The Gods are not to Blame

Femi Elufowoju Jr is the founder and director of Tiata Fahodzi which was set up in 1997 to produce work that would explore the rich heritage of British African communities . Femi has numerous credits as an actor in film, television, theatre and radio. He is currently in pre-production for the Ola Rotimi classic ‘The Gods are not to Blame'.

Question: You were initially training to be a lawyer. How easy was it for you to cross over into drama school?

Femi Elufowoju Jr: Not easy, what with the prevailing parental ambition and the support infrastructure in Ife at the time (now Obafemi Awolowo University). I was in my fourth year in the Law department when I was advised to withdraw due to the quality of my grades and my passion for the ‘extra curricular' as my involvement in theatre was described. With no where else to go and with a point to prove, I returned to England and enrolled at Holborn Law Tutors. It was a futile exercise and the following year I was invited to apply for a place at the prestigious Bretton Hall in Wakefield, the school for theatre arts affiliated to Leeds University. The rest I guess is history.

Question: What is it like being behind the camera as opposed to in front of it?

Femi Elufowoju Jr: The most nerve racking experience I've ever encountered was my first stint in front of the camera in the early nineties. It's terrifying! I really saw myself as probably the most incompetent actor going. I was dropping lines, overacting and exhibiting notions of paranoia. I think I got better as years went on. Now that I have broken into the hard wearing soles of the profession as an emerging theatre director, I look forward to that elusive opportunity to direct my first feature.

Question: Is African theatre competing with the home video scene?

Femi Elufowoju Jr: Yes, but more so at home than here, no doubt. I was home in January earlier this year to research ‘The Gods are not to Blame'. I met up with some of our veteran actors who have all clocked credible air miles as theatre actors in their heydays but are now solely relying on video appearances in the Nollywood industries as their main source of income. The general consensus being that modern technology and current market forces dictate to the traditional audience member. The V.C.D and its other formats are increasingly making drama the most accessible and economical medium of entertainment, hence the exodus from theatre going back home. On a separate note, the federal government is not encouraging training and academicians are frustrated due to their salaries being withheld and their classrooms thinning. In England, the situation is more encouraging despite the influx of the popular 'Nollywood' feature.

Question: There are a large number of Nigerian home V.C.Ds, however hardly any of them seem to reach the big screen. Do you think ‘Nollywood' will ever be a force for Britain, Cannes or Hollywood to reckon with?

Femi Elufowoju Jr: Absolutely, it's just a matter of time. Don't forget that ‘Nollywood' is just a fantastical expression to equate the small impoverished film making phenomenon back home with the western notion. In reality we cannot compete with the multi-billion film industry invested in the US district of California and the Shepperton/Pinewood likes in the UK, talk less of the thriving independent film companies backed by huge sponsors in those other places. Culturally, there is a dedication very close to the grand design of each of those huge communities which make the ‘big screen' experience a foregone conclusion in America and England, and until there are more sponsorship collaborations and government lead incentives as exemplified with Tunde Babalola's recent Nigerian blockbuster hit ‘Critical Assignment', we'll remain apathetically marginalised.

Question: What advice do you have for young aspiring actors or playwrights?

Femi Elufowoju Jr: Don't listen to your parents and fight tooth and nail to pursue your innermost driven ambition.

TIATA FAHODZI'S
THE GODS ARE NOT TO BLAME by OLA ROTIMI

runs at the
ARCOLA THEATRE, DALSTON, LONDON E8 2DJ

from
WEDNESDAY 8 JUNE - SATURDAY 2 JULY 2005

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