Overview
- Lesson Title: Nigerian Film Industry - This is an excerpt from a 2014 radio interview published by a Nigerian radio broadcaster concerning Nigerian culture, values, and film production. WinXP users should install Arial Unicode font.
- Language: Hausa
- Topic: Culture/Society
- ILR Level: 2+/3
- ACTFL Proficiency: Superior, Advanced-High; This ACTFL rating is an approximation based on the ILR level
- Modality: Listening
- Learning Objective: Maintenance & Improvement
- Subject Area: Language
- Material Type: LLO
- Publication Year: 2015
- ObjectID: c14lhau04
Transcript
| Original | Translation |
|---|---|
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SALISSOU HAMISSOU: Alhaji Ali Yusuf Zage, zan fara da kai a matsayi na furodusa. ALI YUSUF ZAGE: Na’am. SALISSOU HAMISSOU: Fannonin da dama ne suka haɗu suke ba da ma’anar fim. Kama tun daga kan hoto, ɗan wasa, sauti, da dai makamanta haka. Kalamai da ake furtawa a cikin harka fina finai su ma suna zaman kansu ne, da ake ce ma dialogue Akwai mutane musanman da suke ta’alaƙa akan irin waɗanan ababen. Za’a iya cewa, ƙwarewar da aka samu ta shirya fina finai a tarayyar Nijeriya musanman a yankin Arewacin ƙasar ya ingantar da, wato tsarin kalaman da ake furtawa, ta bangarenda ya shafi shirya fina finai. ALI YUSUF ZAGE: Abinda yake akwai, alal haƙiƙa, magana ta gaskiya, tunda an ce, ana koyarwa ne, saboda haka, duk abunda za’a faɗa, na Magana dialogue, kamata ya yi a tantanceshi, a ga cewar yaya tsarin yake, a zamantakewar Hausawa, saboda kowace irin ƙabila, akwai irin yanda tarbiya take. Ka ga kamar mu Hausawa idan ka kula akwai irin magana da za ka gaya wa mahaifinka, akwai irin magana da zaka gaya wa wanka, akwai irin magana da zaka gayawa ƙaninka. Saboda haka, tunda koyarwa ake yi, idan da yara ƙanana suna ganin yanda ake yi wa babba magana, suna ganin yanda ake yi wa karami wanda bai kaisu ba, suna ga yanda ake yi wa waɗanda ya fi su magana, to, koyarwar, za su ɗauka. Saboda alal haƙiƙa, manyan mutane, da ƙanana, da na tsakiya da ƙanana na ƙarshe duk suna kallon fina finan Hausa. Saboda haka, idan za’a yi dialogue, za’a faɗi kalamai, a dinga tantancewa. SALISSOU HAMISSOU: Kana ganin cewa akwai gyara kenan? ALI YUSUF ZAGE: Akwai gyara, don akwai wani fim da na gani, ban sani ba ko an faɗa musu ko ba’a faɗa musu ba amma ni na kalli fim ɗin, wanda mace ce, take cewa: Allah Ya tsine wa maza. SALISSOU HAMISSOU: A cikin fim ɗin? ALI YUSUF ZAGE: A cikin fim ɗin sai, Alkali ne ake shari’a sai ya ce: har mahaifinki fa namiji? Ta ce, har shi. SALISSOU HAMISSOU: Alhaji Ali. ALI YUSUF ZAGE: Na’am. SALISSOU HAMISSOU: Ku furodusosi ne, kuke cire kuɗinku, ku sa cikin fina finai din. Shin baka gani kaman da yardanku ake iri wannan, tunda hajarku ce? ALI YUSUF ZAGE: E, abunda yake faruwa, ba kowa ne, duk gaba ɗaya masu yin harkar suke yin hakan ba. Wasu ne suke yi. Kuma, wasun ma, ina gani abinda nike tunani ba swa kai wa wasu su duba wannan kurakuren, kawai sai su baza abun a kasuwa. SALISSOU HAMISSOU: Mh. Kana nufin cewa, masu biya ta bayan fage ne basu kaiwa ga hukuma tace fina finai? ALI YUSUF ZAGE: Ei, to, wasu na kaiwa… SALISSOU HAMISSOU: saboda wannan fim ɗin za’a yi mamaki idan aka ce ya biyo ta hukuma tace fina finai kuma ta ganshi, kuma ta tabbatar da cewa zai haifar da wata muhawara, maran daɗi, amma kuma ta bari. ALI YUSUF ZAGE: Ta bari. In dai sun kai, sun gani, ta bari, to, wa laifinsu ne, saboda duk wanda aka nunawa kuskure, ba mamaki a lokacin, bai gani ba. SALISSOU HAMISSOU: To, madalla, Alhaji, yaya kake gani za’a gyara? ALI YUSUF ZAGE: Na’am, yanda za a gyara, gaskiya, sai an yi haƙuri da duba gyaran. Duk wanda ya rubuta labari, masu rubuta script, sai sun tantance irin kalamanda za’a faɗa, saboda ana yi ne don a nuna wani abu, amma ba za’a ringa faɗa batsa ko abunda bai yi abunnan ba. Dole a yi hakuri a bi gyara. In ba haka ba haka za mu yi ta tafiya yaro karami sai ka ji yana ta faɗa abunda za ka yi mamaki da ya ji an faɗa a fim. Saboda haka, dole mu yi hakuri, mu dinga bin gyaran hankali a hankali da hankali, in Allah ya yarda za’a gyara. |
SALISSOU HAMISSOU: Alhaji Ali Yusuf Zage, I will start with you as the producer. ALI YUSUF ZAGE: Yes. SALISSOU HAMISSOU: Different elements are combined to convey the meaning of the movie. The footage, the cast , the sound, et cetera. The comments that are made in the course of a movie are another aspect, they’re called dialogue. There are particular people who are participating in this kind of stuff. It can be said that the experience gained from producing a movie in Nigeria, particularly in the northern region of the country, has helped in improving the use of appropriate language in the production of movies. ALI YUSUF ZAGE: Truthfully speaking, the reality, for example, is that it has been pointed out that the intent of producing these movies is to instruct. Therefore, all that is said in the dialogue should be examined according to the social structures of Hausa culture, because every ethnicity has its own morals. You see, we Hausas, if you notice, there are kinds of statements you will make to your parents, there are the types you will say to your siblings, and there are the types you will say to your younger brother. Therefore, since they are passing on a lesson, if little children are seeing the way they should speak to an adult, and they see the way they should speak to someone younger than them and below their status, and they see how they should speak to those who are above them, well, that’s the lesson they will take. Because in reality, adults, children, and those who are in between as well as the littlest ones, are all watching Hausa movies. Therefore, if there’s dialogue, if they make comments, these should be explicit. SALISSOU HAMISSOU: Do you think it is necessary to improve, then? ALI YUSUF ZAGE: There is need for improvement, because there is a film I saw, I do not know whether they were told to say so or not, but I watched the film where there was a woman who was saying, “May Allah curse all men.” SALISSOU HAMISSOU: In the movie? ALI YUSUF ZAGE: In the movie, it was a court case and the judge said, “Including your father, who is a man?” She said, “Including him.” SALISSOU HAMISSOU: Alhaji Ali. ALI YUSUF ZAGE: Yes. SALISSOU HAMISSOU: Do you see that you, as producers, use your money and invest in these movies, so you are part of the problem? Don’t you see how you give consent in this matter, since it is your investment ? ALI YUSUF ZAGE: Yes, what is happening is that it is not everybody involved in this business who does this, it is some of them who do it. And such people, I believe they don’t submit their movies to be edited for these errors. They just produce the movies and release them into the market. SALISSOU HAMISSOU: You mean the people do not follow protocols and do not submit their movies to the censorship board? ALI YUSUF ZAGE: Yes, well, some people take . . . SALISSOU HAMISSOU: Because it will be surprising if you say that the movie had gone through the censorship board and that they watched it and confirmed that it will result in an unpleasant debate, and yet they still allowed it. ALI YUSUF ZAGE: They allowed it. If in fact they did submit the movie to the board to see and edit it, and they allowed it, then it is their fault. Because when presented with a problematic movie, it is possible for anyone to miss errors at that review, so maybe they didn’t see it. SALISSOU HAMISSOU: Excellent. Alhaji, how do you think this can be corrected? ALI YUSUF ZAGE: Yes, how it can be corrected, honestly, is that they need to be patient and make the necessary corrections. Whoever writes a story, the script writers, they need to examine the dialogue that will be used, because it is done to teach something, and they should not continue to use obscenities or say things that are improper. So we must be patient with making corrections. Otherwise, we will find a small child saying something and you will be surprised that he heard it from a movie. Therefore, we must be patient and keep making corrections gradually, and it will be corrected if God permits. |
Glossary
| Hausa | English Meaning |
|---|---|
| the cast, a cast member, player | |
| makamanta | et cetera |
| alal misali | for example (from Arabic) |
| tantanceshi | examined |
| har | including |
| hajarku | investment |
| kurakuren | errors |
| haifar da | result in |
| batsa | obscenities |
Notes
The Notes provide cultural and linguistic information helpful for comprehending the text.
The Hausa People
The Hausa constitute the largest ethnic group in West Africa and live mostly in northern Nigeria, but are also present in Niger. According to the CIA World Factbook, this ethnic group comprises 29 percent of the population of Nigeria, an estimated 50 million people. The Hausa are predominantly Muslim, though there are some animists and other religious minorities, including Christians; non-Muslims are known as Maguzawa (Pellow 1996).
Central Intelligence Agency. 2014. "The World Factbook: Nigeria." Accessed February 22, 2015. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ni.html.
Pellow, Deborah. 1996. "Hausa." Encyclopedia of World Cultures . Accessed February 22, 2015. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3458001492.html.
Dictionaries
Awde, Nicholas. 1996. Hausa–English, English–Hausa Dictionary . New York: Hippocrene Books.
This bilingual dictionary includes terminology relevant to users with interests in computing, information technology, business, and telecommunications. It includes over eighteen thousand entries.
Newman, Paul. 2007. A Hausa–English Dictionary , Yale Language Series. New Haven: Yale University Press.
This Hausa to English dictionary includes appendices on grammar and calendar terminology.
Newman, Roxana Ma. 1990. An English–Hausa Dictionary , Yale Language Series. New Haven: Yale University Press.
This English to Hausa dictionary includes appendices on grammar, pronunciation, and currency systems.
On-Line Bargery. n.d. A Hausa–English dictionary and English–Hausa vocabulary. Accessed October 14, 2014. http://maguzawa.dyndns.ws/.
This online resource features approximately forty thousand Hausa to English entries.
Additional Information
For more information about Nigeria's film industry, read "Nigeria's Film Industry: A Potential Gold Mine?" by Rebecca Moudia, published in May 2013, in Africa Renewal , and available at the following URL:
http://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/may-2013/nigeria’s-film-industry-potential-gold-mine
To learn more about important recent developments in Hausa film, read " Fina-finan Hausa: Muhimman al'amura 13 da suka faru a 2013 " (Hausa films: Thirteen important events of 2013), by Bashir Yahuza Malumfashi, published on December 27, 2013, by the Daily Trust , and available at the following URL:
Comprehension Check
Comprehension Check Activity 1: Multiple Choice
According to the interviewer, the production of movies in Nigeria has directly resulted in a deterioration of the strength of native languages in the northern region of the country.
[ ] True
[ X ] False
Feedback: Correct. The statement is false. The interviewer does not claim that the production of movies in Nigeria has resulted in a deterioration of the strength of native languages in the northern region of the country. Rather, he claims that the experience gained from producing a movie in Nigeria, especially in the north of the country, has aided movies in improving their use of appropriate language.
Comprehension Check Activity 2: Constructed Response
Why does the interviewee believe that the dialogue of movies produced in northern Nigeria needs to be examined?
Model Response: The interviewee believes that the dialogue of movies produced in northern Nigeria needs to be examined because the intent of such movies is to provide instruction. The interviewee also emphasizes that the examination should be done according to the social structures of Hausa culture as each ethnic group follows its own moral code.
Comprehension Check Activity 3: Multiple Choice
What does the interviewee aim to demonstrate through his discussion of the film he saw in which a woman invoked Allah's curse on all men?
[ ] That northern Nigerian film is challenging the social structure of Nigeria
[ ] That northern Nigerian film is demonstrating successful moral lessons
[ X ] That northern Nigerian film is currently in need of improvement
[ ] That northern Nigerian film is too influenced by the pressures of Western film
Feedback: Correct. The interviewee, through his discussion of the film he saw in which a woman invoked Allah's curse on all men, is seeking to demonstrate that northern Nigerian film is in need of improvement. He emphasizes this point by continuing to explain that the woman even went so far as to include her own father in her call for all men to be cursed by God.
Comprehension Check Activity 4: Multiple Choice
The interviewer argues that the interviewee, as a producer, is part of the problem with regard to moral issues in film.
[ X ] True
[ ] False
Feedback: Correct. The statement is true. The interviewer argues that the interviewee, as a producer, is part of the problem with regard to moral issues in film. He explains that this is so because producers provide financial investment and so are giving their consent to the content of a film.
Comprehension Check Activity 5: Constructed Response
Who does the interviewee believe is at fault for the problems present in northern Nigerian film?
Model Response: The interviewee believes that whoever is in charge of writing the script is truly at fault for the problems present in any northern Nigerian film. He is careful not to blame the censorship board, explaining that it is possible for anyone to miss things in a review of a film, and thus emphasizes that the fault lies with those who knowingly created the problems in the first place.
Comprehension Check Activity 6: Multiple Choice
According to the interviewee, which of the following traits is needed in the pursuit of correcting any problems with regard to Nigerian film?
[ X ] Patience
[ ] Honor
[ ] Virtue
[ ] Honesty
Feedback: Correct. The interviewee repeatedly mentions that he believes what is needed most in the pursuit of correcting problems in Nigerian film is patience. If there is no patience, he claims, there will be a negative influence on the youth of the country; with patience, however, corrections can be made gradually over time.