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Nollywood professionals are not only being recognized in their home country Africa, now they are also being recognized in the United States of America. Within the past few years, the standard for the Nollywood movie industry has improved as a result of this recognition. One of the pioneers behind the movie awards in America is NAFCA (Nollywood African Film Critic Awards). NAFCA also added an additional honorary section to their award ceremony.
The new section added to the NAFCA awards is called “Life Time Achievement” awards. This award honors exceptional individuals outside the film industry, who have brilliantly gone beyond the call of duty. Despite how new this particular award is to the film industry, it has become very popular and is now recognized all over the world.
NAFCA’s first ever "Life Time Achievement" award was presented to his Excellency President Dr. Yahya Jammeh of Gambia. Correspondents of NAFCA, who were present at the event, say that it was compulsory and appropriate to recognize his Excellency for his contributions to the beautiful country of Gambia.
During our interview with Dr. Olatoye, he revealed that the President was pleasantly surprised and said that he was very motivated and would go far beyond what he had already done for the people of Gambia.
Below is our interview with the President and C.E.O of NAFCA, Dr. Victor Olatoye:
NOLLYWOOD SPOTLIGHT: How was your visit to Gambia?
DR. VICTOR OLATOYE: Where should I start? I guess from the beginning. The way we were received was unexpected because we thought we were going to have about 15 minutes with His Excellency President Dr. Yahya Jammeh and he gave us over 3 hours of his time. The president also told us to cancel our flights that day that he would want to host us for another week. We are really grateful for the Gambian hospitality. During our meeting we laid down our vision and mission and President Jammeh loved them all and when he also promised not to disappoint me, I was like “WOW” I am just a small boy trying to take care of Mama Africa. We went to Gambia to honor the president and we were honored. His Excellency President Dr.Yahya Jammeh is a good man and very patriotic. The VIP dinner with the ministers was great and the live entertainment was out of this world. Because of the warm reception, it is fair to say “We are all Gambians now”. Nothing but good news came out of our meeting with the Gambian leader His Excellency President Dr. Yahya Jammeh, but we don’t want to let the cat out of the bag just yet. I can tell you this much it will be a first and will change Nollywood the way we know it.
NOLLYWOOD SPOTLIGHT: In a recent article by MordernGhana.com, the website quoted His Excellency President Dr. Yahya Jammeh. The president said: “it is one thing to win an award but once you win an award you are challenged either directly or indirectly to redouble your efforts and I am very proud of Africans like you in the Diaspora that know what is going on.” What came to your mind when you heard the president say those words to you and your team?
DR. VICTOR OLATOYE: The first thing that came to mind was “me”? I never expected that comment and we felt truly honored to have heard that from His Excellency President Yahya Jammeh of Gambia. It is one thing to be praised by your peers and it another to be praised by the president of a country.
NOLLYWOOD SPOTLIGHT: You also told MordernGhana.com during an interview that: “I think Africa should have a movie industry that is continental and would recognize African’s continental talents, because nobody is going to expose these talents for us.” What did you mean by that statement?
DR. VICTOR OLATOYE: As much as I would have loved to take credit for that statement, it was His Excellency President Dr. Yahya Jammeh who actually said that. President Jammeh is not only patriotic to the Gambians, but also to Africa. He believes the film industry needs to grow beyond Nollywood and Ghana and should be continental. His Excellency also feels that Africa’s continental talents need to be discovered by the African film industry. An organization like His Excellency’s talent hunt program and Nollywood Film Critics USA had been asked to join.
NOLLYWOOD SPOTLIGHT: Why is the NAFCA Membership Important?
DR. VICTOR OLATOYE: Because we need to take NAFCA to the next level and that requires bringing elite group of filmmakers together from across Africa for a credible award.
NOLLYWOOD SPOTLIGHT: How can people help NAFCA to grow?
DR. VICTOR OLATOYE: Advertise with us, promote us and buy NAFCA tickets. If we could unite people then we can say mission accomplished.
NOLLYWOOD SPOTLIGHT: Where do you see NAFCA 5 years from now?
DR. VICTOR OLATOYE: I would want NAFCA to continue to honor great filmmaking and impact people’s lives positively.
NOLLYWOOD SPOTLIGHT: What advice do you have for upcoming Nollywood entertainers?
DR. VICTOR OLATOYE: I would say love what you do, continue to learn so you can grow because no one knows it all as much as people might want you to believe. Surround yourself with positive people who will help you grow by encouraging you. Be true to yourself, because we all don’t have acting talent and we all cannot sing. No matter how hard I try I can never be P Square. Film Criticism I do, singing I cannot. Never do anything for money and fame. If you do what you love well enough, that thing called money and fame will surely come. Never trade sex for opportunities. “People who see things through the prism of sex end up getting screwed”. Never burn your bridges unless you are a great swimmer, even better than Michael Phelps. Always put God first. Once you have gotten that fame and money, never forget your fans and always stay connected and humble. Finally, one last thing, don’t forget to send my 10% in the mail for this advice. I would want to thank our fans for giving us the opportunity to continue to do what we do and for that I am eternally grateful.
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| President Yahya Jammeh, Dr Victor Olatoye, Head of security, and Binta Goudiaby |
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| President Yahya Jammeh, Cabinet members, Dr. Victor Olatoye, and Binta Goudiaby |
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| President Yahya Jammeh admiring his "Life Time Achievement"award from NAFCA |
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| NAFCA's visit with the President of Gambia on the front page of the Daily Observer Newspaper |
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| NAFCA 2013 Ticket information |
