Busola Tejumola calls on Asabawood, Kanywood to unite for Nollywood’s growth

Busola Tejumola, head of content and West Africa Channels at MultiChoice, has called for increased collaboration within the Nigerian movie industry.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Tejumola acknowledged the industry’s diverse roots and the existence of subdivisions like Asabawood and Kanywood.

Asabawood and Kanywood are terms used to refer to indigenous Nollywood films produced in eastern and northern parts of Nigeria respectively.

Speaking at the event to unveil the activities for this year’s Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, Tejumola emphasized that Nollywood’s growth can be attributed to different communities and tribes evolving at their own pace.

She encouraged the industry stakeholders to bridge the gap between these groups through collaboration and unity.

Tejumola added that the diversity in Nollywood was not an issue the AMVCA could solve — despite MultiChoice, the award organisers, contributing their quota with the ‘Best Indigenous Movie’ category.

“I do not quite approach it that way as a divide. If you look back at how what you call the divide evolved, it was just different communities, and tribes evolving faster than others. Even from your capabilities and technical evolution, I think some parts of the country were just more advanced,” she said.

“As we would naturally and culturally claim Nigeria, we band together as communities. If a community feels like they have something to offer or some value to share, they come together and start something.

“So at the time when all those were starting, Nollywood then was not the Nollywood it is now but people started and that is what I think we should take away from this.

“No one is waiting for an industry to be formed and everyone to come together to move forward. If it did, we would not be celebrating where we are today. Some people started in their communities and groups as they did.

“Should we then bridge that gap? Yes. Should it be time for us to look at how to integrate the different groups? Yes. Would the AMVCA do it? Maybe.

“But it is not a topic that an award system can solve. It is collaboration, it is the industry organising itself and coming up with one vision. It goes beyond an award system but yes with the awards we do have a category for ‘Best Indigenous Movie’ and every single ‘wood’, everyone from every part of the country can enter into that category. Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, whatever it is. It is indigenous for a reason.”