*This also appeared in the Language Compass published by the National Language Service Corps.
I saw the filming of a “Nollywood”, or Nigeria’s highly profitable film industry, movie for the first time a week after moving to eastern Nigeria. I was passing through a neighbor’s grassy yard on my way to a party one evening, and I heard heated yelling that alarmed me. I was surprised to peer around a corner and find a camera crew flooding lights on two young actors filming a dramatic fight scene. As I watched, I was impressed with the innovative electrical set up of the camera crew, attention to detail of the makeup artists, and vibrant energy of the actors. I was in Nigeria to learn a local language and was pleased to overhear that the characters’ names were of that tongue, Igbo.
I gained a greater appreciation for Nollywood during my time in Nigeria. I think it makes the cinematic representation of Nigerian life feel accessible to the audience. Unlike Hollywood, Nollywood movies are made on small budgets, often in people’s homes using amateur actors, and without any visual or special effects. It was easy for me to have friends point out filming scenes to me as we explored Lagos. Also, because of their modest funds, scripts often focus simply on the dynamics of human relationships—marriage, parenting, siblinghood, etc. Although these relationships are highly dramatized in sometimes silly ways, they are still ones that many of us have.
I saw that Nollywood gives Nigerians a way to tell their own stories in their own way. Historically, so much of what the rest of the world has understood about them was narrated by Europeans, by outsiders. This was the basis of my academic research before I arrived. However, these films are a way for Nigerians to be their own storytellers. Then, at the same time that it narrates what West African culture is like, Nollywood also helps create it. Often, the clothes that I saw friends wearing there were fashionable because of a certain Nollywood star, and I heard idiosyncratic phrases in daily conversation that I knew had been popularized by a local movie.
Years later, I still try to watch Nollywood cinema to practice listening to Igbo. I also do so because it reminds of the moment I realized that I was no longer watching Nigerian films from the U.S. as a way to understand a foreign culture, but actually living that culture.
Here is an excellent short documentary on Nollywood:
As a very big fan of Nollywood, I think that it is very interesting to look at the growth and changes that the Nollywood Industry has gone through over the past years. Old Nollywood, for example, had a lot of movies with witchcraft and the famous soundtracks, but currently, the scripts have moved away from that and even the production has greatly improved. It would be very interesting to have the producers of Old Nollywood and current producers in one panel because there would be a lot to unpack. 🙂
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I like that you chose this post to comment on, Daisy. Some questions I have about Nollywood (that I don’t know the answers to): Does Nollywood reflect West African indigenous life and beliefs, or does it reflect the increasing influence of the West in African culture? How should we describe the way women are depicted in Nollywood films? How can Nollywood productions be galvanized for positive social change across the continent? Thoughts to consider.
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Dear Mrs,
We are Thibe, Josu and Hanne, three journalism students in Ghent, Belgium. We are researching the film industry in Nigeria for an international journalism course. We found this article about your personal experience in Nigeria and we would be interested in asking you some questions about Nollywood. Would it be possible for you to have a meeting on Zoom or Teams somewhere this next weeks? It won’t take too long and it would be a great help for us.
Thank you in advance.
Sincerely,
Thibe Moens
Josu Sanchez
Hanne van Mourik
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