Tango Between Writers and Kano Censorship Board

By

Isa Muhammad Inuwa

ismi2000ng@yahoo.com

When the embattled Director General of the Kano Films Censorship Board began his rounds of duty in trying to tame the (notorious?) Hausa film makers at the threshold of his of his coming into office, hardly did people had an iota of idea that he would subsequently extend his groping hands to other printed matters, such as Hausa novels and books, printed aspects on advertorials, posters and related medicinal packets, carrying nude pictures and other elements of nudity and pornography. However, the question of whether the extra functions apart from films censorship are inclusive in the line of duty of the Censorship Board is less relevant, than the way and manner such functions are being carried out.

Sincerely speaking, many people, including this writer, were happy and satisfied by the way the Censorship Board sanitized the film industry in the state, from the hitherto condition of moral laxity and unprofessionalism, though not without complaints from many film makers who found the rules imposed by the Board as too harsh and unbearable, to the extent most of them migrated to other places to conduct their affairs. It could be remembered, it was the unfortunate incident of appearance of a mini-video clip of a Hausa film actress Maryam Hiyana that invited the wrath of Kano authorities; and with its Shari’a status, no one expected any less action from the state films Censorship Board, whose former head was removed and replaced with another one, thought to be more capable and unrepentant in dealing with the issue of film makers.

In what seems to be a wider dimension taken by the new-faced Censorship Board, it seems to be embarking on a holistic approach to uproot what seems to it to be indecency in the society, particularly such indecency that exists or usually appear in some films, books, novels, magazines, posters of commercial items and printed advertorials with apparently lewd tendencies. No one, and particularly no sane and responsible person quarrels with the Censorship Board to undertake this sanitization, but there seems to be a little problem of a kind of mix-up of issues as regards to the case of Writers or Authors of various writings in Kano, which both the Board and the writers themselves fail to understand.

It should be clear that for quite many years, there have been several Groups and Associations of Writers in Kano, most of them Hausa based Writers. Also many members of those Groups and Associations were as well, members of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA). Now the fact is that neither all members of those Associations were, or are members of ANA, nor all members of ANA belong to any of those Associations of Writers. However, under the emergency situation whereby the Write are facing what they deem as a threat from the state Censorship Board, they are forced to unite under the umbrella of the mother Association of ANA, with the Apparent aim to consolidate effort towards a challenging and surmounting a common fate facing them. The Hausa writers of novels were often accused of going out of the ways in their manner of injecting immoral and vulgar language in their books, which many concerned people felt they are harmful to the youths and minors. What could have prompted the state Censorship Board to check Kano Writers, was the close affinity between Hausa novels and film making in Kano, in that some of the Hausa films were direct translations of such novels. By checking them, the Board thinks it is attacking the root of it all.

This writer happens to be a member of ANA Kano, and although writes some Hausa poems and related literary materials, he is more given to the English aspect and is fully aware that both the Hausa and English sessions of monthly readings by members, take place separately and at different venues. This fact stands for long, so much which many of the members at the different sessions hardly familiarize with one another. Thus, by the time the misunderstanding between the Censorship Board and Kano Writers came up, many ANA members attending English sittings were flabbergasted and wondered what might have tempted Malam Rabo, the Director General of the board to have threatened their activities, which mostly involve casual readings of poems and short stories, and not anything to do with real publications of books or otherwise, for direct public consumption.

However, for anybody conversant with the artists groups of writers, it would never surprise one to observe the merger of the splinter writers groups in Kano, more so, under the canopy of a giant National Association of writers, ANA, to fight and secure their right of creativity and expression. In as much as politics transcends every facet of human life, the antics of state politics being played on the writers, would never stop them from divulging into their ilk of politics to match force of the pen with that of state hegemony in order to test who would emerge winner at the end.

Indeed, history is full of antecedents whereby writers were faced with so many challenges and threats because of the reality that creativity in Art is akin to new inventions in Science, which is just synonymous with, to many people who are much addicted to the old conventional ways, mere heretic innovations. But what has particularly vexed the Kano Writers were the apparently numerous rules of the censorship Board on them, not just rules, but their obvious out-stretching demands, up to the point of asking each writer to register with the Censorship Board individually, aside from the register demanded of his Writers Association. If this clause could be deleted from Malam Rabo’s laws, I rightly guess that the Kano Writers would have no more problems complying with the Censorship Board on its rues and regulations on writers.

Despite several past attempts that failed to yield understanding between the Writers and the Censorship Board, I would like at this juncture, as member of the noble Association of Writers ANA, implore on all stakeholders and people of concern in the society to hasten and mediate in the matter before it runs out of hand. For sure fact is that the battle-line drawn between Kano authorities and the Writers would not at the end yield any welcoming consequence for the constituted authorities, in that no any battle between the pen and the sword or even the gun ever yielded victory to the latter, at any point in time, in history. The maxim that “The pen is mightier than the sword” still remains unchallenged and undeniable. The earlier the Authorities heed this piece of advice, the better - after all, a stitch in time, saves nine.

For the Writers, they ought to consider this development as natural and as normal part pf lie challenges, for nothing could be challenged that is not worth it. They ought to also bear in mind, the reality of interactions and counteractions of ideas, views and opinions among people, groups and of course Authorities existing in the society, and in the course of day to day encounters. This is something natural and there is nothing one can do to stop it. It just has to happen, and whenever it happens like this, people should be calm and very decisive and tactful in addressing the matter at hand. In the first place, this writer never just considers this development in the narrow and simple sense of a personal vendetta between one personal entity – Rabo and Kano Writers, rather as a tango between the State or a constituted Authority and the Writers. After all, Writers are too big to face a single personal entity, in such form of an office holder as Rabo, whose identity as “Director General” is only transient, while any written material remain ever permanent for so many unimaginable up coming generations to read and benefit. By narrowing down their focus and unnecessarily worrying too much about Malam Rabo, the Censorship gatekeeper, I regret the writers are rather selling cheap publicity and recognition of the man, instead of fighting his antics in the guise of the Censorship Board. Also, the writers ought to appear quite different and more organized and more enlightened as are surely are, from the film makers, by dealing with their case intellectually and responsibly, and the victory is ours In - Sha -Allah!

ISA MUHAMMAD INUWA, is a Freelance Journalist in Kano and member of Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA). E-mail: ismi2000ng@yahoo.com. P.O. Box 4534, Kano, Nigeria.