As a result of long years of praetorian regimes in Nigeria, Nigerian economy becomes wretched, resulting in social crisis and political instability and economic hardship. This resulted in unemployment crisis among our citizens of both sexes, more especially our youth, many finish school without job, some are even graduate, while others are drop out. Consequently, public sector is so choked off that employment opportunities seem impossible. As a result, one of the only alternatives is ever collapsing private sector, and only small scale industry can provide this alternative. This is one of the reasons of the proliferation of the small companies, to trade in the production of films. Secondly as many observes, long years of cinema going habit and watching Indian films, also help in the spreading of the idea, in fact this is why Bollywood culture dominate the idea of film making. 

In northern Nigeria where there is high rate of poverty, illiteracy and unemployment, some sections of its youth begin to introduce new alternative to public services. One of such ways is production and marketization of Hausa film in the form of Hausa home video. Its main aim is to alleviate the agony of unemployment, poverty, and at the same time provides source of income to many as well as teaching and entertaining viewers, as many actors and actresses usually said, when interviewed why they are filming?

The aim of the paper is to critically analyze some Hausa home videos and suggest ways of improving relevance of criticism to the development of story writing and filming in Hausa film industry. 

General Perspective

From general perspective there is significant improvement in many aspects of film making, ranking from script writing, technical aspect, camera, directing, and effects and soon, though the industry is nascent, and it is at its infant’s stage, the industry has achieved a lot in its decade of existence in terms of pictures and ideas

Recent development is in term of picture quality. Whoever watches Tubali, Kasko and Kusufi, can testify to this. There is significant improvement  in script writing, some line of writers are increasing in terms of intellectualism, by developing stories that tend to address issues that are bedeviling Hausa society, such as women trafficking as in Jirwaye, while Halak was an attempt to discuss how difficult it is for women to reconcile between their marriage and their profession more especially the so called mata yan boko. However, Buri on the other hand, tries to explain the agony of women caught between poverty and riches. Wasiyya is an attempt to explain the devastating impact of feudal life and how feudalists in rural areas are exploiting rural peasants, at the sometime deny them their rights.

On the other hand, there are other films which make no sense, for they can be term as literary nonsense, as Sweeny (1985) called them. Films like Sunduki need more clear explanation, because many are asking the question, what is Sunduki trying to express. The writer and the producer of Qauli have done well, but writing on legal matters requires thorough research. The whole argument in the court and the presentation of the case from the crime scene to the court, in the film is somehow wrong. But, as it is just the beginning of the Hausa filmmaking in such area, we are expecting them to improve. Ilhama on the other hand, is too ambiguous, lacks specification and direction. The fact that Abida attempted to commit suicide in the film is the only reasonable idea, and to me it is suppose to be the central theme of the film. But, to viewers’ dismay, Abida survived her evil attempt and later came to court and defended her lover. Many viewers wished that Abida died and that her lover Aminu Asid face the court and use legal expert to free himself.

Another problem which is bedeviling filming and film writing, and the most shameful one is lack of indigenous idea, independent of Indian films or Igbo films as Adamu  (2003) called the idea as wankiya (washing). This culture of copycat syndrome, has been disturbing the mind of many concern people, as one of the major problems they have with Hausa film, many are against the films, because they are not representing their culture, but they are representing Indian, or Igbo, or American culture, as Furniss (2003), Adamu (2003). There are so many such films. Example: Zubaida (Indian), Tantiri and Gagare (American), and Jigo (Igbo)  There is need for the adherent of such ideas to know that in the whole history of scholastic Africa, there is no society with culture of writing like that of Hausa society. From the 10th century to date, we were writing and we have rich culture of writing. Since the arrival of Al‑Maghili in northern Nigeria in the 15th century to the time of Usman dan­ Fodio in the 19th century, up to the era of colonialism in the 20th century, we were writing ideas, views and opinions. I doubt much whether there is any academic field that Hausa scholastic community has never expressed itself, in both Arabic and Roman writing. There is need for you to try and be yourself rather than imitating other, because you will end up being nothing but mere caricature of the culture you are imitating.

There is also the problem of over emphasis on romantic themes. Most of our film writers and film makers focused most of their attention on romantic or emotional themes. Of cause there is nothing wrong with that, but there is need for the writers to try and give much emphasis on other issues like religious teachings, charity, peaceful co-existence, democracy and good governance, social‑evils and vices and the ways to finding lasting solutions. There is also need for them to focus their attention on life and death and their meaning, ethnic crisis, religious parochialism, social problems, women empowerment among others. Romantic writing is not a problem on itself, but the problem is that people may become bored of watching Hausa films because the story is always on one particular subject.

Most of Hausa films these days are more an action drama, than real life drama. And there is lack of precision and perfection in the dramas, which makes people shun them. I think since the industry is at its infant stage, there is need for them to give more emphasis on drama with dialogue and debate, rather than action dramas. I argue that it is the absence of more dialogue and debates in our dramas that makes the whole idea absurd.

The absence of film consultants is another problem. This is the reason most of the film writers and filmmakers make a lot of blunders in their films. If for example in Qauli, the services of legal experts were consulted, the story might have been enriched and more composed. Also when it comes to police action, police should be used as consultants. The same thing with medical experts, engineers, politicians, among many other fields.  .....................Continued on Next Page