
Engagement, narrated how before their trip to Lagos, “some of them had
never been in an airport. Some said they were the first in their
families to fly in an airplane. Some had never lodged in a hotel and for
two weeks they have been lodged in Eko hotel. It is a big deal.”
One of the graduates recalled how they
had shaken their heads in their community when Amata and his crew
arrived. “Here they come again. What do they want this time? Always
making promises and breaking them,” they said. He said he was not
convinced until they arrived in Lagos.
Esther Jonathan from Ozoro community in
Delta state who graduated as a producer, cried as she received her
certificate. “I can’t believe it,” she said. “I had nobody.” Jonathan
who has a National Diploma in Mathematics from the Delta state
Polytechnic, said things had been very hard for her and her community
ever since “toxic waste from the SPDC destroyed our land, killed many in
the community. Hunger. Animals dying. It was sad. But with this, I am
ready to change souls in my community. You will see us grow and make you
proud beyond your expectations.”
Lunch time
The graduands presented a sculpted eagle
to their “master” Jeta Amata in appreciation of his intervention.
Overwhelmed with emotion, one of the graduands said, “I wanna keep
dreaming. I don’t wanna wake up. It’s too good to be true. I don’t know
what to call our master Jeta. I don’t know whether to call him a lord; I
don’t know whether I’ll call him Jesus. Jeta Amata, God bless you. I
will remain your boy till I die.” Another graduand, Dede, said, “They
say don’t give a man a fish, teach him how to fish. For us, we have been
taught how to catch fish and given enough fishes. Thank you Jeff, you
will fly to the sky and the sky will be your limit.”
The journey continues for the new stars,
and indeed for the entire crew, as the aim, according to Amata, is to
reach 52 Niger Delta communities. As the teams work towards producing
their movies, Amata said the reality show should start airing on TV from
April. He’ll be hoping that his choices were spot on and that his
students don’t disappoint him. If they heed the words of Jeffrey
Hawkins, the US consul general, then disappointments will be scarce:
“What matters at the end of the day is the stories you tell,” Hawkins
said. “You are diplomats for the Niger Delta and you must tell the
people your story in a truthful, honest, compelling way.” The world
awaits.
source:thescoopng.com
source:thescoopng.com
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