Hausa Films Subtitling: Expanding or Exposing the Kannywood?

[Muhsin]

Introduction

As students of Theatre and Film Studies here in India, we watch drama and films from across the globe, and of all genres. We encounter no hurdle or trouble in getting the films as the internet has today simplified much access to them, broken many boundaries to any nation, any community, and any film industry except in a few cases. I must however admit that only very little is known about Africa or the films produced therein. In spite of this, I often 'boast' saying my country, Nigeria, is the populous African country, and its film industry is the third biggest in the world. But a snag comes up when asked to bring forward the films; I couldn't, for I shouldn't just give them any films, for Nigeria's being a unique country due to its sharp cultural and ethno-religious divide between the North and the South. This becomes necessary because, the perceived national films do have little or no bearing at all to do with my culture and religion of Hausa and Islam. In short, I wanted to give 'our' film but I couldn't so readily get anyone which was well-subtitled in English. This put me to shame. Therefore, the aim of this short write-up is to make a clarion call to the filmmakers to, among other things, save my (our) face (s).

Nigerian Films: Kannywood and Nollywood

Nigeria is divided along religious lines: the South has the Christian majority, while the North is predominantly Muslim. Like its people, the film-makers in the country are divided largely along regional, religious, and marginally ethnic, lines. Thus, there are distinct film industries – each seeking to portray the concern of the particular section and ethnicity it represents.

Kannywood is the catch-all-title given to the film industries in the northern region of Nigeria with Kano state as its epicenter, hence named so—after Kano. Needless to mention, the name followed the styles of the American Hollywood, Indian Bollywood and similar other "woods" across the world. This was created beside the 'national' film industry called Nollywood, where the films produced are in English, the actors mostly Christians from the South with exception of a very few from the North like the ace actor, Ali Nuhu, who is also a household name in the North, Sani Danja and Bello Muhammad Bello aka General BMB, other stars from there. Unlike the Nollywood, the medium used in Kannywood is Hausa, which is the major language in the North, the most widely spoken indigenous language in Nigeria, and second only to Swahili in the whole of Africa. Nevertheless, some years ago, a few of the films, initially rendered in Hausa, like Wasila directed by Yakubu Lere, were re-filmed with mostly new cast and English was used as the medium. That apparently proved unviable, maybe due to the limited number of viewers these films had, and thus soon stopped....http://www.muhsin.in/2014/03/15-hausa-films-subtitling-expanding-or.html

[HUSNAA]

I have always wanted to translate Hausa films into English. Any opportunities for doing so?

[Muhsin]

To translate it like how? Do you mean to say "dubbing" or "subtitling" the films?

[HUSNAA]

Yes

[Muhsin]

Get in touch with the filmmakers.

[HUSNAA]

I was hoping for a more original answer lol😜

[Muhsin]

There's no better answer. You can also be the filmmaker. I think you have the means; I can offer the paperwork.