Male Nollywood producers also suffer sexual harassment– Dozie Eboh

Dozie Eboh is a Nollywood film producer who has shuttled through the different departments of the industry. In this exclusive interview with ORJI ONYEKWERE, he shares his experiences in the industry especially amongst desperate actresses eager to make a name in the business.

Which movie project are you working on at the moment?

I just finished producing an Igbo language film. It’s a normal real life family story. Where I was staying in Owerri, Imo state, beside the building, is a mechanic workshop and from my window you can see the activities going on in the mechanic compound. All those young female hawkers come and sell things to those mechanics on credit in the morning and they will be asked to come back in the evening to collect their money, by then; those mechanics must have been through with their clients. When these girls come back in the evening, you just need to imagine what they do with some of these girls. I titled the movie, ‘Mechanic Village’. It’s an Igbo language film. We just finished the editing, but it’s not released yet.

The couple of movies you produced like ‘Reality’ and ‘Street Kids’ which you co- produced focused on children. Why the emphasis on children and women in your movies?

I have not noticed that but, I like telling family stories. Moreover, I am the son of a nurse; my mother owned a maternity home. I was born inside the maternity home and I grew up in the maternity environment, because of this, I am more comfortable with family stories and I like to showcase family values. Though it was not deliberate to be focusing on children, I have witnessed the birth of a lot of children in my mother’s maternity and I love children. I have not thought about that, I am just reflecting on that now based on what you just said.

Why do you think people especially women, like maltreating children in this part of the world?

Honestly, it’s unbelievable and disappointing to see another woman maltreating another woman’s child for whatever reason. I have not lived abroad before; I don’t know how the white people do theirs. From the first day, I told my wife that if we get a house help and I find out that she is maltreating that child, I will send the person back to his/her family and we will remain the way we are. I like my freedom and I don’t like maltreating people neither would I like to see anybody close to me being maltreated. That’s why I always try to preach against this in my movies.

I am against child abuse and the abuse of women. I am also against the abuse of men because most people don’t know that a lot of men suffer abuses from their wives than women suffer from the men and it’s like that because men don’t complain. Women’s own are mostly physical, but they don’t know that when you continuously nag a man, you are emotionally abusing him.

I remember what my mother told me when I was about getting married. She said, ‘there are two ways that women kill their husband, either you poison him to death or you worry him to death’.

Could this be the reason why some men prefer to go outside and get that comfort they lack at home?

I am not sanctioning cheating in marriages, but if your roof is leaking, then it’s the fault of the man. Once you marry, your home should be the way you want it; you should try to carry your wife along. Though we are Africans, having extra marital affairs does not just have to do with Africans alone. After all, divorce is not an Igbo language or any African language; moreover, the story of men having wives and concubines did not start from Africa. Even in the Bible, a lot of great men had wives and concubines. I’m not encouraging cheating because my father used to tell me that ‘if you want to be a happy man, make sure there is happiness in your home’. If there is no happiness in your home, you can never find happiness outside.

Do you love polygamy?

No, neither do I hate polygamy; but I will not encourage it because I married from a polygamous home and I have friends that were born into polygamous homes, I know how they feel. I will rather have a girlfriend or concubine outside than to practice polygamy. I have friends from polygamous homes and based on their experiences and some of the characters they portray, you will know that this thing happened because they are from polygamous homes. Polygamy is not the best.

You transited from location manager to producer, what has it been like?

I still do everything in Nollywood. I am a complete film maker. I remember the day we all joined Nollywood to act and the industry started growing and opportunities started coming. Some of us saw more opportunities backstage. I started as continuity, before I became a location manager and props manager.

I hate something that ties me down because the continuity manager is like the brain box of a production and so must be cool headed, so I left that and started as a props man, then production manager before becoming a location manager. In fact, I have worked in every department apart from cinematography. I have directed also. I am complete film maker. If you call me tomorrow to come and handle any department for you, of course; I will do it. I have passion for what I do and I love film making. I am a producer; but for me, it does not change who I am.

As a producer, how do you handle the temperament of the big actors?

It’s all about personnel management. If you are good manager or administrator, you are good. For you to be a successful producer, you should have the ability to manage crisis; manage human beings because definitely there will be tension. It will not be easy when you bring different people from different backgrounds and put them in a production, camp them one week to one month; definitely such things will come up, but that’s why you are the personnel manager

I know that at a time some actors were banned because of high charges and disciplinary issues.

That decision was taken by some marketer/ producers. At that time, about 70 % of the movies were controlled by the marketers; however, the ban gave rise to another group of actors. Other new faces came up like: Stephanie Okereke, Ini Edo, Steph Nora Okereke, Uche Jumbo, and a whole lot of others. Those days, I know that after paying some of these actors, you will be waiting for your turn for like three months before they will come on set.

Some will collect money from different producers, they will come to your set today, and tomorrow they will disappoint you and go to another set. This is our investment. What actors know is to act and you pay them, they don’t know what the producers go through. We know how we source our money. For me, that disciplinary action then was okay.

How true is this recurring allegation of sexual harassment in Nollywood?

There is sexual harassment in both areas. Producers also suffer sexual harassment. Some girls will call and will be begging for a role, asking you to make them a star, and you will advise them that if you are talented God will take you there. Every producer wants a good talent because he/she is making an investment. I will not say because I have slept with you, I will now give you a role you cannot interpret properly.

I always advise these girls that if you are good, you are good; it’s just about being patient. Just like you have in every organisation, there are good and bad guys,’ some will take advantage of you. One thing is that even after sleeping with you, there is no assurance that you will get a role in that movie.

If you are not talented nobody will use you. Some of these girls will tell you that they will pay you; or you can sleep with them and do whatever you want with them, so far you can feature them in the movie.

Have you had any personal experience?

Yes, I am talking from experience. I have had experiences and I am still having. Producers’ suffer sexual harassment. They are ready to offer anything and I will tell them that they failed my audition, it’s my investment and I cannot do it. If you are good, I will use you, but some of them don’t want to hear the truth. In acting; if you don’t have it, you don’t have it and you cannot force it. Everybody wants to be Genevieve or Ramsey Nouah.

When some actors become sick they end up coming to the social media to ask for help, and this is prevalent among the men. Why is this so?

Nobody is perfect and nobody knows tomorrow. What is happening is a lesson to some of us that are alive. The situation in Nigeria is unpredictable and anybody can fall sick at a time. We need to be prayerful at all times. I know how much we spent on my elder brother’s sickness at FMC Owerri. I was with him for three weeks and I know how much we spent which ran into millions because of the high costs of drugs.

When someone is bedridden for six months, you will know how much that person must have spent depending on the nature of the sickness. You can enter hospital and before you know what is happening you spend #7m. If you are not paying for insurance, it will affect you. When you become helpless, what do you do? I was shooting a film in Asaba when the AGN president, Emeka Rollas came on my set and said this is the new project on ground, we should help him spread the news among members. That’s the health insurance scheme that actors should join the scheme and you can fill it from your home. Again, it is not as if the actors and producers are not trying. If your friend is sick, you should support. The truth is that the first people you reach out to is your family and Nollywood is like a family. I want you to know that nobody is perfect and sickness can drain you.

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Why is this only happening to the men not the women as well?

Because they are women and any man can pick up their bill. One of them was celebrating her birthday the other day and one man gave her a car gift. Can that happen to a man?

What’s your greatest challenge as producer?

If I have money I will compete for Oscars, these foreigners filmmakers don’t have two heads. We are all in the same film making business.

QUOTE:

Every producer wants a good talent because he/she is making an investment.