3rd September, 2014
Nollywood practitioners have been advised to help project the Nigerian society in the positive light.
Joe Okei-Odumakin, widely acclaimed activist and public commentator, offered this counsel while speaking at the August edition of The Golden Movie Ambassadors, monthly meeting held at the Protea Hotel, Ikeja GRA, Lagos.
Okei-Odumakin, who treated the topic Bridging the Gap Between Entertainment World and Consolidation of Democracy in Nigeria, said in most advanced society the entertainment industry has always been one of the key catalysts for their development, and Nigeria’s cannot be an exception.
She said a lot of people complain that most of Nigerian movies portray the society in the negative light but things have to change.
“The entertainment industry always helps to mirror the society. Our great country has been on life-support for a long time, and since we have refused to remove it, that is why Nigeria remains how it is today.
“We must continue to fight for her. The truth is that we have both the positive and negative things happening around us. We have to project the positive more,” Okei-Odumakin told the gathering that had in attendance scores of actors, producers, and other professionals in the movie industry.
The “Woman Arise” leader frowned at the piracy scourge which she described as the greatest threat to the survival of the industry.
Okei-Odumakin promised to raise the issue at any gathering she finds herself so as to call the attention of the necessary authorities to the menace.
In his remark, Saheed Balogun, popular actor and leader of the group, commended Dr. Odumakin for taking out of her time to look into the issue affecting the actors and the entire entertainment industry.
He also called on other human right activists to emulate Odumakin by helping to champion the cause of the practitioners and ensure that the entertainment industry does not collapse.
The gathering had in attendance notable figures in the industry including Joke Silva, Alex Osifo-Omiagbo, Kola Olaiya, Yomi Fabiyi, Aisha Abimbola, Kunle Afod and Kemi Afolabi.
TGMA is a group of actors and producers which seek, among other things, to change the poor perception of actors by members of the public.