TAMPAN CAN DO BETTER

 TAMPAN CAN DO BETTER

TAMPAN is building an elitist team of movie practitioners. Do not be swayed by the picture the social media paints. 

The association under the leadership of Otunba Bolaji Amusan has undergone the biggest facelift. There are many who are just interested in pulling down the effort of members but we have indeed  come a long way. Our presence as a team of movie makers, pulling resources together to give the public entertainment with substance, pre-dates the existence of the description 'Nollywood' as we have now.

We are an industry without any cogent, external financial support. Nothing comes from the government as a means of aid, from the local government level to the federal government level. We have no grants from foreign organizations, no support from the corporate entities in Nigeria as well. Thus far, we have travelled solo. Members invest their personal funds into projects. There have been efforts appreciated and losses made but we are here. 

For years there has been an unprecedented loss in investments and our ROI has been at an all-time low. We have been priced lowest by cable TVs despite the fact that most of the CONTENTS from the industry have been the major backbone of many of these terrestrial, cable and digital TV shows. We have shouldered the weight of production, from conception to distribution.

If you visit our productions set you will be amazed at the 'miracles' we pull. There is not enough funds or remuneration for actors. Most crew members live below the poverty line. Yet, we have contributed to the income economy of the government of Nigeria, directly or indirectly. A considerable percentage of the country's GDP comes from the industry and yet we do not have a single recognition from our government. More so, the Lagos State Government,  where over 20,000 practitioners are domiciled,  had done nothing to recognise the impact of the association.

Members strive to pull together resources to produce good and quality content for the public. Do you know how many of our films are censored weekly in Nigeria? There is a lot of comparison made between us and Hollywood. But this comparison lacks objectivity in every way. How much and how well can you do with less than a million naira squeezed into four days of shooting? Getting equipments and gadgets alone are above 200,000naira per day. The industry is run on the good nature, persistence, and  goodwill of people. We have an industry where we deny ourselves of some basic necessities just to always find good content to serve our fans. A number of times, actors give their talents pro bono. The crew as well, just because they do not want to and will not disappoint our audience.

We are alone. We are broke. Even our films when released are pirated, and often times downloaded free from social media platforms. We may have been popular, but indeed we are broke. Actors have had to explore and/or embrace other talents ( side hustles) to go beyond surviving. We need to thrive. We can do better.

Tola Bolaji

Tampan Guild of Directors

PRO

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