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The Film "Tears of the Sun" and Nigeria's Image

John Calley
Chairman & CEO
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Culver City, California

The attention of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Washington D.C. has been drawn to numerous promotional materials and reviews of your recently released film "Tears of the Sun" starring among others Bruce Willis, Monica Bellucci, Cole Hauser and directed by Antoine Fuqua."

These reviews and materials as well as Sony Pictures' official website and the film all alluded to the fact that the film was about Nigeria. Infact the website on the film had a map of Nigeria in obvious confirmation that the film is truly a reflection of real life situation about the country.

The film though claimed by Sony to be a fiction revolves centrally around a rescue attempt by a group of U.S. Navy seals of foreign citizens stuck in a war torn and ready to explode jungle in Central Africa. The film and Sony webpage painted a very gloomy and dangerous perception of the country's environment, politics and society giving everyone the impression of a jungle inhabited only by savages. The film concorted a Nigerian scenario of violence and civil war dominated by rape, mutilation by machete and child soldiers.

The Embassy strongly condemns this negative portrayal of Nigeria in your film. While your film "Tears of the Sun" is allegedly a fiction, we do not need to remind you that the name Nigeria is not a fiction but a sovereign entity made up of over 120 million proud and hardworking people, some of whom have made tremendous contributions to humanity. The picture painted in your film is definitely not that of the Nigeria the world knows. The Embassy considers the film an abusive portrayal and affront to the dignity and self respect of Nigerians worldwide. To produce a fiction solely on the basis of drive for commercial interest and sacrifice the sensibilities of over 120 million black people is to say the least utterly incomprehensible and most uncharitable.

Nigeria is the most populous black nation accounting for one out of every five black persons in the world. A respected member of the international community responsible for 7% to 10% of America's oil import, we as a people strongly object to the ridiculing of our image and that of the black race.

Your depiction of supposedly chaotic political and social events in Africa will damage the chances of these countries in attracting much needed foreign investments from this part of the world and elsewhere.

Consequently, the Embassy demands that Sony Pictures Entertainment withdraw the film "Tears of the Sun" from further circulation immediately.

We look forward to Sony Pictures' prompt and positive response to our request considering the enormous investment in Nigeria of its electronic and recording subsidiaries.

Ambassador A. Agada
Embassy of Nigeria
Washington. D.C.
March 10, 2003.

Cc:
Joe Roth
Founder, President, and CEO
Revolution Studios

Jeff Blake
President, Worldwide Marketing and Distribution
Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group

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Sony Pictures' Response to Open Letter About 'Tears of the Sun'

April 1, 2003

Ambassador Augustine A. Agada Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1333 16th Street N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036

Dear Ambassador Agada,

Thank you very much for your letters to Sony Pictures and Revolution Studios expressing concern about the motion picture, TEARS OF THE SUN.

We would like to assure you that we have been careful to make certain that all marketing and publicity materials made it clear that the events portrayed in the film were fictional and not fact based, and do no reflect life in modern day Nigeria.

Although our promotional website never included a map of Nigeria, in light of your concerns about perceived negative perceptions of Nigeria, we have revised the site. Currently there is no reference of any sort to Nigeria. The synopsis of the film that appears on the site also indicates that TEAR OF THE SUN is based on a fictional story.

In addition, out of respect for the people of Nigeria, we will include on the upcoming DVD release additional language to reinforce to viewers that all events portrayed in the film are fictions.

While it is not our intent to offend, the right to free expression and creation of a variety of genres of filmed entertainment is what allows us to bring entertainment to diverse audiences around the world.

We hope you understand and again, thank you for communicating your thoughts to us.

Sincerely,
Signed Hope J. Booushaft

Cc: John Calley

Copyright © 2002 Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and GlobeScope, Inc.