Actors and musicians are going into politics for money,nothing more- Clarion Chukwurah explodes

Friday, 17 October 2014

If you think seasoned actress, Clarion Chukwurah, is going to get tired of stirring up controversies, you may just be joking. Nowadays, the woman is not afraid of making hard comments on various issues.This time, she is taking on Nigerian entertainers crossing into politics, whose number seems to be growing everyday – from Kate Henshaw to Tony Tetuila and others. More after the cut...

In an interview with our correspondent, the actress describes the rush, especially by Nollywood practitioners, to join partisan politics as sheer hypocrisy. According to her, some artistes want to go into politics because they are not getting much money from their vocations.She says, “The motive of those who are embracing partisan politics is purely monetary. Let us call a spade a spade. If you tell me that you want to go into politics to serve the people, I would want to look at your record first.

“I want to see what you have done to better the lives of the people in your immediate community. How many boreholes have you sunk in the community? How many hours of community service have you given for free over the last four or five years? How well are you known as somebody who yearns for improvement in social development?”Interestingly, however, the award-winning diva has indicated that she wants to change the face of the Actors Guild of Nigeria and by implication, Nollywood, if given the opportunity.The actress, who seems to be waiting for the right time to unleash her agenda, says Nigerian actors and actresses deserve a better deal than they are getting, in terms of welfare.She notes that the only way this can be achieved is by establishing a structure that will ultimately benefit all stakeholders in the film industry.

However, some reports published online and posted in some popular blogs have recently portrayed Chukwurah as a thorn in the flesh of the current leadership of the guild. She was reported to have severely criticised the latter for not living up to the expectations of the members.The reports also hinted that the actress might be aiming at the highest position in the guild. Confirming this, she says, “I said earlier that I wanted to take charge of the AGN because I saw that those who were running the body lacked the experience necessary to turn it around and to change the face of the film industry. It was clear that those in charge had not real agenda for the guild and they didn’t know what to do to turn it around.

“Also, I observed that some people already felt that being in charge was the same thing as being in a position to hobnob with top politicians in the corridors of power and to get money from various interest groups in the country. And there was so much desperation on the part of the leadership of the guild to hold on to power because they see their position as a platform to make money.”

Chukwurah maintains that those in charge of the body have not been managing its affairs properly because they have been too busy creating divisions among the members for selfish purposes.

She says, “We are not getting good results and this is why I think we do not have the kind of leaders that can serve and protect the interests of members of the Guild. There is a need for the AGN to enhance the careers of its members, through its operations, in such a way that everybody and the guild itself will benefit. Yet, none of those running the body seems to be thinking of this.

“The AGN can only get stronger if it protects the interests of practitioners, This can only happen through commerce driven alliances with user groups, not by engaging in politics of division.”

She also complains that many Nollywood actors have not been getting paid by advertising companies, fashion magazines, online portals and other organisations, that publish their photographs or use any part of their works for commercial purposes.

Frowning at this practice, she says, “In Hollywood, you don’t just post the picture of a star actor or actress on your blog. Some popular bloggers are doing that in this country and walking away with a lot of money. You don’t organise award events, such as the Nollywood Movie Awards, without paying for using the name ‘Nollywood’. Since the word ‘Nollywood’ is a trade mark for the Nigerian film industry, you have to obtain a licence before you can use it.”