California and its many entertainment mysteries

Recently, AGOZINO AGOZINO, attended the Pan African Film and Arts Festival in California, in the United States of America. He savoured the social life in the United States of America’s city of entertainment. Upon his return to Nigeria, he reports his encounter with the city beyond the festival:

WHEN I was invited to the 2016 edition of the Pan African Film and Arts Festival (PAFF) in the United States of America (USA), I looked forward to an interesting experience.

The festival held February 4 through 22 at the Rave Cinema 15, Baldwin Hills, Crenshaw Plaza, Los Angeles, California, USA.

However, adjusting to the chilly winter weather in USA, from the hot dry season in Nigeria was difficult. And the cold hit me strongly, on arrival at the Los Angeles International Airport after an 18-hour flight. Our flight’s stopover in Houston, Texas was an inevitable rough baptism for me.

Ayuko Babu, who, arguably, is an authority on Nigeria and a veteran of the African American films event, was one of the conveners of the festival which attracted about 8,000 visitors of African origin, including a substantial number of Nigerians.

As a journalist, with bias for the arts, mine was an interesting voyage, because it offered me the opportunity to interact with various artists from Africa.

Throughout my three-week stay in California, I just could not stop thinking of Lagos, my abode and Nigeria country, generally. The reason was not far-fetched.

The beauty and dazzle of California was as seductive as it was mind boggling, Beautiful streets with very long and broad roads that link one another with very alert traffic lights that ensures easy and comfortable flow of human and vehicular traffic; intimidating skyscrapers; a plethora of event places; spectacular light works even on signages, and many more.

I could not fathom how constant electricity supply was taken for granted. No power surge. No sudden cut of power supply.

It did not last long before I figured out the source of my ‘problem’ – I have grown to live with a mindset that a public electricity supply would always have hiccups but here (there) I  found myself witnessing a magic – an efficient and people-conscious public electricity agency.

Shops operate far into the night in spite of the chilly weather. People move around freely, because there is light everywhere. Everything, to me, was just pure magic.

Don’t blame me. It is not just the usual foreign traveler’s fantasy. I have travelled abroad to several places. So I am not carried away. However the effective functionality of the California society, her huge provision of historic monuments and the public’s easy access of modern infrastructure is what caught my fancy. I saw a city that thrives in law, order, regular maintenance of public utilities and an efficient workforce that ensures that everything, almost always, works to the benefit of the people.

While in California, I could not help but ponder Oshodi, Obalende, Ojota, Ketu, Agege, Iyanu Ipaja and other bustling settlements in Lagos, where, in the course of my reportorial duties, I always ran into vehicular and human logjam and realised that we the citizens as much as the leaders are responsible for the awkwardness. This is more evident in level of infrastructure, social comfort and cohesion in society.

A friend, Jude Nwankwo, who lives in California, did a good job of showing me how the city works. He took me on a tour of the famous global entertainment hub, the glamour city of Hollywood, among other places.

On our way, I recollected the Artists Village in the National Arts Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos which was recently demolished amid hues and cry from stakeholders in Nigeria and beyond.

When we got to Hollywood, I saw a wonderful entertainment settlement. The setting was as much a beautiful housing estate as it was an array of blocks of first class film facilities and production suites. Some call it a film estate. I saw a plethora of film professionals, movie stars and a variety relating to film making. There were other celebrities too, some of who particularly took us through some rudiments of the entertainment industry.

Surprisingly there was a behaivioral pattern among the stars, at least most of them. When the Hollywood stars step out to talk to you, they communicate in a down-to-earth that bellies their high social personality. They talk without airs – somewhat different from their personae in the make-believe world of showbiz and entertainment. You come, star-struck in meeting  a person you have watched in big movies, he turns out to be enthused by your presence. I compared that with mine and other journalists’ experiences with our Nollywood stars, who are,  almost always, full of airs and resolved that someone has a lesson to learn.

The most interesting aspect of this interaction was that, at intervals, we were told the history, meaning or reason for the different forms of Hollywood films and entertainment as well as the costumes worn by the films’ characters. At the end of the day, we had a historical excursion into American movie industry as well as why and how they do what they do to engage the world.

The Hollywood film village is a perfect showcase of entertainment in all ramifications. Of course, as the operators would repeatedly emphasise, no one dares play pranks with the industry because it is a pride of the United States of Americans.

My trip to the Hollywood film village was an eye opener. I discovered that a film village goes beyond a busy market-like place where films are produced. There are other big facilities of support industries such as venues that can play host to regular film or other form of entertainments’ events. Such a place should be kept ready for tourists and everyone interested in meeting the stars and film makers, all-year-round.

Importantly, it should serve as a cultural window into the arts and entertainment endowments of a people as a one-stop promotional tool for all that a people can offer. The management of such an important establishment must be handled by serious-minded professionals, stakeholders in partnership with profit-oriented investors.

My next stopover was at the highbrow California neighbourhood, where I met a Nigerian, Joseph Mark, a bundle of talents.  It appears, he was always ready to assist anybody in need, Joseph, who hosted a group of Nigerian movie makers that visited the University of California, showed that Nigerians in the Diaspora can hold their heads high. He later took my guide and I to his apartment, where we ate carrots and had some drinks, while having intelligent arguments and sharing some meaningful jokes.

I also had a wonderful time at the Inglewood, “an equivalent of our Ajegunle in Lagos,” where, I was told, the late gangster rap music star, Tupac Shakur grew up.

Located around Southern California. This is where you see homeless people sleeping outdoor on makeshift beds in the streets.

A typical building in the neighbourhood is not the usual high rise buildings of California. It tells the story of sharp differences between classes in the American society. A predominantly, black community, well planned with good scenic spacing but the buildings are w not the type one saw in the predominantly white neighbourhoods yet life goes on. I was told it was an area noted for crime but while we took a leisurely walk through the neighbourhood, we didn’t see a gun-displaying policeman or soldier but there were close-circuit television cameras mounted all over streets.

The Inglewood is a perfect example of a multi-cultural society where the average Californian can switch from one language to another. The Californians, I was told, hail from a variety of races and ethnic origins. They include Europeans, Mexicans, Lebanese, Africans among others. Interestingly, hardly does crises emerge from ethnic or racial lines as everybody strives to cohabit.

After spending two weeks in California, I found that California did not get her appellation: “City of Angels” from nowhere. Its social life is rich and vibrant. It is a place where you can shop, eat or go out any time of the day because virtually, all shops open 24 hours a day and work seven days a week.

As a result of its steep in entertainment and the arts, California offers a variety of jobs for everybody. Stars and celebs like the city for its vast opportunities. It is famous for its awards to film stars, such as the Oscars It is, frequently, in the news.

I can say that it is one of the best places a young, fun-loving man can wish for.

For the one who is looking for some lighter ways of spending their spare time, you won’t have any problems finding what to do there. There are pubs with just about any kind of drink and music and even live bands every hour in some places all over the city. Dance clubs can be found, especially, in South California and other places.

No account of recreation resorts and night life in California will be complete without a mention of the city’s tourist attractions, like the beach. On it, you can find restaurants, coffee shops and, of course, women of all shapes and sizes. But unlike the beaches in Nigeria, their own are quite cold though I learnt that during warm summer nights, many people go swimming there to cool off, after the heat of the day.

Another good thing I realised to my surprise in California was that when you are lost, all you have to do is ask somebody for directions. People will always be willing to give you an answer (even if it has nothing to do with what you have asked for).