FAMOUS FACES: Why I’m passionate about Nigerian youths – Nollywood star, Hilda Dokubo

By AZUHAMATUS

With just four scenes (minor role), in one of the earliest movies that came out of Nollywood, multi-talented actress turned activist Hilda Dokubo–Mrakpor, through dint of hard work, commitment, and undying passion for the thespian profession, has risen to the pinnacle of her career. And despite the many successes she has recorded in her thriving career in Nollywood, the mother of two lovely boys, from Rivers State, has not relented. She is forever marching on, because for her, success has no bus stop or boundaries.

Very passionate about the Nigerian movie industry and how it can be moved forward, Dokubo, who holds a first and second degrees in Theatre Arts from the University of Port Harcourt, argued that the biggest problems bedeviling the make-believe industry in Nigeria are lack of professionalism and commitment. “It is high time all of us started taking Nollywood very seriously, because if we don’t, nobody will do it for us”, she posits.

The Goodbye Tomorrow star who sauntered into Nollywood in 1993 on the sets of Evil Passion and Jezebel, in this heartwarming interview, talked glowingly about so many issues within and outside Nollywood. She also spoke about her latest project for the restive youths, which she calls Street To Star Project.

Enjoy the interaction!

You have a new initiative called Street to Star Project. Tell us more about it and what prompted it.

It is basically designed to take young people off the streets and move them to level of being stars. It is also a project designed to find, train, and employ or create jobs for young people; it also stops them from being restive or used by “over ambitious” people. I conceived the idea of this project when I was made the Special Assistant to Gov. Odili. And then, whenever we looked at cases of restive youths, it boiled down to unemployment. My NGO had done several counseling on the issue but I felt it goes beyond that. Of which use is it that you remove a vice and did not replace it with a virtue?

This project is something I’m doing out of passion for the restive youths and not how much I stand to gain from it financially. We are out to create jobs for these restive youths in the areas of acting, music, dance and talent hunt competitions. Some of my colleagues in Nollywood that I spoke with were also excited about the project. This project is open to 18 years and above youths who believe they have talents; we are urging them to come forward and participate. Our first auditions were held in Rivers and Bayelsa States, they are our pilot states. We intend taking it round the federation, but we are starting from the Niger Delta because each time you mention these states, what follows is restiveness. So, we are out to deal with that adjective—restiveness. It hurts me whenever people use this adjective to qualify the youths from our region.

I have also realized that we have a culture that is exportable and people will be glad to know about. So, all these we want to impact into these youths. We had 2,240 applicants and we settled for 60 youths at the end of the day for the first phase. These 60 youths have been with us since then undergoing various forms of training, especially those related to entertainment. They are camped here in Lagos and would go back to Rivers and Bayelsa States after graduation. At the end of the day, we would pick the best three in dancing, acting and singing. It is also a no loser’s situation, the remaining 57, are still part of the project. We will shoot a movie and soap, which all of them will feature in.

So, how are you sourcing for funds to finance this huge project?

Truth is that we don’t have the backings or financial support of any state government. We have backings of people who believe in the project and how it will help make the society a better place for our youths. We are grateful to Rivers and Bayelsa states government for providing us with the enabling environment and logistics support. We know that supports will come especially now that we’ve been able to prove a point that we can do it. We are also using this medium to solicit for funds from government and corporate sponsors.

Are you still the Special Assistant to Gov. Odili of Rivers State?

No. But I’m still working in the Rivers State Government House. I used to be the Special Assistant on Youths and Development. As S.A., my work was very challenging because I worked with a governor that is very grounded and result oriented. It was rewarding working with Gov. Odili. And my duties then as an S.A., were to advice on jobs creation and employment, dealing with youth’s restiveness, teaching young people new skills and advising on how to curb youth’s restiveness. I worked with the governor for one full year.

How true is the story circulating that you have abandoned acting for politics?

(Laughs) I don’t want to say I’m in politics; I’m just a political activist. In other words, I need to know what is happening in the polity of the nation. If we all decide to stand aloof, people will take decisions and whether we like it or not, it will be binding on us. I can’t leave acting, I’m in love with what I do and love my profession with a passion. I’m in Nollywood full time and love Nollywood.

But do you have the intentions of going into politics full time in the nearest future?

I doubt that very much (Laughs heartily). I’m from the South-South, I was born there, lived there, grew up there and even went to schools there. I know what we have and do not have. I also know what is right and wrong. I know my rights and the things that are entitled to me. A lot of people in the past went to schools with local government scholarships, but now such things are no longer realistic. The thought of all these, makes me sad. With too many young people dropping out of schools, what future are we leaving? I can’t stand these injustices. I will continue to be one leg in, one leg out in Nollywood until justice returns to the polity.

I’m going to use Nollywood to tell our story someday. We all need to know the Niger Delta story. It is sad when you cook and invite people to come eat with you, but instead of eating with you, they end up carrying your pot. Ordinarily, it is not a big deal if the government decides to come out and say, let us sponsor this Street To Star Project. Our government pays lip service to human development or human resources. What practical step is the government taking to curb youth restiveness? It usually ends at the workshops, seminars and conferences and these youths go back to status quo. Hurricane Katrina has proved to us that when a people are beseeched by evil, they lose some level of decorum. We witness what happened in New Orleans in Bayelsa, Rivers and other Niger Delta States every day, but nobody comes to our rescue because there is no CNN to beam it to the global village. You don’t beat a child and tell the child not to cry. I believe in justice and right of the people, especially my marginalized people.

Like how much will it cost to fund the Street To Star Project adequately?

Let me tell you the truth, even at this level, we have spent millions of Nigeria. But I can’t give you the exact figure. Even though we have only done like a quarter of the project, we are still spending. We paid over one million naira to lodge the 60 youths in a good hotel here in Lagos. In fact, we took over the entire hotel. For every segment, we have a maximum of four resource persons coming to speak to these youths. We usually provide them with return tickets, good accommodations and other things that will make their stay comfortable. But I take solace in the word that no amount of money is too much to carve a human life. God started the business of creation I’m just helping. The competition proper kicks-off this November by December and early January, we should have finished with the competition level and then go ahead with the public presentation. From there to the studios, for the real work of shooting the soaps, movie and recording the albums. It is a long project. By God’s grace, new students will start coming in by March 2006.

Your hands are filled with so many projects. Are they not affecting or conflicting with the home front?

The truth is that my official job does not affect my home front because there is an invisible line between my work and my family. You don’t see it, but I see it and know it. When I’m at work, I’m Hilda Dokubo, but at home, I’m Mrs. Mrakpor. As a wife and mother, I spend quality time with my family and love them. They also know I’m not a happy person when I’m not doing my job.

We no longer hear much about your NGO. Has it gone into extinction?

No! My NGO is still alive. The Street To Star Project is a product of my NGO. Center For Creative Arts Education will never die. We only changed the name; it used to be Lifeline For Women and Youths. We did this after realizing that a lot of what we are doing is in line with creative arts education. We are using arts to talk to people about sex education, HIV/AIDS and many others. We changed the name last year.

Back to Nollywood now, which was the last movie, you starred in?

It should be Entangled, Once Again or 21 Days. But my production outfit shot a movie last year, no title yet.

As an activist and one of the most vocal voices in Nollywood a lot of people expected you to speak out when some of your colleagues were banned, but you did not. Why?

I think it has to do with my understanding of the word ban. Who can ban whom? For me, nobody was banned; they only chose not to do business with those stars. I was once a victim of this ban, but I went ahead to shoot my movies. In fact, they called me back because I didn’t know when the ban came and when it was lifted. During and after the so-called ban I was working.

The only thing wrong with this particular “ban” was because it was tied to indiscipline on the part of my colleagues. And I do not like it. I was “banned” for speaking out and telling marketers that the things they were doing was wrong. I’m one artiste who gets to set ahead of time. I don’t like the fact that indiscipline was the reason given for the “banning” of my colleagues. As a professional actor, you should know that time is paramount. I have always told people that I don’t believe Sam Dede fell under the category of those who were banned for indiscipline. He is a disciplined actor and teaches discipline as a lecturer of Theatre Arts, same for RMD. They are core professionals, trained, tested and trusted names in Nollywood. I expected that they would do something, which they didn’t do. Well, since they are lifting the invincible ban, I’m sure they would all want to come back and help move the industry forward.

Another raging issue now is the new Censors Board that Lagos State has set up. What is your view on it?

Is it in the constitution? It is allowed if it is constitutional, if it is not, then it is null and void. I do know that the constitution allows every state to have a film office. But for a State Censors Board, we need to revisit the constitution.

Aside your new project, what other laudable initiatives would you like to embark on in the nearest future?

Aside this academy, I would also love to have incubating centre for incubating skills. Places where for example, you can create other things out of woods, aside tables and chairs. That was why I settled for arts education. Art is every other thing apart from science. Life is arts and science, so I have chosen arts as my lot. I want people to visit these incubating centers where people can come in and serve as apprentice in whatever art form they can. I also want to set up SMEs. We need to learn how to live together and work together.

You are creatively restless. What drives you on?

I derive my strength from within, the environment, books, and finally from the concept of God. We don’t see God, but we know He created us. I hold firmly to this belief. God says he has given you the power to be like him, which means you have the ability to create things. Most times, I tell people I’m just crazy. In 1997, I told my colleagues in Nollywood that we needed to go professional. And in 2000, they started shouting on the need for us to go professional. It took Nollywood seven years to see what I saw same seven years ago. Kicking-off has always been our problem… Another thing that drives me on is each time I remember where I was coming from and how I got to where I am and where I’m aiming at.

Going down memory lane, how did you come into Nollywood and which was your first movie?

My first Nollywood movie was Jezebel but the first to come out was Evil Passion. I read Theatre Arts in Uniport for first degree. I did my Master’s in Theatre Education, same school. I was relaxing in Lagos after I did my Youth Service with NICON in ’92. The duo of Sydney Diala and Francis Duru visited me one day and told me to escort them to an audition. And that was how the whole thing started in ’93 – and that movie turned out to be Jezebel. I later did Evil Passion and Fatal Desire with Zeb Ejiro. Evil Passion is still very dear to my heart. It was the movie that made me a star. I did only four scenes in the movie, as the woman from Bakassi.

Your going to school to study Theatre Arts, was it an act of volition or you were forced to go for it?

I was not forced and did not plan to go read Theatre Arts in school then. I actually filled in for Law, because my mother wanted me to read it coupled with the fact that I was inquisitive and a talkative while growing up. I opted for Theatre Arts as a last choice. In school, I was the youngest girl in my class. Even my mum got to know I was not reading Law when I got to 200 Level.

As a pioneer and professional actress what do you see as the biggest problem facing Nollywood today?

Our biggest and major problems are lack of discipline, commitment, and training, in a nutshell, lack of professionalism. Talent is one thing that anybody can have, but you need to have passion to do this work. It is the passion for this work that gives you that commitment and makes you do the work as if your life depends on it. It is the commitment that also brings in discipline. Training is what teaches you the basic ethics of everything. Talent without training is very risky. When we started nobody knew we would be earning what is obtainable today. The veterans before us did not have what we have today. Those who will come after us will enjoy more than us. If we don’t package ourselves very well and tell people that this is a very serious profession, nobody will take us seriously. The sponsors will come begging when we show signs of being very serious with our profession thank God people are beginning to appreciate us.

Let us take a look at your background?

I’m Hilda Dokubo, first of six children; dad is late while mum is still alive. She is a teacher. I believe that the best you can give to anybody is hope. I have two lovely sons – Isosia and Tuvi, they are my special gifts from God. My husband, Karo, is my best pal and brother. He has tolerated all my “madness” (General Laughter). I’m from Buguma in Rivers State. I also grew up in my state. I have lots of good pals and colleagues in Nollywood. I’m 34, and not afraid of anything. I will be 35, this October. I can’t wait to be 40. I will throw a big bash when I clock 40.

So, no political ambition for you in the nearest future?

Sincerely speaking, I don’t have an idea of what my tomorrow will look like. But I’m not apolitical.

Your dreams for the Street To Star Project?

That it continues to move on and on and lives longer than I live. For me, it is a foundation that I want to outlive me. I also want my production house, Big H Production to outlive me.

First published, October 2005.

Culled from Azuh Amatus’ best selling books, FAMOUS FACES…Interactions With Nollywood Stars And Stakeholders (1&2).