The cinema of pioneer Nigerian filmmaker Ola Balogun is the focus of an upcoming publication by Filmkollektiv Frankfurt.
According to the editors, the book Magic of Nigeria: The Cinema of Ola Balogun, "aims to initiate a rediscovery of the filmic work of Nigerian film director Ola Balogun, who between 1972 and 1982 wrote, produced and directed ten feature films that can be considered one of the lasting achievements of African and particularly Nigerian cinema."
Culture enthusiasts will remember Balogun for his outstanding body of work, which includes feature films AJANI OGUN (1976), BLACK GODDESS (1978), CRY FREEDOM (1980) and MONEY POWER (1982), as well as documentaries and short films. The multilingual filmmaker produced work in languages including Yoruba, Igbo, English, French and Portuguese.



In January 2015, Ola Balogun lost all his belongings - including his films - in a fire incident at his Lagos home. The affected works seem to be unavailable elsewhere. Following the incident, Balogun, an author and musician, relocated to Cotonou, Benin Republic where he established a school for languages.
Writer-filmmaker Gary Vanisian, a member of the Filmkollektiv Frankfurt, said his interest was piqued in 2013, when he first heard about Ola Balogun's cinema from a friend. He soon discovered though that access to Balogun and his films is not the easiest thing but Balogun's unique style encouraged him to carry on. "There is no way I could leave this precious chapter of ‘world cinema,'" Vanisian said.
Contacting Balogun's wife made things easier however and plans for a retrospective were soon underway.



In August 2015 - on the occasion of Balogun's 70th birthday - the Filmkollektiv Frankfurt organised the first retrospective of his surviving films in Germany. The group hopes that the upcoming book will help re-introduce the artist's work to the public. "This publication on the filmic work of Ola Balogun aims to initiate a rediscovery of Balogun's work and likewise renew interest in the pre-Nollywood film production in Nigeria, an important chapter in African film history."
Magic of Nigeria: The Cinema of Ola Balogun will feature contributions from Françoise Balogun, the filmmaker's wife and collaborator; poet and academic Niyi Osundare; writer and editor Nii K. Bentsi-Enchill, and journalist Shaibu Husseini.
"Now the goal is to promote [Balogun's] cinema and to make it visible again," added Vanisian.
A Kickstarter campaign is currently on to help the publishers reach their target of €4000 needed to print the first 500 copies of Magic of Nigeria: The Cinema of Ola Balogun. The campaign ends on January 14 with almost €3000 raised so far.
Active since 2013, the Filmkollektiv Frankfurt is a non-benefit film association dedicated to showing forgotten and/or rare films in cinema history.

Derin Ajao