188 african appropriations
did not mention any commercial reasons but exclusively religious ones:
“[Bin Laden] is a man who loves Islam and has taught a lesson to the other
nations of the world. For that reason, I thought that we should make a
movie about him so that every Muslim learns what Osama is doing, in
order to advance the cause of Islam” (in Barkiya 2002: 22; my translation).
This statement, however, was only made after the movie had already been
released.
In the run-up to making Ibro Usama, the very casting of comedian
Ibro as bin Laden sparked religious criticism, which most likely had an
impact on the final script and its realization. Besides his many fans, actor
Danlasan has always had many critics. A movie made in 2000, in which he
satirized the syncretistic practices of local religious scholars, incurred the
wrath of that powerful profession (Adamu 2004). The movies he stars in
that feature suggestive dance scenes earned him the reputation of breach-
ing Islamic values. Even before the shooting of Ibro Usama began, con-
servative religious scholars accused Danlasan of betraying Islam, as they
feared the actor might ridicule bin Laden. The religious police in Kano
intervened and tried to have the movie banned by the Censorship Board
before it could be released. However, the censors objected to only a few
song-and-dance numbers and released the movie as soon as these had
figure 6.5
Videocassette cover of Ibro Usama (2002). Author’s collection.