Nollywood filmmakers in the southeast have unveiled a cinema project to promote Igbo culture.
The unveiling of the initiative, named the Igbo Cinema and Culture Project, was held on Saturday in Abakaliki, Ebonyi state.
The event hosted multiple industry practitioners including Pete Edochie, Patience Ozokwor, Chinwetala Agu, Nkem Owo, Kanayo O. Kanayo, and Cha-Cha Eke among others.
Francis Nwifuru, the governor of Ebonyi, described the occasion as a “welcome development” as it aimed at promoting the identity of the people, especially the Igbos.
Nwifuru, represented by his deputy Patricia Obila, pledged N15 million as support to the filmmaking project in Ebonyi.
Obila said Ebonyi state is determined to develop the entertainment industry for the people and promote their heritage.
“Our culture is our heritage, which includes our language and clothing among others. My government is tagged ‘People’s Chatter of Needs’ and we are ready to support projects aimed at promoting our image as a state and Igbo land,” the governor said.
Unveiling the Project, Pete Edochie commended the people of Ebonyi for putting up the project.
He stressed that the cinema would continue to attract support.
Kanayo and Ozokwor also hailed the initiators of the cinema project in the state and urged them to keep the flag flying.
They described the film industry in Nigeria as the “biggest employer of labour” and urged all hands to be on deck to move the industry forward.
Stanley Ogbuewu, the state’s commissioner for culture and tourism, said the idea of the cinema project was to reawaken the consciousness of Ndigbo toward the beauty of their culture.
Ogbuewu explained that it is also a way to promote Igbo culture and bring the people together.
“This unique project will re-establish and revive our dwindling Igbo culture, especially our language, by creating awareness in our hands,” he said.
“The cinema will showcase movies, music and dances produced using the language and lifestyle of our people. With this project, we will understand that despite the languages and traditions, we are one.
“There is that tradition that binds Igbo people together, which is what the project is trying to bring alive through the unveiling.”
