Mr. Tunde Oladimeji, an indigenous language documentary filmmaker, has tasked stakeholders to push for excellence in technical quality as a way of improving film contents in Nigeria.
Oladimeji, while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos, said that standard contents could be generated through well-researched indigenous stories that could be converted into documentary films.
“As stakeholders in the industry, we should be more concerned about how we can better our works to sustain the interest of viewers who are passionate about indigenous documentary films.
“The indigenous language documentary filmmaking, using Yoruba to capture the audience in Nigeria, is gaining more attention. So it is incumbent on us to put in our best.
“The audience will value our indigenous culture more whenever related documentary films are being aired on the cable and this is a good development to the movie industry,’’ he said.
According to him, Yoruba documentary films teach children born and brought up outside the zone the general culture of the people, their language and ways to relate with their peers and the elderly, irrespective of their base.
“The mother-tongue must be given priority because it is very important for them to be able to speak and interact in the local language, just as they flow in English Language.
“My being born and brought up in Iseyin, Oyo State, has really helped me to find my feet in indigenous documentary filmmaking. So the contents of my works are usually from sources,’’ he said.
The University of Ibadan graduate tasked parents to put more efforts into promoting culture by encouraging their wards to watch indigenous language films.
NAN reports that Oladimeji, director and producer of one of the top Nigeria’s documentary films, had his documentary on Ibadan nominated in the best documentary category of 2020 AMVCA.
Some of the documentary films of the director of Aajirebi, a TV show on Africa Magic Yoruba, included Eko àkéte, Abeokuta Ilẹ̀ Ẹ̀gbá, Ife Ooye and Osogbo Oroki.
Oladimeji is also the host and co-director of the TV show: Eleyinju àánú, which has featured notable Nigerians, including Oba Sikiru Adetona, the Awujale of Ijebuland, Jaye Kuti and Akin Lewis, among others. (NAN)
