By Bukola Hameed
A human rights body, THURIST, has on 6th December, 2022 submitted its petition to the National Film and Video Censors Board, NFVCB against the malicious use of the Muslim women’s veil in a movie by Bisi Obanla and actress Kemi Afolabi. The board said the movie, OSUNWON MI was not censored nor classified.
The Director General of the body, Barrister Sulaymon A. Tadese said, “Sequel to our petition against actress Kemi Afolabi and Bisi Obanla for producing a movie which desecrated the sanctity of women in purdah, the National Film and Video Censors Boards has vowed it will sanction the actress and movie producer appropriately.
In a letter to THURIST signed by Deborah Malgwi, the Director, Film Censorship and Classification, the board said it will not approve any movie that ridicules any religion, nor has the potential to encourage religious discrimination and violence, and that the producer, Bisi Obanla and the Actress Kemi Afolabi will be sanctioned to serve as deterrence.
The letter reads: “That the National Film and Video Censors Board will not approve any movie that ridicules any religion, nor has the potential to encourage religious discrimination and violence. The National Film and Video Censors Board take into cognisance the sensitiveness and sensibilities of our multi-ethnic and multi-religious tenets in its day to day activities.
The movie, OSUWON MI was not censored nor classified by the National Film and Video Censors Board”.
It therefore stated that appropriate action is being taken to withdraw the movie from circulation, and that the producer, Bisi Obanla and the Actress Kemi Afolabi will be sanctioned as a deterrence.