Alhaji Hamisu IyanTama was invited by the Toronto International Film Festival and The Canadian Film Center to shed some light on the movie industry in Northern Nigeria, and on the trials and tribulations he had to go through in Kano with corrupt government officials imprisoning him unjustly, for making a movie that was about unity, uniting all Nigerians.
Alhaji Hamisu IyanTama was imprisoned for over 60days without compensation for “allegedly disregarding censorship laws imposed by the Kano Censorship Board on the Hausa movie industry”, an accusation that was completely false, as there was evidence proving that the Movie Tsintsiya was shot in accordance to the current laws stipulated by the Kano Censorship Board.
The movie Tsintsiya at the time of the persecution had in fact been approved at the federal level and was hailed by critics as an important landmark in the development of social peace in Nigeria. Also because of its anti-violence and cultural tolerance campaign it received a lot of funding from numerous sponsors such as the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria.
The entire situation had long been viewed at the time by many as a political response to Iyan-Tama's contestation of the gubernarial position in Kano state currently held by Malam Ibrahim Shekarau. As stated by Iyan-Tama in an interview with Leadership Nigeria earlier this year:
"The whole issue of my arrest is political, designed to humiliate me. You know, I contested the election against Malam Shekarau last year. Since then I have openly opposed some of his policies, which is in the interest of the good people of Kano State. And they know I still intend to contest the governorship election in 2011.
"But even though I disagree with them over the censorship laws, I refused to break any law. I shot the movie in Kaduna to prove that I am law-abiding. The US embassy premiered it in Abuja. And the film is not on sale anywhere in Kano. My production company was registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission. I decided not to renew my registration with the state censorship board because I have secured an office in Abuja, where I am planning to move."
There were even numerous reports that during the time of his incarceration, there was a plot to murder Iyan-Tama during the three month period he spent in jail. The Kano Censorship Board believed it had a mandate to take any action regardless of constitutional legality, ethics or religious morality.
Below is a Dance clip from the movie Tsintsiya that apparently is a no no says the Kano Censorship Board, that the scence are sexual in nature.
http://freeiyantama.blogspot.com/
