THOSE
WHO LEFT ANTP BECAUSE I WON THEM IN COURT ARE CHEATS
BY COMRADE VICTOR ASHAOLU
PRESIDENT
ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA THEATRE, ARTS PRACTITIONERS
E.P: Sir
can we know you?
Ans: I
am comrade Dr Victor Ashaolu, President Association of Nigeria theatre Arts
Practitioners.
E.P: The
very first time I met you in 2012, Chief Jimoh Aliu introduce you to me as the
president
of ANTP. Sir, what is current state of the association?
Ans:
ANTP is very much on ground, we have our members across the country. We
produce
films, we do some cultural stage performance e.t.c.
E.P: Can
you tell us some films you have acted in?
Ans: Am
not used to film production although , I have done one or two , I would have
done
more than that but because of privacy, you see, people on the street selling
people’s
work without their consent (permission). The pirates have eaten deep into our
flesh.
For me, I don’t need to be stressing myself for people to eat where they do not
work.
The industry is not properly organized. I am more into administration than
production
for now, in any case, I studied theatre arts at the university of Ibadan, so it
is
a thing
I know about but at the same time, I believe it has become an all comers
affairs, all
our
people are running into production, production for me I have to fight privacy,
you see
before
they release one film, pirates have published them.
E.P: It
is assumed that prominent members of the
association have left in an order that
have
seen them form new association. What is your reaction to this?
Ans:
About the exodus issue is one thing I
don’t like to talk about because even there is
fighting
among children of the same father over
the property of their father or house of their father it doesn’t mean that a
person who wins the matter from those who lost, if they are not bastard will remain in the house with
the winner. I believe those who are bringing exodus into ANTP are not really
son’s
and daughter’s of the founding fathers of ANTP, if they are, their should remain
in
the
association after everything failed.
E.P: How
do you mean sir?
Ans: They
left because, I won them in court and because they are cheats they want to
continue
to keep cheating other members. They are big fowls who doesn’t want the
smaller
ones grow up but the small ones we are fighting because they don’t understand
what we
are talking about. Its like George orwell’s
“Animals farm” where all animals are
equal
but some are more equal than others as you can see . That’s what is happening
in
the
industry and me I am not bothered even in the bible when Moses was sent to go
and
release
the children of Israel from Egyptian captivity, he faces a lot of opposition
before
they
were released, even the people of Israel didn’t allow Moses to take them to the
promise
land (Israel). That is why I am taking it cool because I see my journey in ANTP
and
the
industry as that of David who won , won and won several wars unlike that of
Moses you
know
very well, so am praying that I should meet members who can understand and let
me take
them to the Promise land. So the exodus
doesn’t bothered me, I know they will
soon
comeback if they are truly the sons and daughters of ANTP Founding fathers.
E.P:
There has been decline in stage production?
Ans: You
should understand that is exactly what am saying there is this Yoruba adage
that
says “ a
stream that forget its source will dry up” they are trying to forget their
source
because
they are exodusing into film production. I understand that our fore-father
started
using
stage production. In nollywood today, they still do stage production but
Nigerians
are lazy
people, they don’t want to suffer for anything and all of them want to become
stars
one day that’s why you are seeing the decline in stage production.
E.P:
Sir, how do you go about membership drive for ANTP to remain relevant in the
Nigerian
Theatre Environment?
Ans:
that is left to God, the membership drive is left to God, when you lost your
foundation,
the house will collapse, wherever they go when it is time they will come back
to their
normal house.
E.P:
Where do you see the progression of nollywood in five years?
Ans: we
have been progressing, we have been developing, you can see yourself, not even
with
government
support we are number four in the world when you check the
nollywood
in five years, we would have arrived better than where we are today by that
time we
would have found solution to piracy because we are working on it now seriously.
We are
going to be tracking all our works anywhere from many sources. We are
working
with an America company , the media distribution network of which I am a
member ,
we are working on that field in two months, you will hear about us in the news.
If we
can be able to track our work definitely, in five years we will be developing
more.
More
people will come into the industry unlike now when people are afraid to come.
E.P:
SIR, to your members in ANTP, what is your message to them?
Ans: The
way things are going in the country is making things hard for everybody. But we
should
keep praying for betterment of Nigeria, that Nigeria to change for better not
the
type of
change where we are in now, to even do production is very difficult, to even
transport
yourself
is very difficult, so I urge members to be prayerful and have trust in God that
is
my advice
to them and that we should try to become one in spite of our individual
differences.
