NollyTale.com presents interview with  CHIKA OKPALA (CHIEF ZEBRUDAYA OKOROIGWE NWOGBO)

NOLLY-

YOUR NAME SIR?

ZEB-

MY NAME IS CHIKA OKPALA, MON WITHOUT EY, FROM ANAMBRA, NNEOBI PRECISELY IN IDEMILLI SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

NOLLY-

YOUR FANS WILL LIKE TO KNOW HOW YOU STARTED YOUR FAMOUS JOURNEY.

ZEB-

I STARTED FROM MY SECONDARY SCHOOL DAYS AT PRINCE MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL IN 1967. IN SCHOOL I PARTICIPATED IN MANY STAGE WORKS LIKE, A MAN OF A CHARACTER, THIS IS OUR CHANCE, SOME SHAKESPEARIAN PLAYS ETC. OUR DRAMA GROUP ENJOYED MOTIVATION AND ENCOURAGEMENT FROM THE SCHOOL AUTHORITY WHO SUPPORTED US ALWAYS TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL DRAMA FESTIVAL OF ST-FRANCIS. DURING THIS FESTIVAL, WE PERFORM, LEARN AND GET INSPIRED BY OTHER PERFORMING STUDENTS.

DURING THE CIVIL WAR, I AND SOME OTHER INDIVIDUALS, AMONG WHOM ARE DR. UGONNA AGWU NOW A SENIOR LECTURER IN THE UNIVERSITY OF CALABAR, MR. SAMUEL OKPALA, FABIAN MBANUGO, OSITA OKPALA, IFEOMA MBANUGO AND CHIKELUBA CHINWE CAME TOGETHER TO FORM WHAT WAS CALLED “2 CITIES PLAY HOUSE” TO ENTERTAIN THE SOLDIERS THEN IN NNEWI. WE PRODUCED PLAYS THAT REFLECTED THE EXPERIENCES AND EFFECT OF THE CIVIL WAR AND OUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES DURING THE WAR.

AFTER THE WAR, EVERYONE DISPATCHED AND THEN THE SEARCH FOR JOBS BEGAN. I WENT TO ENUGU AND BEGAN WORKING WITH RED CROSS IN THE CLINIC KITCHEN. THERE IN ENUGU I HEARD THAT THERE WAS A REHABILITATION COMMISSION THAT INTENDS FORMING A DRAMA GROUP TO REINTEGRATE THE PEOPLE OF THE EASTERN STATES, I JOINED THE GROUP, BUT MOST OF THEM HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF DRAMA.

LATER DR. UGWUAGU WHO WAS WITH US IN THE PLAY HOUSE IN NNOBI, CAME TO ENUGU AND FORMED A FORMIDABLE THEATRE GROUP CALLED THE ARTS THEATRE. THE MEMBERSHIP WAS OF SENIOR CIVIL SERVANTS, SENIOR BROADCASTERS AND SUCCESSFUL THEATRE PRACTITIONERS. JAMES IROHA THEN HAPPENED TO BE THE PRODUCER OF THE THEATRE GROUP. THE GROUP DID VERY WELL AND HAD SEVERAL SUCCESSFUL PERFORMANCES WITH THE PLAY SONS AND DAUGHTERS, THIS MADE THE THEN STATE ADMINISTRATOR DR. UKPABI TO TAKE THE GROUP IN A WHITE TRAIN TO KADUNA TO PERFORM IN THE ARMY WEEK. THIS TRIP EXPOSED ME AND MADE ME BELIEVE THAT SO MUCH CAN BE ACHIEVED THROUGH DRAMA DUE TO THE SPECIAL TREATMENT AND PREFERENCE WE ENJOYED.

AFTER THE ARMY WEEK PERFORMANCE, A MONTH LATER THE THEN PRESIDENT GEN. YAKUBU GOWON INVITED THE GROUP TO PERFORM AT DORDAN BARRACKS BEFORE A LARGE AUDIENCE OF WHO IS WHO IN NIGERIA. I WAS AMAZED AT THE HONOUR AND TREATMENT GIVEN TO US, POOR ME AT SIXTEEN SHAKING HANDS WITH THE PRESIDENT, CARRIED ON A SPECIAL FLIGHT TO AND FROM ENUGU. I THANKED GOD AND GAVE HIM GLORY FOR HIS GIFT DRAMA .

WHEN WE RETURNED HOME WE STARTED A RADIO DRAMA TITLED IN A LIGHT MOOD WHICH LATER METAMORPHOSED INTO NEW MASQUERADE AND THAT WAS BROUGHT ME TO WHERE I AM TODAY.

NOLLY-

CHALLENGES

ZEB-

FIRST WAS MY PARENTS, MY FATHER DISAGREED WITH THE FACT THAT I WANTED TO GO INTO DRAMA BECAUSE HE FELT THAT I COULD NOT MAKE A LIVING WITH IT DUE TO HIS EXPERIENCES IN HIS PRIMARY SCHOOL. SO HE WANTED ME TO BECOME AN ACCOUNTANT. THOUGH I AGREED, BUT I STILL HELD UNTO DRAMA WHICH REALLY PROVOKED MY FATHER, UNTIL I BECAME FAMOUS AS CHIEF ZEBRUDAYA, THEN HE SAID TO ME, MY SON YOU HAVE MADE ME PROUD.

ANOTHER WAS TO MASTER THE LANGUAGE OF ZEBRUDAYA AND BE FLUENT WITH MALAPROPISM IN SUCH A WAY THAT WILL CREATE HUMOR AND AT SAME TIME MAKE SENSE TO PEOPLE.

NOLLY-

HOW HAVE YOU GIVEN BACK TO THE SOCIETY

ZEB-

IN MY COMPOUND, I HAVE BUILT A DRAMA HOUSE WHERE I CAN TRAIN AND DEVELOP ARTISTE TO TOLL MY LINE. SOMETIMES I GO TO VARIOUS PLACES ON INVITATION TO GIVE LECTURES AND TRAINING TO YOUNGER ARTISTES WHO NEED DEFINITION ON A PATH TO FOLLOW.

NOLLY-

AWARDS

ZEB-

I CANT REMEMBER ALL THE AWARDS I HAVE RECEIVED, BUT I KNOW I HAVE RECEIVED BEST PRODUCER AND BEST ACTOR ON TELEVISION FROM BROADCAST ORGANIZATION OF NIGERIA (BON) 1959-1994, I HAVE ALSO WON SOME FOREIGN AWARDS LIKE THE AFRO BLACK AWARD IN THE UNITED STATES AND IN THE UNITED KINGDOM WHERE I WAS INVITED WITH AN ALL EXPENSE PAID TRIP TO RECEIVE MY AWARDS. I HAVE ALSO WON THE AWARD OF THE MEMBER OF THE ORDER OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA (MFR) AND THE SECOND, MEMBER OF THE ORDER OF NIGER, (MON) WHICH I EARLIER SAID IS WITHOUT EY. THESE ARE THE FEW AWARDS THAT I HAVE RECEIVED, THOUGH THERE SO MANY OTHER LITTLE ONCE HERE AND THERE, I WON’T CALL THEM LITTLE BECAUSE TO THOSE WHO PRESENTED IT, IT MEANS MUCH.

NOLLY-

YOUR ADVICE TO  THE NEW GENERATION

ZEB-

I WILL ADVICE THEM TO BE DEDICATED AND TO LIVE UP TO THEIR ASPIRATIONS WITH DETERMINATION, AS IT IS IMPORTANT IN EVERY MAN’S LIFE.

NOLLY-

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION

BY THE GRACE OF GOD, I WAS ABLE TO ACQUIRE A MASTER DEGREE IN COMMUNICATION. SO APART FROM COMMUNICATING THE ZEBRUDAIC LANGUAGE, I WILL ALSO BE COMMUNICATING THE GOOD LANGUAGE. JUST LIKE COMBINED COMBINATION. (LAUGHS)

NOLLY-

WHERE DO YOU SEE NOLLY WOOD IN 5 YEARS

ZEB-

NOLLYWOOD IF PROPERLY NURTURED WILL GO PLACES AND MAKE EVERY OTHER “WOOD” COMPETITIVE WITH IT. WE NEED FINANCIAL ENCOURAGEMENT FROM BOTH THE GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE BODIES TO ENABLE US BUILD THE HUGE CAPACITY WE NEED TO DELIVER. ANOTHER CHALLENGE WE NEED TO DEFEAT IS THE MARKETING PROBLEM. IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE A COMMERCIAL MARKET AND NOT A PRIVATE MARKET FOR CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS TO BENEFIT FROM, THEREBY BECOMING SLAVE RAIDERS TO THE PRACTITIONERS. SO IF WE INTEND TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL NOLLYWOOD IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, ALL DEPARTMENT AND GUILDS SHOULD BE VALUED AND APPRECIATED FINANCIALLY AS THEY ARE EXPECTED TO ADVANCE IN THEIR VARIOUS FIELDS.

NOLLY-

WHAT ARE YOU DOING PRESENTLY

ZEB-

I AM STILL IN PRODUCTION AND I DON’T THINK I WILL BE RETIRING SOON. WE JUST FINISHED THE CONCLUSION OF ONE OF MY PRODUCTIONS TITLED MIRROR OF THE DAY, I AND A COLLEAGUE ARE PUTTING IDEAS TOGETHER TO COME OUT WITH PRODUCTIONS THAT WILL PROMOTE AND ADD VALUE TO IGBO LANGUAGE TO DISCOURAGE THOSE WHO SHUN THE VALUES OF THE IGBOS, ESPECIALLY THE USAGE OF OUR IDIOMS AND PROVERBS THAT ARE FAST FADING AWAY.

I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND…

NOLLY-

THANK YOU SIR

ZEB-

THANKS FOR THE HONOUR.

Uloma Nwosu for NollyTale