By Henry Akubuiro
Director General, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Segun Runsewe, has affirmed that the uproar created by the production of a new film, Gang of Lagos, calls for strategic rethinking on cultural related narratives by filmmakers in Nigeria in order to avoid public resentments and reactions.
Runsewe pleaded with the Lagos State Government and Lagosians to forgive the infractions contained in the flick, assuring to arrest such cultural insensitivity headlong.
Gang of Lagos has depicted the iconic Eyo masquerade as an enabler of violence, drawing angry reactions from cultural groups in Lagos Island and the state government, which described it a misrepresentation of cultural ethos of Eyo masquerade and insult to the tradition and history of Lagosians.
Runsewe, who doubles as President, World Craft Council, Africa Region, noted that Eyo masquerade was one of the key cultural tourism products associated with the history of Lagos, advising filmmakers to be well guided when producing films for public consumption on Nigerian cultural history in order not to provoke tension and irritations across the country.
Runsewe said: “Lagos state government, for instance, has invested and continues to champion the growth of the creative sector, targeting young persons for training in all aspects of film making and production, with community theatre halls built at each of its local geospace and even with JK Randle Yoruba Museum, where researches on Yoruba culture and tradition can be learnt first hand. So films with narratives on the ways of life of our people must trend on best acceptable and sensitive information profiling.”
Though the world of Creativity is said to hold no boundaries, Runsewe noted that when it comes to cultural narratives, careful measures, strategic profiling, dedicated investigation and request to collaborate with custodians of national cultural and traditional institutions should be thoroughly considered and consulted.
“During the last NAFEST in Lagos, we at NCAC wrote to the Oba of Lagos, requesting the participation of the iconic Eyo masquerade. We were made to appreciate and understand that Eyo masquerade’s public appearance is guided by certain traditional ethics and procedure, so we expect our filmmakers to follow the same engagement route.
The NCAC boss informed that it would hold a one-day cultural conference, evaluating and focusing on all areas of cultural tourism diversity and sensitivity in Abuja before the end of April.