Kannywood Has Never Rejected Me Because of My Religion or Ethnicity — Prince Daniel (ABOKI)

My attention has been drawn to some publications with headlines suggesting that Kannywood rejected me because of my religion, and Nollywood because of my region.

First of all, I did not grant any interview to any newspaper or publication in relation to this matter.

However, to provide context: I was somewhat equivocal during a question-and-answer session at Nollywood in Hollywood in Los Angeles, California, USA, earlier this month, where I was asked about the challenges we encountered while making Mai Martaba and our journey to the Oscars. I mentioned issues such as insecurity while filming with a large crew in the North-West, financial constraints—as no one was willing to take the risk of trusting us with their resources, considering I was a supposedly “new” director working with a group of new actors—and also how we felt caught in between. At some point, the Kannywood segment of the industry seemed to view us as Nollywood, while Nollywood also saw us as Kannywood, simply because I am from the North.

This explanation was made with the best of intentions—to help the audience in the room understand the segmentation of the industry in Nigeria and how challenging it was for us at the time.

I believe this comment was grossly misunderstood. For clarity, Kannywood has never rejected me on the basis of ethnicity or religion. In fact, it has been my greatest pillar of support as a filmmaker. This was clearly demonstrated by the overwhelming support we received from our wonderful audiences during our cinema exposure, and from industry practitioners—both veterans and newcomers.

I say with every sense of responsibility that I am a Nigerian filmmaker, though of northern extraction. I reside in Kano, where I practise my craft, springboarding from Kannywood. I have enjoyed immense support here, with no prejudice whatsoever.

I remain committed to working with my colleagues and the founding fathers of Kannywood to elevate the standard of our industry—telling our stories to the world and creating employment opportunities for our youth, far from the stereotypical narrative of the North as being synonymous with conflict and banditry.

Prince Daniel (ABOKI)
Director, Mai Martaba