The Learner

Muhammad Muhsin Ibrahim Bayero University, Kano @muhsin234 (Twitter) Introduction As students of Theatre and Film Studies here in India, we watch drama and films from across the globe, and of all genres. We encounter no hurdle or trouble in getting the movies as the internet has today simplified much access to them, broken many boundaries to any nation, any community, and any film industry except in a few cases. I must, however, admit that only very little is known about Africa or the films produced therein. Despite this, I often ‘boast’ saying my country, Nigeria, is the most populous African country, and its film industry is the third-biggest in the world. But a snag comes up when asked to bring forward the films; I couldn’t, for I shouldn’t just give them any films, for Nigeria’s being a unique country due to its sharp cultural and ethno-religious divide between the North and the South. This becomes necessary because the perceived national films do have little or no bear...

I hope I have not kept my dear readers on tenterhooks. I have had a temporary hesitation about writing on any topic other than what is currently happening in the northeastern part of my country, Nigeria. My non-Nigerian readers might not know about it; innocent people, including some promising secondary school students, are being mercilessly massacred in large numbers by the marauding terrorist Islamists called Boko Haram. May Allah have mercy on them, expose and punish their killers. Please let’s say a big AMEEN. Yeah, to the NOTHING (II): Today’s Nothing, as its prequel , is something , though partly nothing. Here we go: Religion as identity or for indictment? I have already mentioned how multi-religious a country India is. Religious identity is crucial here, though it is a damning drawback for many. For instance, most Hindus worship more than 300 million gods and goddesses in their faith. Thus, it’s very easy for them to pick one from those in the form of a big or small...