July 04, (THEWILL) – The President, Actors Guild of Nigeria, Emeka Rollas, has tasked the Federal Government to leverage the reach of Nollywood to promote peace and unity in the country.
Rollas disclosed this during the International Summit on Peace and Unity for Nigeria on Saturday in Abuja.
The summit with the theme, “”Promoting Peace within Our Borders,” was convened by the Chairman of UN Rescue Services, Steve Midalah; National Coordinator of the National Youth Development Project, Bonaventure Chimee; the ALGON Peace Project; and others.
According to Rollas, there was a need to change the narrative concerning Nigeria from the worst to the better.
He said, “Film producers should produce films that would promote peace and unity in the country, not only rituals, love, weddings and what have you, because, without peace, we cannot enjoy love and weddings.
“I want to urge the government to use films as a better medium to promote peace and unity in the country.
“The influence that Nollywood has around the world can be used by the government and its agencies to promote peace, unity and peaceful co-existence.
“It is also necessary to state that many filmmakers in the country are looking for commercial success, thus, they may not venture into propagating peace and unity. The government can fill the gap.”
The AGN President also stated that the guild remained a change agent saying that what they did in films was what viewers imbibed in their day to day living and as such, peace and unity should be the message in movies.
He also talked about the impact of social media and the need for the government to use the opportunity to promote the oneness of Nigeria.
He added, “Youths react to what they see on social media. I urge them not to listen to selfish politicians who are after their own personal interests. They tell political lies and post divisive contents on the social media to cause problems.
“We need to douse the tension by telling people the real story via films. We should stop celebrating fantasies and use every aspect of Nigeria to promote Nigeria.
“If there is a negative propaganda about a particular tribe, the government needs to produce a film to tell the true story to enhance peace and unity. It is called ‘propaganda management’.
“If a film is produced about peace, unity and coexistence among different religious adherents and tribes, it will go a long way to change the negative narrative.”
