Kicking Up a Fuss

Not going to lie, the Nigerian government's decision to try to shut down screenings of District 9 and to demand that sections of the movie that portray Nigerians be edited, seems like foolishness to me.  First off, remedial public relations: complaining about something draws attention to it.  So unless it's something that needs actual correction, either because people believe it, or because it's ubiquitous, leave it be.  And second, if you're a state, complaining about art makes you look like an amateur.  Have a sense of humor about it.  Offer the prawns refuge in Nigeria and claim the movie is just South African propaganda.  Whatever you do, don't act like problems with Nigeria's image are the fault of a South African filmmaker and a single movie.