Interview ||| I Have Never Used Sex To Have Ladies Feature In My Films – Abdul Kuta ||| The Arts-Muse Fair

Abubakar Abdul Kuta is the first producer of contemporary indigenous film in Gbagyi Language. Having produced quite a number of issue-based films in his native language, Kuta’s biggest dream is to win the OSCAR award, the world biggest entertainment award. In this interview with Abubakar Akote for The Arts-Muse Fair Blog, he speaks on various issues including allegations of sex-for-role in the Film Industry in Niger State. Enjoy.

TAMF: How true is the claim that you are the first Gbagyi film actor?

Kuta: I am not the first Gbagyi film actor, but, I am the first producer of contemporary Gbagyi films in Nigeria. I produced the first contemporary Gbagyi film in Nigeria.

TAMF: What do you mean by contemporary films?

Kuta: You know we have religious films. We don’t call those ones contemporary. So, what I mean by contemporary is that, films that cut across all aspects of the society – diverse, either as a Muslim or Christian or the Nkwa and the Mataye and the rest – films that discuss contemporary issues in our society. So I was the first to produce the first indigenous contemporary Gbagyi film in Nigeria and the title of that movie was Nyizenu (What a World). So basically, I am the first person to produce Gbagyi film in Nigeria.

TAMF: What can you say inspired you into film production and acting?

Kuta: Whatever you see a man doing or does, something must have inspired him. I started with the entertainment business. In fact, we were the first set of people to entertain people at the U. K. Bello Arts Theatre, when it was commissioned. That was in the early 1990s, and I have been into the entertainment industry for quite some time. So when I kept going, I found out that a lot of people were promoting their indigenous language through films and music. Then, I said to myself that why can’t I also try to promote my ethnic group? So, I felt it was a challenge for me and a platform for me also to explore or exhibit what we have in the Gbagyi culture. So, basically, those were the reasons or motivation behind my decision to go into the Gbagyi film production and acting.

TAMF: How did you learn the art of film production, directing and acting as well?

Kuta: It is a long story. But first and foremost, I think I was born with the talent because I could remember when we were younger than this, when we go to farm, I used to make my brothers laugh, cracking jokes and some time when we go for break, I used to create a lot of fun things, music, I sing and make them entertained in the farm.

When I was in primary school, (Waziri Primary School, Minna), entertainment was one of the things that used to save me from being flogged by my teachers because anytime I did something wrong, I could remember of one my great teachers, Mallam Zakari, who lives in Unguwar Daji now, would tell me, if you don’t want me to flog you, dance for me. So, I would dance and my colleagues would be clapping for me. Thereafter, when I went to Secondary School, I discovered properly that I would do things. So we used to represent our secondary school, (Government Secondary School, Minna), now renamed Father O’Connel Science Secondary School. So, I saw that talent in me right from childhood. In secondary school, I started joining drama groups and what have you, in order to develop my talent. So, that was how it began and here I am today.

TAMF: How many films have you produced, directed or featured as a character?

Kuta: I have produced Nyzenu (what a world), Gabako (The lion), Akpyi (Betrayal) and Abgavni (He-Goat). I have also produced a lot of musical albums and I have featured in a lot of films –  both soap opera like Wazobia and I am also featured as a major character in a Nupe film titled “Bagadozi” which was acted in English Language. I have also been featured in Nigeria English film titled “Common Ground”.

Equally, I have directed a number of films and also produced a lot of programmes on NTA and even on Satellite TV, Rayuwa TV and Noma TV and Lifestyle Africa as the Director Programmes for those Stations. So, I produce a lot of content for those TV stations.

I was also at the PEFTI Film Institute, Lagos, for a professional course in Film Editing, and luckily, in 2015, I emerged the best student in that set because of the type of project I did.

TAMF: who are your target audience?

Kuta: My target audience is everybody. I produce issue based films – films that have to do with serious problems or issues in the society – not just for entertainment sake. So, I can produce a film today and maybe, most of my characters will be children. You will find out that most of my audience will be children while I might also to produce a film that has to do with politicians or traditional rulers or women. So, the type of film determines the audience. But basically, I like to talk about issues that have to do with women, girls and generally, the youths.

TAMF: So, how far have your issue-based films helped in creating impact in your target audience? In other words, have any of your films achieved the target goals?

Kuta: I cannot quantify or I cannot sit here and tell you that my films have rightly changed the society the way we would want or the way I want, but the most the important thing about making issue based movies is for you to create consciousness, and also to appeal to policy makers. For example, I produced a movie that has to do with VVF, early marriage and rape. So, anybody that watches that movie and maybe is fond of engaging in such acts would probably like to stop and if a policy maker, many people in government, maybe people in the Ministries of Women Affairs and Health, watch that movie, they might want to say this is a scourge, we need to do something about it. I am sure, because most people that watch my movies might have taken a lesson from them. Like for example, the first movie I produced was not just about entertainment, there was a particular issue in that movie which was applicable to most homes now, especially the couples.  So, most people that have watched it must have taken something from it.

TAMF: You said your target audience is the general society but your movies are being acted in Gbagyi Language which is not a general language. How do you get your movies interpreted for others who do not understand the Gbagyi Language?

Kuta: People watch Indian movies, right? Do they understand Hindi Language? But you’ve found out that our people will tell you the story as the film plays on. People will tell you the next action that would follow because of constant watching of such Indian films.

However, in my angle, what I normally do is to subtitle my movies in English Language. Also, it is not only the Gbagyi film that I do. I also do Hausa Films and English Films. But if I produce any Gbagyi film, I make sure I subtitle it in English Language. With that, we reach out to those who don’t understand Gbagyi Language.

TAMF: You mentioned producing films that are issue-based and related to religion. How do you ensure that you don’t create conflicts of understanding the teachings of religions?

Kuta: Filmmakers are not illiterates. They also have some knowledge of their religions. We need to move away from some cultural practices of marrying off girls of 9 or 10 years. We live in a different world now. We have seen the implications of some of those early marriages. If you go to hospitals today, especially in far northern part of Nigeria today and see cases of VVF, you will appreciate what I am saying. Even the present first lady of Niger State, Dr. Amina Abubakar, has been conducting VVF Operations in the General Hospital and some other hospitals on patients. So, what is the cause of this problem?

From researches, it has been discovered that most of those girls were not ripe for marriage and when they conceive, they found it difficult to deliver babies. So, they develop this Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF). Therefore, we use some of our movies to create consciousness, educate parents to allow their daughters ripe for marriage. Let them be matured enough before they get married. We are not saying they shouldn’t get married.

I have personally done a lot of research on this particular issue of early marriage, and the basic reasons some parents gave were poverty and early engagement in sex outside marriage by girls nowadays which has grown rampant now. For a girl child education, maybe she has attended her primary school in her immediate community but when it comes to secondary education, there is no any secondary school closed to her home unless she treks some miles away while parents have the fear of their daughter been raped or kidnapped or they can’t afford to sponsor her to a far distance. So what they do is to get her married.

Government needs to come in. The solution to this is that, government should help in building more schools, bring education to the door steps of common man. So those are the kind of issues some of my movies look into. We don’t deviate from the teachings of the religion. We create a balance so that we don’t end up creating conflict of understanding of our religions or creating a different thing entirely in the mind of young girls and the society.

TAMF: So, how do you market your movies?

Kuta: There are so many avenues through which movies can be sold but in Niger State, we have this challenge. The first one is that, when it comes to the chain of production, chain of marketing of movies, the first thing is cinema. Do we have cinema in Minna? Obviously, we don’t have. That is why we’ve resorted to selling of our movies in CDs and DVDs.

I also use the social media – I have facebook and Whatsapp pages through which I advertise my productions. We also go to media stations to advertise our movies and also through posters in the streets among others. So, these are some of the little ways we get our movies across to the market.

TAMF: You have an association of film producers. What is your association doing in establishing very vibrant marketing routes for its members?

Kuta: It is not easy for an association to own a cinema or come up with an idea to own a cinema. Do you know why? It is because there would be divergent views. Every member would like to carry the credit. Why should it be Abdul Kuta who brought the idea of initiating a cinema? He shouldn’t be the one. So, we have this power tussle challenge in the entertainment industry in Niger State. But I want to let you know that we are discussing with a particular organization or a particular body now to have the first cinema in Niger State.

TAMF: What are the other challenges?

Kuta: There are a lot of other challenges. The first one is lack of funds. Today, the movie and entertainment industry is like a money spinning industry. It is the third largest employer of labour in Nigeria today, but most state governments have not come to the realization of this sector, especially in Niger State. The government of Niger State has not come to realize the positive impacts of this business. Sometime, you would want to do a mega production and you need to a lot of money. Let me give you an example. Some years back, the Federal Government through the Bank of Industry, granted N150, 000, 000 to a producer in Lagos to produce a film titled “Dr. Bello”. In Niger State, there is no single producer that has been given a hundred thousand naira to produce a movie by the state government.

Secondly, the Federal Government has opened a window for the entertainment industry to acquire loans from the Bank of Industry and most of the production companies in Niger State, if you go round, have not registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission. Some of them don’t even know the business apart from just production. And aside that, you need to have an office, employ staff, monitor your finances, and record your stuffs like that. But we had an engagement with the Bank of Industry; they said even if you don’t have all these requirements, the state government can stand as a surety for you. Have they done that? We’ve reached out, but it is like, it is part of their agenda. And even individuals are scared to put their money to support us. They believe their money may not come back.

TAMF:  There have been complaints of sex-for-role rule in the movie and entertainment industries in Nigeria where producers and directors are alleged to only give roles to actresses in return for sex. How true is this in Niger State?

Kuta: Tell me a sector where there is no sex scandal in Nigeria. But thank God, I have never been accused of that. I have never used that as a yardstick to feature a girl in my production. I am not saying there are no such cases in the movie and entertainment industry but I will not sit here and accuse other producers or directors of doing that because I have not seen it. I am a realists, I deal with facts and evidences. If people say it, fine. But because I don’t also do it, I will not say others are not doing it.

 But like Hausa people are wont to say “in bera na da sata, daddawa ma na da wari”. Why not also check the girls? Because there is one thing about girls, because of their nature, they try to appeal to men. They believe they can break the rules, cut corners and get what they want and some men cannot resist the temptation.

But to me, if you are not good, I can’t feature you in my movies. I am concerned with good performance and professionalism. However, I am speaking for myself. I can’t speak for other people.

TAMF: Today, many producers appear to have abandoned film for music production. What does this imply?

Kuta: They believe it fetches them more money and they want to make money. You know most people came into this business for the sake of making money. But I am into this business to develop the industry, establish a name and leave a legacy. Money will come when it would come. So, I don’t have to chase it anyhow and say maybe because I am not making it in the film, let me move to music. It means I am not a focused film maker. I can sing quite all right but I have never thought of going into musical aspect. I started with the music but money is not the main thing. It’s about contributing to the society, creating jobs for the young people and also making a mark, changing some things in the society through film. That’s the essence of film making. I am into this business for me to talk about issues which I believe if I talk about will take me to where I am and then, money will begin to come.

TAMF: How would you compare the quality of movies produced in Nigeria and those of other parts of the world?

Kuta: I think they have said that Nigeria is number one or two in terms of quantity of films produced in the world. I am not in support of quantity production. I don’t believe in quantity but quality and that is why you would see that I have started so many years ago, but I have had very few films produced in the market because I would rather produce a film that would last for the lifetime than producing a film that would last for six months. Therefore, Nigeria is known to be the producer of films in large quantity but quality is not there.

However, we are beginning to get it right because the proliferation of cinema today is making the producers to look inward. There is no need for me to produce 10 films in a year. If I can produce one good film in a year and it can fetch me a lot of money, I think I should go for it. So, I think maybe in the nearest future, we will get there but for now, Nigeria is the highest producer of films in the world.

TAMF: Who are your strong partners?

Kuta: I partner with everybody. Let me tell you something. People have accused me of being tribalistic because they have seen someone, a ‘nobody’ coming to produce Gbagyi film. Somebody that’s not from a rich family, somebody that’s not in government, they don’t even know him before and now he has come to promote the culture and tribe of Gbagyi people. When I produced my first Gbagyi film, it was directed by a Nupe man, Isah Bala Gwada and it was the same Isah Bala Gwada who directed my second film. Also, my films are been edited by a Hausa man, Jamilu Doguwa. In my first movie, I had Gbagyis, the Nupes and Hausa people. The second film, if you know Jibrin Yikangi and late Aisha Ndanusa, they were in that production. So, I am not tribalistic. Let that impression be corrected. If I am producing my film, anybody that fits in will be invited whether from Gbagyihood, Nupehood, Kannyhood or even Nollyhood.

TAMF: Now, where is this career taking you?

Kuta: Wow! Well, I hope to see myself winning OSCAR. That is my biggest dream. I want to see myself one day in that assembly of world film makers because I sleep and wake up with film and I believe I am getting there. But I need support for me to explore and promote the culture, the tourism potentials of our state and Nigeria. The good and well to do individuals need to support us. Even in other parts of world like India and America among others, corporate organizations, government and well to do individuals support film industry. If we can get such kind of support here too, I am very sure; sky would be a stepping stone.