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“A Lot Of Bad Names Have Been Given To African Gods,” – Actor Oliver Mbamara

Oliver Mbamara is to Nollywood what James Franco is to Hollywood. He is a film maker, an actor, a poet, a playwright, a producer and a lawyer. He is an Administrative Judge in New York State and is currently attending NYU Film School.

Oliver Mbamara is to Nollywood what James Franco is to Hollywood. He is a film maker, an actor, a poet, a playwright, a producer and a lawyer. He is an Administrative Judge in New York State and is currently attending NYU Film School.

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He is the author of POEMS OF LIFE. He played a lead role in an off-Broadway show titled “THE PRISONER OF KALAKIRI” by Prof. Chudi Uwazuruike. He directed and also played the lead role in Zulu Sofola’s WEDLOCK OF THE GODS. In 2004, he wrote and directed, THIS AMERICA, his first movie where he played the role of an immigrant who had just arrived in the United States. He has since made a sequel to the movie called, ON THE RUN AGAIN.

Other works of his include the epic feature film, SLAVE WARRIOR (based on true-life experiences in a typical African society during the coming of trans-Atlantic slave trade www.SlaveWarrior.com). He also wrote and directed the SPADE movie feature film series; THE LAST ASSIGNMENT and THE RETURN OF SPADE, which address the issue of artifacts and human trafficking, slave labor, and forced prostitution (www.SpadeMovie.com). He created and directed the television comedy drama series titled CULTURES, staring Chika Okpala, Chief Zebrudaya of the famed New Masquerade. The series is now showing on African Independent Television (AIT).

In this email interview with Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo for Saharareporters, Oliver Mbamara explains how he does what he does and the future of Nollywood.

Enjoy!

SR: For those who do not know your story, could you briefly tell us how a lawyer, an administrative Judge became a filmmaker?

Oliver Mbamara:
Indeed a long story but to summarize, I will say I always loved the creative arts from when I was young and I did take part in school “concerts” from very tender age. As I grew, I naturally got more involved with stage writing, acting, and eventually filmmaking even though I continued to pursue and practice my career as a Lawyer.
 
SR: Since you made This America in 2004 so many Africans in America have gone into filmmaking. What is driving the trend? Has the influx of filmmakers made it any easier?

Oliver Mbamara:
It is gratifying to know that after we made and released THIS AMERICA, a lot more Africans in Diaspora (not just the USA), delved into filmmaking in Diaspora. The driving trend has been a blend of various factors. For instance, the fact that a bunch of regular Africans doing regular 9 to 5 jobs could come out with such an interesting film like THIS AMERICA was enough to encourage other Africans in Diaspora to take up filmmaking. Secondly, Africans have a lot of stories that are not being told by mainstream Hollywood and other Western film industries. With the advent of Nollywood, it became natural for Africans in Diaspora to grab the opportunity to tell these “untold” stories. Regarding the influx of filmmakers, one would say it has been both tough and easy depending on the perspective from which one looks at it. The industry and the audience is large enough to take the influx, yet the influx has to be organized and controlled in a way to improve the content and quality of the films, as well as compensate the filmmakers for their efforts. A good test case is the trouble we now have with piracy as well as the devaluation of these films both out there in the streets and in movie stores.
 
SR: In This America you dealt with the issue of what immigrants confront in America. In Slave Warrior, you got the African immigrant to flashback on Slave Trade. How do you choose the story to tell? Do you have any hidden message you’re trying to pass across?

Oliver Mbamara:
A number of things come into play towards my choice of which story to tell, but most importantly there has to be some question(s) for the audience to take away at the end of the story. The answers would definitely vary as perspectives do vary. I respect and take it that the audience has its own intelligence and I leave it to the audience to find these hidden messages and answer some seemingly unanswered questions. My understanding is that in any given audience, there are different levels of consumption, acceptance, and understanding. Therefore creative content has to presume and recognize the variance even though no single work of art can appease everyone.
 
SR: In the TV series, Cultures, you brought in Chika Okpala, a/k/a Chief Zebrudaya, to play a role similar to the one he played in the New Masquerade. In it, you have a character named Mr. Falana playing a role similar to that of Jegede. What inspired that series? What is your plan for it? Is it showing on any TV channel?

Oliver Mbamara:
Yes, it was an honor to work (and still be working) with the legendary Chika Okpala, alias Chief Zebrudaya. The role of those early actors, comedians, and filmmakers like Chika Okpala, Herbert Ogunde, Eddie Ugboma, and others in laying the foundation and framework on which Nollywood eventually thrived cannot be overemphasized. Incidentally, many of them have been forgotten and some are not getting the help they should be getting. My belief and insistence in the relevance of those early artists inspired me to seek out people like Chief Chika Okpala and reintegrate their values in the entertainment industry today as there is much we could still learn and enjoy from them. Thank God, I am right as the response to CULTURES has been tremendous. The Series is now showing at 6PM every Saturday on AIT - African Independent Television in Nigeria. We are still accepting bids and sponsorship from interested television stations and sponsors. 
 
SR: In your movies, Spade and The Return of Spade, you tackle the serious matter of the stealing of African artifacts. How did you research that work? Did you get the implicit support of the gods?

Oliver Mbamara: Interesting question. The gods are implicitly in support of any move to preserve their values and relevance. A lot of bad names have been given to African gods. Western scholars have condemned the artifacts through which our forefathers communicated with these gods ; they were dismissed as evil while the practice of communing with these gods were regarded as idol-worshipping. In a piece I wrote many years ago, titled “WE WORSHIPPED GOD BEFORE THEY CAME” I stated that although our fore-fathers were not without their weaknesses as human beings, they lived lives of honor, value and respect for each other and the larger society. They lived by what we now call the principles of karma. They recognized a higher superior being (GOD) and communed to GOD through elements like the river, the sun, rocks, artifacts, etc. An example today would be the way religions of today commune to GOD through pictures or carvings or paintings, or artworks, or other symbols of their saints and spiritual leaders. Why must the case of Africa be different or evil?

In Spade, I tried to bring to light the fact that these artifacts being condemned in Africa as “idols” are still being preserved or sold for huge value and displayed for profit in some museums in the western world.
 
SR: The financial requirements of each movie project vary. How much, on the average, does making a movie cost you? And how long does it take? What are the biggest production challenges you face making a movie in New York and in Nigeria?

Oliver Mbamara:
Cost is one of the mostly asked questions in filmmaking and yet one of the most difficult to answer. The fact is that there is no fixed amount of time or cost for making a movie. However, the budget you have determines what kind of movie you will be able to make and that may also help determine how long you would take to complete it. Having significant funding to enable one do a movie of high value is one of the biggest challenges of independent filmmaking whether in Nigeria or New York.
 
SR: In most of your projects, you have been the star, the writer, the director and the producer. Does playing all those roles enhance the project or diminish it? Critics of Nollywood consider the lack of division of labor as one of the reasons why the industry has not maximized its potentials. Is it difficult to work with others in the industry?

Oliver Mbamara:
There is no doubt that division of labor leads to efficiency in many cases but you also have to realize that when you don’t have the convenience of delegating the functions, it sometimes becomes only natural for one to go ahead and play more than one role in the process. An example is, you can write a good script and have the directing or acting ability to bring the character to live, but if you don’t have the sponsorship or funding to produce the movie, what are you going to do?  Sit down and chase people around endlessly for funding without success or go ahead and invest your own money to produce it?
 
SR: Do you consider yourself Hollywood or Nollywood? How are you perceived by movie makers at home? How does Hollywood react to your works?

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Oliver Mbamara: Interestingly, Hollywood perceives filmmakers like me as a blend from Africa while those at home in Nigeria (Africa) perceive us as African filmmakers in Diaspora. The variance is evident in the fact that there is no clear and agreed name to classify African filmmakers like me, at least as of yet. Some call us Nollywood USA, some simply call us African filmmakers, and some others call us Nollywood in Diaspora filmmakers. Regardless, the fact is that filmmakers like me fall in the category of that blend of filmmakers bridging the gap between Nollywood and Hollywood.
 
SR: The personal lives of Nollywood actors and actresses mirror that of Hollywood actors and actresses. The divorce rate, the drama and the dalliances of the divas. What is it about actors and actresses that puts them in those kinds of situations? What has been your experience?

Oliver Mbamara
: When one is in a situation where one has to make every decision of one’s personal life and relationship taking into consideration what the public (and fans) would say or think about it, one is bound to make decisions that weigh toughly on the relationship. It is a matter of time before the relationship to crack under the weight of such persistent scrutiny and pressure. Also the fact that most actors and actresses are always working apart on different sets for weeks or months does not make it easy on the relationship and intimacy.
 
SR: If I’m not mistaken, you have made four movies now. What advice will you give to those aspiring to be movie makers?

Oliver Mbamara:
Actually six movies. I am still learning and may not have the best advice as every situation is different. However, I generally say to any aspiring filmmakers: you have to make sure you love filmmaking. The love and passion is what will keep you going through the hard times. Additionally, be tolerant of criticism as you will never do a movie everyone would like, but be not discouraged either. Always take a project as a learning experience for the next better project you would do.
 
SR: What is your primary mission as a movie maker?


Oliver Mbamara: To entertain, and in the process create awareness and understanding that would get people thinking and having a dialogue about certain relevant things they could have easily ignored or misconceived.
 
SR: Movie making is a form of business. How is the business part of it going? What is your best selling movie to date? How much did you make from it?

Oliver Mbamara: Well, the big check is yet to arrive but the business is growing, although piracy has not allowed us to say we are “best-selling” yet.
 
SR: How do you distribute your movies? When do you expect movie lovers in America to be able to go to a theater near them and watch movies made by Nigerians like you?

Oliver Mbamara: There is yet to be a unified structure or distribution network that could strictly regulate the distribution of African movies in Diaspora except the usual African movie stores and shelves you see here and there. Those who pirate the DVDs or stream these movies online on sites like Youtube.com for free without compensation to filmmakers continue to do the industry a lot of disservice.
 
SR: How do you deal with the perennial problem of piracy? Can the industry survive without a viable solution to it?

Oliver Mbamara
: The marketers must have a unified body to regulate movie distribution while filmmakers have to come together and vouch for the protection of their rights and works. To combat piracy and ensure that filmmakers get their returns, we are launching a website for filmmakers to stream their movies online. The site is www.NollywoodMovies.com  and I encourage fans and supporters of the African film industries to please choose to watch movies from a site like this which is run by filmmakers who make sure returns from streaming get back to the filmmakers so they can continue to improve and make better films. Movies can be watched on www.NollywoodMovies.com with as low as $1.99 and the qualities are very good.
 
SR: What should movie lovers expect next from you?

Oliver Mbamara: More of the CULTURES TV SERIES with Chika Okpala are coming. Also I have some other films in the works. Please continue to check my website www.OliverMbamara.com  for updates.

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