We have recently seen something baffling in the Hausa film industry known as Kannywood. I have confirmed that it has been an industry among others that suffers a lot of setbacks from different spheres of (know-how) its the making in the movie language. Being a part of the narrative or simply storytelling, many Hausa and literary scholars criticize the makers for vitiating the culture and religion in place of dissemination and or mirroring them to outer culture or, other worlds. They are being criticized by their meandering in limited theme often promoting immorality. To some extent, they evolved into music video makers using vulgar words in their lyrical composure and lewd dances which is indeed a threat to the sane, orthodox Islamic culture (and should not be called conservative as the entire society believes in safeguarding their norms and values).
In the light of the above, it is an irony they claim promoting the Hausa culture, which is inseparable from the Islamic one. They maintained criticizing their critics in defense, urging them to come and join the activities, as if they sincerely welcome new members. Hashim Abdallah reasoned with them and wrote a book, Ilimin Rubutun Labari: Turbar Addini Da Al’ada) using the Hausa language simply for the benefit of the storytellers (film scriptwriters, Hausa novella writers, let say, their concept bringers, etc.) those which he finds the basic and the backbones indeed in the film making activity. He later produced a web series film using the modern equipment cum average crew members, new but talented artists. The team titled their experimental film, ‘WUF.’
Etymologically, the Hausa word, ‘wuf’ means grabbing something hurriedly by taking others unawares, especially in anticipation of any imminent odds. It is also a word of onomatopoeia, ie the sound of that agility to grab. That is why it can carry an exclamation mark. It also means ‘using opportunity at once’ with which the word developed into a marriage between young and elderly persons when they surprise people. It specifically means ‘marriage,’ especially when it is between young and older people, or rich and poor or even between any social class differences, as promoted mainly on social media.
The film is Hausa but an English subtitled series film that features the modern life in northern Nigeria, the life of Sugar-mummy and her lover which unfortunately happens to be her son’s bosom friend, both of them are unaware of who the lover is. They decided to go on their relationship even when it dawned on them who they are dating. The 1st conflict is the son’s inclination, the 2nd is how the culture and/or religion may manifest. Is the love itself sincere, marital, platonic or illicit? Unfolded all these only if the movie must be watched.
When they finished writing it, they had reviewed and they finally did a lot of brainstorming exercises with a lot of trained and talented young scriptwriters under Hashim Abdallah’s supervision. He then swiftly forwarded the script to a friend and established scriptwriter for observation, corrections, and inputs using the Hausa informal and polite (intimacy) request, “a sa mana albarka”.
Although that friend of him had seen it, as Hashim lamented to us, he neither replied nor commented for months as though he had not seen it.
Kannywood star, Nuhu unboxes LaLiga’s official ball for 2021-22 season
Because of their intimacy with him, this friend of Hashim who he innocently initially demanded that they collaborate to produce the film (because of the friend capacity of being a patron of an association full of young writers under him who fondly respect him) turned down the associating offer pretexting being too busy. He further ignored their invitation to the location telling another lie.
After more than 4 months which was after team Hashim produced enviable and commendable episodes 1 up to 3, the same friend collaborated with other pompous filmmakers who paraded themselves as owners of the Hausa films or the industry itself and shamelessly unveiled a poster with ‘wuff’ the title which is exactly the same with Hashim Abdallah’s and co film, including the concept. Everybody who is on social media platforms knows how far their film promotion and poster have gone due to the popularity of the title in the Hausa land especially on social media. The advert featured from print newspapers to online ones including this blessed NIGERIAN TRACKER, recall that. Hashim’s team members said they could not regret unveiling the poster and giving the film wide advert now that even the pirates intentionally stole the concept and the title deliberately. Even then, they still did not neglect to draw the pirates’ attention to the title that has already been taken since they could not discover their script/story than to find out whether the concept too was stolen from us. Besides those issues with some film industry makers, PIRACY is monstrous cancer as an evil that might live after them as in the words of Shakespeare. Especially, now that none speaks up to draw their attention but us the only victims. The most disgusting thing is when they ignorantly claimed WUF and WUFF as different things, not knowing they are pronounced the same, meaning the same, and meant the same in both films just as provided in the above synopsis. Unfortunately, they only messed up and missed it that their spelling, compared to Hashim Abdallah’s, is disastrous and too erratic in the Hausa orthographic rules and grammar. The second additional ‘f’ has no place in grammar.
The concept is identical too when they started releasing the film, hence it is confirmed the full idea stealth of Hashim’s. Their other WUFF though with double ‘f’ is about the same elderly woman who murdered her husband and later dating young men in an illicit relationship. No doubt it is the same concept besides the sameness of the titles.
These people (pirates) went ahead to our channel to shower insults and threat that Hashim’s channel should stop claiming their film has been pirated since there is an additional ‘f’ to their spelling. It is unfortunate they have a gut to warn in such a shameless way.
The most disappointing thing is when that friend of Hashim went ahead to report lies against the producer Hashim Abdallah to the one so-called top actor (too arrogant) who crowned himself a title so that he could turn down Hashim’s planned to offer to feature in his film. That is where I discovered disrespect of one’s profession and ultimate hypocrisy and arrogance, especially when that actor crazily spitted venomous words against the victim producer without knowing who they really are and without investigation – whence, they said they experienced a diabolical handiwork of ignorance and too devilish to condone. They cleared him to doubt indeed when they produced without him or his any help.
The film studies scholars too that are respects (though very few we have here in the north, almost none considering how less in-depth they cover and some never ever produced a single clip in the name of the film) did nothing to this at least to help in sanitizing or promoting the industry. But those few we have turned a blind eye to the original WUF film, even went ahead promoting those idea thieves’ film on social media. There is one of them too who Hashim submitted the film trailer, the YouTube link, and the channel’s link, who never got back to him to date though promised to get back to.
This is to unveil the attitude of the filmmakers who daily pretend to invite more, welcoming corrections from people to invest or contribute their quota.
Hashim provided the channel link so that people can confirm many things claimed in the article:
https://youtube.com/channel/UCiF8_dhsEV_yinAUxBk-_jA
The producer, Hashim Abdallah is from Binyaminu Usman Polytechnic Hadejia, Jigawa State.
