{"id":12407,"date":"2018-10-11T13:14:00","date_gmt":"2018-10-11T13:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kumasionlinegh.com\/?p=12407"},"modified":"2018-10-11T13:14:50","modified_gmt":"2018-10-11T13:14:50","slug":"stop-pitching-ghanaian-creatives-against-nigerians-nigerian-movie-director","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kumasionlinetv.com\/?p=12407","title":{"rendered":"Stop pitching Ghanaian creatives against Nigerians \u2013 Nigerian movie director"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Nigerian movie director, Femi Odugbemi has called on creatives from different African countries to stop discriminating against each other.<\/p>\n

According to him, the attitude of pitching one country against another does not augur well for the development of the creative industry in Africa.<\/p>\n

In an exclusive interview with\u00a0citinews at the launch of the\u00a0Multichoice Talent Factory Academy<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in Lagos \u2013 Nigeria, Femi, who is also the Director of the West Africa chapter of the academy said the only way Africans can project their stories is to stop creating barriers.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs far as I am concerned, the divisions between Ghana and Nigeria are artificial. One of the ways in which the concept of Africanism can work is when we stop referring to the borders. I am a big fan of Kwame Nkrumah\u2019s writings and what I think he did in the period when we were all looking for independence was to define Africa not geographically but in terms of the things that bind us,\u201d he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In the wake of this, he intimated that the stories of Africa must not be stories of division, or else, we lose.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe stories of Africa should not be East versus West or Ghana versus Nigeria, Francophone versus Anglophone \u2013 if we do that, we lose,\u201d he explained.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Femi, who has a strong relationship with Ghana. He used to be a visiting lecturer at the National Film and Television Institute in Ghana.<\/p>\n

The rivalry between Ghana and Nigeria has been prominent in recent times as most Ghanaian feel Nigerian art is given more reception in Ghana than Ghana\u2019s, in Nigeria.<\/p>\n

A few months ago, after some Zylofon Music artiste had had low reception at a concert in Nigeria, there were calls for higher support for Ghanaian music other than Nigerian.<\/p>\n

Shatta Wale, in 2017 championed a campaign against the penchant for Ghanaians to promote Nigerian music, stating that he did not regard Nigeria music giant, Wizkid as a superstar.<\/p>\n

About Femi Odugbemi<\/strong><\/p>\n

Femi documentary filmmaker, screenwriter, cinematographer, director, producer and photographer.<\/p>\n

He has scripted, directed and produced documentaries, short films and drama. He produced Tinsel, a Nigerian soap opera that began airing in August 2008 acclaimed \u201cthe most successful television drama on Nigerian television in recent times\u201d in 2013.<\/p>\n

Odugbemi scripted, directed and produced Bariga Boys, a multiple award-winning Nigerian documentary about street performers in Bariga, Lagos.<\/p>\n