The Kannywood industry has long faced internal and external challenges that have hampered its operations, sometimes to the point of stalling.

But among the major challenges that have plagued the industry are internal conflicts, especially between the Film Censorship Board – which is currently under the chairmanship of a filmmaker – and some actors.

The Film Censorship Board was created during the tenure of the former governor of to oversee the conduct of the industry, especially films and videos.

During the tenure of Malam Abubakar Rabo, there were frequent calls from the industry to return the board’s leadership to the control of industry members.

However, from the time of Isma’ila Na’Abba Afakallah to the present, under the chairmanship of Abba El-Mustapha, many filmmakers and musicians have been suspended, including those who have been sent to prison.

Religious and cultural norms have long been seen as some of the obstacles hindering the growth of the Kannywoon film industry.

Now that the bans on actresses and are being discussed, the BBC examines whether the bans are having any effect on reforming the morals of the industry.

Is the Ban Effective?

Dr Muhsin Ibrahim, a professor at the , said the film censorship board’s actions will only have the desired impact if it gains the cooperation of industry stakeholders.

He said that the agency often suspends actors or other filmmakers in two ways:

• Either to punish them for breaking the law
• Or to get others to join their ranks

However, he said that the lack of unity that the industry is suffering from is hindering the agency’s work.

“But because of the lack of strength of the Kannywood industry associations, and their unity, there are a lot of failures, especially after the agency suspends a filmmaker,” he said.

He said that if a producer thinks it is enough, he puts the filmmaker who was suspended by the agency in the film because he knows it is enough.

“If the producer thinks that nothing will be done to him, he knows that he will not be punished because he broke the law. This is why sometimes you will see that the suspension has no effect,” said Mushin.

Muhsin added that the agency needs a lot of cooperation from filmmakers to achieve what is desired.

He added that the best thing to do is to not include any actor in a film.

“If he is included in a film, then the producer of the film should be fined a lot of money or even suspended.”

The film expert said that if this is not done in the first place, “this suspension is not important.”

Muhsin cited the situation of discrimination and the authority that the agency has, saying it would be difficult to punish non-Kano residents if there is no cooperation from the film producers.

“For example, if someone is suspended in Kano, like Amina Uba and Adamu Garba. You see, they are all non-Kano residents, they were suspended, and now most Kannywood films are made in other states such as Gombe, Kaduna, Jigawa and Abuja,” he said.

He said that since they are not Kano residents, the agency has no effect on them.

“But now most of the big movie producers are Kano residents. So if they can get together, and the chairman of the board is one of them, then you will see the suspension has a big impact,” said Muhsin.

Major Kannywood Suspension Cases

The first conflict that attracted attention was that of the late Rabilu Musa Dan Ibro and the film board.

In Rabilu’s film Kara’in Ibro, the board arrested and jailed the film’s producer, Ibrahim Bauni, for 10 years, and the film’s businessman, Shazali Kamfa, was suspended, but Ibro was not included.

However, he was arrested again in a film called Ibro a loko with his friend, Lawal Kaura, where they were accused of producing a film without registration.

Another suspension that caused a stir was that of actor Adam A. Zango, who announced his return to Kaduna State to direct films.

However, he attracted attention again when Adam A. Zango appeared in a video posted by on Instagram saying that he would enter the state to watch the movie Mati A Zazzau.

After the video was released, the then chairman of the Kano Film Censorship Board, Isma’ila Na’abba Afakallah, was reported to have said that as soon as the actor entered Kano to carry out a film-related project, they would arrest him, but if he only went to watch a movie, they would have nothing to do with him.

In 2016, actress Rahama Sadau appeared in a hip-hop song with musician called I Love You.

The song caused a stir, prompting the board to ban the actress from the industry.

The board violated its rules by wearing revealing clothing and other offenses, and she was suspended for a year.

In August 2019, the board arraigned film director Sanusi Oscar for “violating the rules of his profession in Kano by releasing a song that contained obscenity”, the board’s chairman Isma’ila Na’abba Afakallahu told the BBC.

Oscar denied the charges and was granted bail by Justice Aminu Fagge of a Kano Magistrates’ Court on two conditions — two sureties, one of whom must be his blood relative, and a ban on speaking to any media outlet.

In September 2019, the Kano State Police Command arrested popular singer Naziru M. Ahmed, popularly known as Naziru Sarkin Waka, “for defamatory remarks” he made in some of his songs.

The Film Censorship Commission, which issued the arrest warrant, added that the singer was accused of running a music studio, or studio, in his home, a charge Naziru M. Ahmed denied.

Naziru is the Sarkin Waka of Kano, the man who has been embroiled in a long-running feud with the government of the deposed Emir of Kano, , which led to his removal from the throne and his later reinstatement.

A Kano Magistrates’ Court granted him bail on conditions including the payment of N500,000, surrender of his passport, and the production of three sureties, who must be employees of the Kano State Government and the local government of his residence.