Yugo Gabriel Egboluche is a Nigerian born multidisciplinary writer and educationist. He is a graduate of the Lancashire Business School and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Gabriel's writing covers genres such as script-writing, copy-writing, fiction, and poetry. His poems have appeared in chapbooks and webzines including, The Kalahari Review, Praxis Magazine Online, and Words, Rhyme & Rhythm. In 2017 his poem featured in the ‘Best NewAfricanPoets Anthology’ published by Mwanaka Press, Zimbabwe. And in 2019, his poem was also featured in the ‘Universal OnenessAnthology, published by AuthorPress, India. He translated a collection of Haiku’s into his native language and has his short stories published in: ‘Experimental Writing, Africa vs Latin American Anthology’ (2015) and ‘Africa, UK, and Ireland: Writing Politics and Knowledge Production (2018). With several of his screenplays translated into film, he has produced four Short-films and edited and co-authored numerous community development texts and guidebooks.
Tell us about your experience at Hip Hop Film Festival?
If I was to sum it all up in two words, I would say; it was 'revealing' and 'engaging'. Why because, to me, the film/web series that was inspired by music found a home with the Hip Hop Film festival. That said, I would commend the selection team, first for finding our piece worthy. And the planning team for awesome communication, and spot-on virtual screenings. In all, I am glad to be part of the Hip Hop Film Festival and would gladly recommend the organizers to other filmmakers (PS: That is hoping you meant to ask about my experience at the Hip Hop Film Festival West Africa)
Why are stories from the culture important? Telling stories from the culture is VERY important because the continued silence of creatives (from the culture) leaves room for skewed narratives and cultural misrepresentation. I do believe that the long-held narratives, albeit skewed, ought to change by the conscious, collective, and sincere efforts of creatives, who have in their hands potent and powerful instruments to balance age-long narratives for the greater good.
What projects are you working on now?
Asides working on publishing my Afro-centric poetry collection, I am currently working on building partnerships for a feature film project based on the culture.
Why do you think the Harlem Film House and Hip Hop Film Festival is important?
I would base the importance of the Harlem Film House and Hip Hop Film Festival Europe's importance on their continued dig into the culture and their mission to up the voices of underserved communities and independent filmmakers across cultures. That latter alone, is worth more than a million, knowing the strains and drudgery of indie filmmaking. Creating a globe-reaching platform, to give these artists a voice to express their ingenuity makes the Harlem film house and the Hip Hop Film Festival, worthy dyads, for artistic expressions.
Comments