IFC inducts TAMPPAN President, Bolaji Amusan, as honorary member

Notable actor, producer, director and President of the Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (TAMPPAN), Otunba Bolaji Amusan, who is popular as Mr. Latin, has been inducted as Honorary Member of Ibadan Film Circle (IFC).

IFC is a group of filmmakers, film critics and scholars that has in the past five years earned a reputation as promoter and police of ethics, quality and professionalism in the Nigerian film industry.

The investiture ceremony held at the Senior Staff Club of the University of Ibadan on March 14 and was witnessed by a select crowd of Yoruba film practitioners, university lecturers and IFC members.

Explaining the significance of Amusan’s ceremonial admittance into IFC, award-winning filmmaker and Convener of IFC, Niji Akanni, said: “The new initiative towards honorary membership of IFC and the specific choice of Amusan for its first edition both serve one purpose.

“They both mark IFC’s first step towards its next big project- to evolve a platform of vigorous engagement with indigenous cinema practice in Nigeria and Africa on a scope and scale that have not been witnessed before.

“We at IFC think there is very little, if any, critical attention or developmental resources being devoted to indigenous language cinema practice in Nigeria.

“Therefore, IFC has resolved that its next interventionist agenda is to stimulate quantum growth in indigenous-language film praxis across the country, not just in the Yoruba sector.

“Towards this end, we now begin to identify key figures and institutions that we can partner with to create effective and sustainable synergies that will bring multi-level development to indigenous-language film practice in the country.”

Also speaking, IFC’s Administrator, Ropo Ewenla, emphasised that the group decided to honour ‘Mr. Latin’ because it was drawn to his style of leadership as TAMPPAN president.

Ropo, a culture activist and veteran actor, added: “He has demonstrated uncommon zeal and genuine determination in helping to tackle some of the unsavory and unprofessional tendencies of his own colleagues in the Yoruba film industry.

“On quite a few occasions, he has lent his personal voice and used the resources of his office as president to support IFC’s many ‘battles’ with errant and recalcitrant individual Yoruba filmmakers.

“He is a progressive ideologue whose professional outlook tallies in many respects with IFC’s ideals.”

In his short post-investiture speech after he was decorated with a sash of honour by Alagba Duro Adeleke, Professor of Yoruba Literature and Film Studies and current Head of the Department of Linguistics and African Languages, University of Ibadan, Amusan said he feels “humbled and highly honoured to be chosen for this landmark gesture by IFC, an organization I have high respect for, run by people whose personal reputations and work output in this industry have been sources of inspiration to me for years.”

Amusan pledged to renew his commitment to supporting the visionary ventures of IFC towards “pushing Nigerian cinema unto higher grounds.”Dr Sola Olorunyomi of the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan and an IFC member, who took the vote of thanks, declared that both in its spirit and its substance, the event made him proud to say he belongs to “this remarkable organisation called IFC.”