Head of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Dr Fadekemi Adagbada, has said that many of Yoruba films are weak in dialogue.
As a result, she said, such movies lack depth and the attraction that can make it be well acceptable.
Adagbada made the observation in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, last week, when she spoke at a conference organised by the Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN).
Adagbada made the revelation last Tuesday when she, along other experts, addressed Yoruba film-makers under the umbrella of the Theatre and Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria during a conference it organised in Ibadan.
With TAMPAN President, Bolaji Amusan (Baba Latin) as the chief host, the conference, which discussed important issues that could move the business forward, paraded other resource persons such as Professor Bode Sowande, Dr Shaibu Hussein and Mr Moses Babatope of FilmOne. It was moderated by actor and lawyer, Tunji Bamisigbin.
Adagbada urged Yoruba film-makers to step up their game, especially in the areas of dialogue and subtitling.
She said, “Yoruba films are not strong enough in dialogue. Other segments of Nollywood are overtaking us. So, we have to make up. Imagine someone who wants to interpret ‘Mo n lo ka bo’ writing, ‘I’m going to come’. This kind of subtitling misleads viewers.
“Subtitling gives larger viewership. If a film is well sub-titled, other people outside the country will be able to translate it into other languages. That means more revenue for the producer.
“You people work a lot. I have been studying you for long. Your remuneration should be more. But, by your own selves, you limit yourselves. You look for a school-cert-failed, with F9 in Yoruba, to subtitle your films. When you produce films, you spend a lot. Pursue your films till they get to the Internet. Yoruba films have gone far. Don’t limit yourselves. Why do you allow the translator to spoil your work? You make good films, flaunt good costume, you now call illiterates to subtitle for you. That is how you have, ‘Hunger is killing me!’ When you want something to be good, go all the way to make it good. Good subtitling will lead to Spanish, German, French translations.”
Hussein buttressed this point by noting that what many producers do is to give out their films to some folks to edit and subtitle for them – in their absence.
Adagbada also decried the habit of writing ‘rendering incantation’ whenever an actor is performing such incantation in a film.
Although veteran actor, Jide Kosoko, noted that it might not be possible to translate or subtitle incantation, Adagbada said it was, adding that Yoruba proverbs and incantation could be inspiringly subtitled in movies.
“Which one is: ‘Rendering incantation’ or ‘Saying a proverb’? It is possible to subtitle them. I can translate Opo korobiti korobiti!”
As one of the fruits of the frank conference, TAMPAN and Adagbada and other scholars agreed to work closely on future films.
