Cassava Republic asks the question:
On its promise:...why haven’t more publishers – especially in Africa – entered into the film game? Film adaptations of books can be massive boosts to the sales of the books – just look at what happened to the sales of series like The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Nigeria, in particular, is in a unique position to benefit from greater partnerships between publishers and filmmakers.
Image courtesy of Cassava Republic
If more African books were adapted into Nollywood films, it would benefit both the filmmakers and the publishers. It would inject fresh and original storylines and characters into the industry while boosting sales of books on the continent.More here
This idea is not new. In the 1970s Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart was adapted into a seminal television series by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and more recently, Elechi Amadi’s The Concubine was adapted into a Nollywood movie. And Chimamanda Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun is currently being adapted into a movie directed by author Biyi Bamidele.
However, there are obstacles. Veteran filmmaker Eddie Ugbomah explains that books often need to be very popular already before they inspire adaptation into commercial movies. Other uniquely Nigerian stumbling blocks include the fact that most filmmakers “don’t read” and so aren’t inspired to turn to literature for their ideas. There is also the murky issue of copyrights in Nigeria.