Prof. AbdulRasheed Na' Allah, Vice-Chancellor, Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, has inaugurated a committee to see to the establishment of the Centre for Nollywood Studies at the university.

Na' Allah stated this in his opening address on Monday at the Conference on African Cinema, organised by the university, with the theme: "African Cinema and the Supernatural".

He said when operational, the centre would be charged with the responsibility of highlighting the role and effects of Nollywood films in the society.

Na'Allah added that the planned conference was part of the university's ambition to build bridges between scholars and those who promote culture outside the university.

He added that the goal was to reach deeply into the soul of the immediate university community and tap into the rich human and material resources of the nation.

The vice-chancellor said that the essence of the centre would be to redefine the progress made by the nation in terms of arts and culture, for the benefit of all.

"In 2010, the theme of the KWASU Conference on African Cinema was Nollywood: A Natural Cinema"; this year, it is Nollywood and the Supernatural.

He said the themes of both conferences showed the commitment of the institution to the promotion of culture through cinema.

In his remarks, Prof. Onookome Okome, lecturer, University of Alberta, Canada, said that the conference was aimed at exploring how Nollywood could depict the supernatural and its capacity in resolving every human problem.

"The implication of this belief in the supernatural means that we do not take our material conditions into context and this means that if we don't work hard, we cannot live well," he said.

Okome added that the centre would be a focal point where the meaning and relevance of Nollywood would be studied.

The don added that that it would also update the archives on Nollywood history and serve as an academic arm of the Malete Film Village.

According to him, it will enable students of KWASU to get theoretical and practical knowledge about Nollywood. (NAN)