FGN bans reproduction of foreign films in Hausa language
Story from Saleh INUWA, Kano
The National Film and Video Censorship Board (NFVCB) in Nigeria has prohibited the translation of Indian and other foreign languages films in Hausa language for publication and sale in Nigeria.
The officer in charge of the northwest zone, Alhaji Umar Fagge, revealed this in an interview in Kano with the Kano-based Hausa Film Magazine, the FIM, in his office.
According to him, “foreign films that are translated especially from India and other languages into Hausa have already dominated our cities and villages in the north thereby affecting the sales and patronage of Hausa films”.
He said: “It is not a new law. The National Film Censorship Commission of 1993 provided for this, so it is one of the laws that the commission should be use to stop this exercise. Especially now that members of the public are complaining seriously that the practice is polluting our culture and religion and spoiling our youth.
“This agency was established to protect the culture, religion and languages of this country. The translation is not coming the way it supposed to be and is seriously corrupting members of our society, and as such the board has no choice but to ban it completely.
He maintained that for any film that will be made in this country the board must vet it and give it the approval to go into the market so that it would bring discipline into the society. Very soon, the board will set a meeting with the officials of MOPPAN in the north to map out how to arrest those in the business.
“What is happening is parity, meaning stealing somebody’s idea or knowledge without his approval. This is wicked and we are already arresting those involved, he stressed in the interview with FIM Magazine”, he said.
