(40): Africa, a Continent in Limbo

Muhammad Muhsin Ibrahim

@muhsin234

Stories of Africa being taken for a country, or Nigeria for a city in an unknown country, perhaps ‘Africa’, are no longer newsworthy. More than many ‘intellectuals’, politicians, organisations, individuals, etc., from around the world have, on several occasions, made such faux pas or similar remarks that point towards that. Notables and well-known, at least within the circle of my readers, of such include Sarah Palin’s interview, Chimamanda’s chilling speech, The Danger of a Single Story and Farooq Kperogi’s piece, ‘Is Nigeria the name of a City?’, among others. It has, nonetheless, gone far beyond that as I have recently discovered.

I attended the 17^th International Theatre Festival of India, called Bharat Rang Mahotsav, for a few days. The festival is still ongoing at the renowned [Indian] National School of Drama, Delhi. The school is undoubtedly the best in the whole of Asia. The festival will be rounded off on the 18^th of this month. There are theatre repertory groups from the US, Europe, the Middle East, and other Asian countries, but there is/has been no one from Africa. However, Africa is the second-largest continent on Earth, with over 50 sovereign nations. The absence of a single participant from Africa has weakened the use of the word “international”.

 

With the veteran actor, Om Puri ji

For a long time before this festival, as a student of theatre and film studies, I have noticed the ‘non-existence’ of Africa in the realms of theatre and cinema and in their discourses in India. Quote me anywhere, fewer than a few people know that Africans produce any films and stage any dramas of their own here. Notwithstanding that the university I study boasts calling itself international, there’s absolutely nothing African in their syllabi, nor reference thereof, except, probably, in the Geography department. This is incredible!

Today, the Nigerian film industry, called Nollywood, surpasses Hollywood in production and is now the second-largest in the world after Bollywood, the Indian glamorous film industry. YET, it is mainly in oblivion among the billion-plus populace of India. Ditto the theatre of Africa, not only Nigeria’s, with all its richness, epoch and popularity in the UK, US and elsewhere. Professor Wole Soyinka is the first African to be awarded the Nobel Prize in 1986, and he got it in Literature (Drama!).

 

With a few classmates

Recently, prominent Kannywood (i.e., Kano-based film industry) personnel, including the ace actor Ali Nuhu, came to India for a short film course sponsored by the Nigerian government. First, their Industry was/is facing a dire challenge due to the so-called “Hausa-India films” (i.e. Hausa-dubbed and lip-synched Hindi films). Since they were not taken that seriously here, they couldn’t do anything about that. Secondly, and on a lighter note, they obviously couldn’t get any chance to meet with any Bollywood high-flying actor, director or producer, for we might have seen pictures of them together.

Enough of this whining, some might say. Yes, I can’t change the status quo. Africa is essentially, erroneously and ridiculously thought of as no more than a forest that houses monkeys, or humans that resemble them. The North Korean government has lately described President Obama as such. Or, for Ebola. Or, in other instances, Indians know South Africa and Kenya as the two countries that play cricket, their favourite game. And more, India’s number one statesman, Mahatma Gandhi, once lived in the former.

But for Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country and arguably the richest, is often remembered when any Black man commits, or is accused of committing, a crime. The dreaded insurgent group, Boko Haram, has also popularised the name of the country. I discussed this ugly truth in one of my articles.

It is high time Africans started what I may call searching for ‘self-worth’. I am not advocating for egotism, high-handedness or anything of the sort. But knowing yourself, your merit and respect is needed now and always. Millions of Africans, particularly Nigerians, hold Indians in the highest esteem. We think of our Bollywood fave actors as paragons of beauty, valour and value. Down here, you are not known, and in a few places you are known; you mean little or nothing. However, not all are like that. As I often say, we are individuals, so are they (Indians). But let’s know them for what they are, and know yourself for what you are.