Overview
- Lesson Title: The Nigerian Film Industry and State Censorship - This is a report about the Kano State mobile court's decision regarding a famous film producer.
- Language: Hausa
- Topic: Culture/Society
- ILR Level: 1+/2
- ACTFL Proficiency: Advanced-Mid, Advanced-Low, Intermediate-High; This ACTFL rating is an approximation based on the ILR level
- Modality: Reading
- Learning Objective: Maintenance & Improvement
- Subject Area: Language
- Material Type: LLO
- Publication Year: 2009
- ObjectID: T8RHA15
Transcript
| Original | Translation |
|---|---|
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Hukumomin Jihar Kano Sun Jefa Alhaji Hamisu Lamido Iyantama A Kurkuk Kotun tafi-da-gidanka ta Kano, wadda hukumar tace fina-finan Hausa take amfani da ita wajen ladabtar da 'yan fim ko mawaka ko marubutan da ta ke ganin su na kalubalantar ikonta da na shugabanta Alhaji Abubakar Rabo, ta yanke hukumcin daurin watanni uku da tarar Naira dubu 300, da kuma wani hukumcin na daurin shekara guda ko biyan tarar Naira dubu 10 a kan shahararren Fardusa na fina-finan Hausa, Alhaji Hamisu Lamido Iyantama. Kotun dake karkashin mai shari'a Mukhtar Ahmed, ta ce ta samu Iyantama da laifin gudanar da kamfanin shirya fina-finai ba tare da iznin hukumar Abubakar Rabo ba, haka kuma ya fitar da fim din nan mai suna "Tsintsiya" ba tare da hukumar ta tace ta ba shi izni ba. Fim din "Tsintsiya" ya zamo fim din Hausa na farko da ya lashe gasar "Zuma Award" na kasa baki daya a fannin fina-finai masu nazartar rayuwar jama'a. Shi dai Hamisu Lamido Iyantama, ya musanta dukkan wadannan zarge-zarge guda biyu. Idan ba a manta ba, Iyantama ya taba yin takarar kujerar gwamnan Jihar Kano. Jim kadan a bayan da ya shiga takarar ne aka gurfanar da shi gaban kotu ana zarginsa da gudanar da kamfanin yin fina-finai ba tare da rajista ba. Daga bisani kuma, an tuhume shi da shirya fim din "Tsintsiya" wanda aka tsara da nufin neman hada kan kabilu dabam-dabam na Nijeriya su yi zaman tare su daina tashin hankali da juna, ba tare da iznin hukumar tace fina-finan Jihar Kano ba. A cikin hirar da yayi da Muryar Amurka, shugaban hukumar, Alhaji Abubakar Rabo, ya lashi takobin cewa duk wanda ya keta dokokin hukumarsu,"komai girmansa, duk (connections) dinsa, da duk iya maganarsa, duk fitinarsa, duk kirkinsa, matukar ba zai bi dokar mutanen Kano ba,...to wallahi sunansa cinnaka daidai da murjewa." Shi dai Iyantama yayi nuni da cewa dokar tace fina-finai a Nijeriya ta haramta tace duk wani fim da wata kasa mai huldar jakadanci da Amurka ta shirya. An shirya fim din "Tsintsiya" ne da tallafin asusun wanzar da zaman lafiya na ofishin jakadancin Amurka a Nijeriya. |
Kano State Authorities Throw Alhaji Hamisu Lamido Iyantama in Jail The Kano mobile court used by the Hausa film censorship board to punish film stars, musicians, and writers believed to have challenged the authority of the board and its director, Alhaji Abubakar Rabo, has sentenced well-known Hausa film producer Alhaji Hamisu Lamido Iyantama to three months of imprisonment and a fine of 300,000 naira [approximately $2,150 USD in December 2008]. [He was also ordered] to serve an additional one-year prison sentence or pay a fine of 10,000 naira [approximately $72 USD in December 2008]. Under Chief Magistrate Mukhtar Ahmed, the court said that it found Iyantama guilty of running his film production company without the permission of Abubakar Rabo’s agency and of making the film Tsintsiya without the authorization of the censorship board. Tsintsiya became the first Hausa film to be honored with the Zuma Award, winning in the category of films on social issues. Hamisu Lamido Iyantama has denied both of these charges. People may recall that Iyantama once ran for the gubernatorrial seat in Kano State. Shortly after declaring his candidacy, he was brought before the court and accused of running an unregistered film company. Later, he was accused of making the film Tsintsiya without the authorization of the Kano State Censorship Board. The film attempts to show the cooperative efforts of different Nigerian peoples as they live together in peace. In an interview with the Voice of America, Board Director Alhaji Abubakar Rabo pledged the following for whoever violates his agency's rules: “Whatever his importance or his connections, whatever his message, whatever his arguments or virtue, if he does not follow the law of the people of Kano . . . well then, he’s just asking for trouble.” Iyantama has suggested that the film censorship law in Nigeria prohibits the censorship of any film made in a country that has diplomatic relations with the United States. Tsintsiya was produced with the assistance of funding from the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria for the promotion of peace. |
Glossary
| Hausa | English Meaning |
|---|---|
| kotun tafi-da-kanka | Kano State mobile court |
| fina-finan | film
Fina-finan refers to the film industry, not actual film. |
| yan fim | (lit: children of films/movies) film stars |
| rajista | registered |
| lashe gasar | to be honored with |
| yin takarar kujera | ran for
This expression refers to running for political office. |
| gurfanar | (lit: to kneel, arrest) brought before the court |
| lya maganarsa | whatever his message |
| cinnaka daidai da murjewa | (lit: equal to an ant's sting) he’s just asking for trouble |
Notes
1. The Nigerian Movie Industry
The Nigerian Film industry is one of the largest in the world. The industry produces movies in English and Hausa that focus on a broad range of topics and styles. The English movies produced in Nigeria are generally regarded as more high-brow than the movies produced in Hausa, which usually focus on romance and have many dance numbers. Regardless of how they are perceived, the movies produced in Hausa are much more popular that the movies produced in English. Nigerian-produced movies have become so popular that they are out-selling foreign-made movies by a large margin.
2. Kano Censorship Board
The Kano State Censorship Board is an organization run by the Kano State government that regulates and censors the content and production of movies produced in Kano State. The board has the authority to set fines and have people who do not follow the regulations arrested and put on trial.
3. More Information
For more information about Nigerian movies and to read some opinions about them, read BBC News’s article “Why Are Nigerian Movies So Popular” (December 19, 2005), which is available via the following link: