Hausa-language cinema, known informally as Kannywood, is the
Hausa-language film industry of northern Nigeria. It is based in
Kano.
Kannywood
Kannywood is the
sobriquet
A sobriquet ( ) is a descriptive nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. A sobriquet is distinct from a pseudonym in that it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name without the need for explanation; it may beco ...
for Hausa-language cinema. It is a part of the larger
Nigerian cinema, known as
Nollywood
Nollywood, a portmanteau of Nigeria and Hollywood, is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term goes back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in ''The New York Times''. Due to the history ...
, which includes other production centres producing films in many other Nigerian languages. The name "Kannywood" is a
portmanteau
In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together. derived from the city name of
Kano and
Hollywood, the center of the
American film industry
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, ...
. "Kannywood" was coined in 1999 by Sunusi Shehu Daneji, publisher of ''Tauraruwa ("Star") Magazine'' to capture the growing Hausa video film scene from which point it became the popular reference term for the film industry of Northern Nigeria. The term preceded the label
Nollywood
Nollywood, a portmanteau of Nigeria and Hollywood, is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term goes back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in ''The New York Times''. Due to the history ...
which originated with ''New York Times'' journalist Norimitsu Onishi in 2001 in referencing the Lagos-based film industry.
History
The Hausa language cinema slowly evolved from the productions of RTV Kaduna and Radio Kaduna in the 1960s. Veterans like Dalhatu Mustapha Bawa and Kasimu Yero pioneered drama productions that became popular with the Northern audience.
In the 70's and 80's,
Usman Baba Pategi and Mamman Ladan introduced the Hausa Comedy to the Northern audience.
1990s: Bollywood influence
The 1990s saw a dramatic change in the Hausa language cinema, eager to attract more Hausa audience who find
Bollywood movies
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...
more attractive, Kannywood; a cinematic synthesis of Indian and Hausa culture evolved and became extremely popular. ''Turmin Danya'' ("The Draw"), 1990, is usually cited as the first commercially successful Kannywood film. It was quickly followed by others like ''Gimbiya Fatima'' In Da So Da Kauna, Munkar, Badakala and ''Kiyarda Da Ni''. New actors like Ibrahim Mandawari and Hauwa Ali Dodo became popular and set the stage for the emergence of super-star like female actresses later on.
2000s Kannywood
By 2012, over 2000 film companies were registered with the Kano State Filmmakers Association.
A local censoring committee created by Kanywood Producers and Marketers was converted into a board and named Kano State Censorship Board in 2001 by Governor
Rabiu Kwankwaso
200px, Nigeria.html" ;"title="Kano State in Nigeria">Kano State in Nigeria
Mohammed Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso, (born 21 October 1956) is a Nigerian politician who served as governor of Kano state from 1999 to 2003 and from 2011 to 2015. After he ...
. Mr. Dahiru Beli was appointed the first Executive Secretary of the board.
Music
Songwriters and singers who produce or perform music in Hausa films include
Nazifi Asnanic,
Naziru M Ahmad,
Ali Jita, and Fati Nijar.
Umar M Sharif ,
Critics
Islamic critics
In 2003, with the rise of the
Izala and the coming to power of
Ibrahim Shekarau
Ibrahim Shekarau (born 5 November 1955) is a former Nigerian minister of education and two-term Governor of Kano State in Nigeria. He was elected in April 2003 and re-elected in April 2007. He is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). ...
, the then ultra-religious government of Kano initiated an iconoclastic campaign against Kannywood. Numerous movies deemed irreligious were censored and some film makers were jailed. This reversed some of the gains Kannywood had made and allowed the Southern Nigerian film industry to supersede it.
Problems with government
In 2007, the ''Hiyana Affair'': when the sex tape of a popular actress became public led to a severe backlash from the then Islamist government of
Kano State
Kano (Hausa language, Hausa: ) is one of the 36 States of Nigeria, states of Nigeria, located in the Northern Region, Nigeria, northern region of the country. According to the national census done in 2006, Kano State is the List of Nigerian st ...
under
Ibrahim Shekarau
Ibrahim Shekarau (born 5 November 1955) is a former Nigerian minister of education and two-term Governor of Kano State in Nigeria. He was elected in April 2003 and re-elected in April 2007. He is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). ...
. Shekarau went on to appoint a Director General for the censorship board, Abubakar Rabo Abdulkareem with the support of the
Izala Society
Izala Society or ''Jama'atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa Iqamatus Sunnah'' (Society for the Removal of ''Bid'ah'' and Re-establishment of the ''Sunnah''), also known as JIBWIS, is a Salafi organization originally established in Northern Nigeria to fight ...
and other Islamist organisations, Kannywood and the equally popular Hausa romantic novel industry were severely censored, actors, actresses and writers were jailed by the state government and books and other media materials were burnt by the Governor himself. In 2011 the replacement of the Islamist government by a much more liberal government led by the PDP led to a more favourable atmosphere for the industry. In 2019, following the re-election of governor
Abdullahi Umar Ganduje as governor of Kano State, a new spate of arrests of musicians and filmmakers was launched by the Censorship Board under its Executive Secretary, Isma'il Na'abba Afakallahu. A movie director, Sunusi Oscar, and a musician, Naziru M. Ahmad, were arrested and taken to court over accusations that they released songs without the permission of the censor. The duo were released on bail. The opposition Kwankwasiyya Movement stated that the arrests were politically motivated because the accused persons were considered as sympathizers of the
Peoples Democratic Party in the last general election.
See also
*
Kannywood Actors
References
{{Reflist
Cinema of Nigeria
Hausa-language culture