Hausa Film Turmoil

Editorial in the Leadership, Abuja, on Tuesday, August 21.

Early last week, a secret video recording showing a popular Hausa actress and her boyfriend having sex hit the northern part of this country like a typhoon. The 8-min. video clip was recorded in a Lagos hotel room by the duo, using the man’s cell phone camera. For most stakeholders in the Hausa movie industry, it was the wrong time for such a spectacle to appear. The industry had been repeatedly criticised in recent times for promoting immorality through the films and the activities of its largely young participants.

The recent scandal has embarrassed not only industry leaders but the society in general. But this could be the spur needed by anyone interested in correcting the ills of the industry to begin serious work. Though we are against an outright ban on the film trade, which employs thousands, we would recommend a suspension of the industry for twelve months during which the Kano State government and trade associations could find lasting solutions to the industry’s problems. Our teeming youths should be gainfully employed and our leisure time well served, but not at the expense of our good morals and cultural values. The ‘Hiyana affair,’ as the subsisting scandal is known, is a wake-up call on all parties concerned.