tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca/topics/nollywood-9883/articles
Nollywood – The Conversation
2023-12-28T06:02:31Z
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/219232
2023-12-28T06:02:31Z
2023-12-28T06:02:31Z
Black Panther, Wakanda Forever and the problem with Hollywood – an African perspective
<p><em><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1825683/">Black Panther</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9114286/">Black Panther: Wakanda Forever</a> were global hits that played out in an imaginary African kingdom and feature a universe of black creative talent. What’s not to love about the franchise? <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17533171.2023.2256514?casa_token=_9fDNeT6IQMAAAAA%3AJeGd5d6nr3wYao8GUbCBWBr-O3mg6KdYOjxOpPqSMABFfKkZpfJWI4oPpI-Q9_W-1lUSoFPBL7KKI7w">Quite a lot</a>, <a href="https://find.library.unisa.edu.au/discovery/fulldisplay/alma9916619232601831/61USOUTHAUS_INST:ROR">reckons</a> cultural and literary studies <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Jeanne-Marie+Viljoen&btnG=">scholar</a> Jeanne-Marie Viljoen. We asked her to explain.</em></p>
<h2>What are Black Panther’s limitations when it comes to diversity?</h2>
<p>Even though the Black Panther films didn’t represent Africans on their own complex terms, they’re still a major cultural phenomenon. They bring issues of racial representation into the spotlight for Hollywood’s still largely white audiences. They do so through the use of Black talent, both in front of and behind the camera. </p>
<p>In the first film, the black superhero, T'Challa, is crowned king of Wakanda, a mythical African kingdom with advanced technological prowess. Drama ensues when he is challenged by Killmonger, who plans to use the kingdom’s power to begin a global revolution. In the sequel, the leaders of Wakanda fight to protect their nation and its valuable resources in the wake of King T'Challa’s death as his sister Shuri becomes the new Black Panther. </p>
<p>The first film was a phenomenal box office success, with over half of its sales coming from the US market. The sequel, although not quite as successful, was most successful in global markets. It’s my view that Hollywood’s investment in these films is driven by a narrow western definition of spectacle. US audiences marvel at the visual spectacle that entertains and sells. This has the effect of distancing them from the actual content of what they are viewing (Africa and diversity).</p>
<p>It is not so much because of the films themselves, but because of how they have been received by Hollywood audiences who understand spectacle in a very particular way. So films like Black Panther have in some ways been counterproductive. They’ve made Hollywood audiences believe that enough has been done about diversity. The 2019 Hollywood Diversity <a href="https://socialsciences.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/UCLA-Hollywood-Diversity-Report-2019-2-21-2019.pdf">report</a> singles out Black Panther as a good example of how the power of diverse images has convinced a significant number of American film spectators (42%) that <a href="https://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S1021-14972022000100002">enough has been done</a> about diversity in Hollywood. So it’s making matters worse, instead of helping to increase diversity and ultimately decolonise the US mainstream imagination. </p>
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<p>This suggests that Hollywood spectators are lulled by such films and their spectacle. They don’t feel there’s further reason to find out any more about Africa and African film-making or audiences. This means Hollywood audiences are not invested in a more nuanced understanding of the kind of spectacle we see from Nollywood audiences in Nigeria, for example. This not only limits the understanding of diversity but also limits the way that films about such topics are made.</p>
<h2>What can Hollywood learn from how the films have been received in Africa?</h2>
<p>While the <a href="https://qz.com/africa/1210704/black-panthers-african-cultures-and-influences">costumes</a> of Black Panther draw from various authentic African cultures, this is just an appropriation of some of the most popular visual aspects of some African cultures (such as lip plates and neck rings). In the sequel, critics <a href="https://theconversation.com/black-panther-wakanda-forever-reclaims-the-myth-of-an-african-utopia-195157">point out</a> that the average (presumably American) viewer won’t know that the language being spoken in the film is isiXhosa, a South African language, or that some of the garments are made with Ghanaian Kente cloth and designs. Since Africa is a continent of over 50 countries that are diverse culturally and geographically, this “borrowing” could suggest that their cultural markers are shared and interchangeable. Real empowerment only <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341195304_Black_Panther_and_Blaxploitation_Intersections">comes about</a> with more “direct engagement with African political and social issues” and less emphasis on profit. </p>
<p>Yet, despite these inaccurate and inauthentic displays of Africa, in Nigeria, Wakanda Forever performed better than it did in the Hollywood domestic market, relatively speaking. It became the biggest grossing film ever at the Nigerian box office, the <a href="https://deadline.com/2023/04/black-panther-wakanda-forever-box-office-profits-1235320190/">first film</a> to earn one billion naira. This is because Nollywood audiences have a more nuanced reading of spectacle and how politics and entertainment come together than Hollywood audiences do. </p>
<p>Nollywood has developed its own conventions around cinematic spectacle which Hollywood largely neglects. According to these conventions the audience engages with socio-cultural and socio-economic issues in a way that exceeds merely visual displays. So, a Nollywood blockbuster includes both visual spectacle and a reflection of the lived conditions and social issues that Nigerian people face. Some academics <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17533171.2019.1551739">argue</a> that for African audiences, Afro-superheroes are not just visual spectacles but are also embedded in political and social issues. They offer ways of understanding the world today. This explains why, in African criticism, Wakanda has become a potential resource for imaginative transformation, rather than merely escapism. </p>
<p>This may explain why, despite its unrealistic portrayal of Africans, in Nigeria the film has been popular. It has been interpreted through the sophisticated lens of Nollywood spectacle. Wakanda Forever tackles political issues, even though it does so in a limited way. For Hollywood audiences the spectacle stops deeper engagement with politics. In Nollywood this engagement with politics is something people are comfortable with and want to make more of. They use this to build knowledge about African futurism and engage in political knowledge building.</p>
<h2>Why should Hollywood look to Africa for a better future?</h2>
<p>Hollywood should <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17533171.2023.2256514">look to Africa</a> in order to expand and decolonise what Hollywood envisions cinema can do in relation to building knowledge about diversity and film-making. In focusing mainly on a Hollywood audience and largely ignoring African audiences, Hollywood not only makes its audience believe that the limited headway that this film makes with inclusion and diversity is enough. It also fails to exploit African audiences both for their appetite for films but also for what can be learnt about inclusion and film-making from their more complex understanding of diversity politics and cinematic spectacle. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/black-people-beware-dont-let-black-panther-joy-mask-hollywoods-racism-93095">Black people beware: don't let Black Panther joy mask Hollywood's racism</a>
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<p>This limits the kinds of social problems Hollywood audiences can solve and also the films that Hollywood can make. This is unfortunate when one <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/43821507">considers</a> Africa’s global authority in the arts and when one observes that Africa boasts several robust cinema industries of its own. If African audiences were taken into account by Hollywood then Hollywood could do more for diversity and inclusion instead of repeating the same old, tired spectacle we are used to seeing in Hollywood superhero films.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219232/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jeanne-Marie Viljoen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
There’s a big difference between how Hollywood audiences view Black Panther and how African audiences do.
Jeanne-Marie Viljoen, Lecturer, Creative Unit, UniSA, University of South Australia
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/213007
2023-09-26T12:12:46Z
2023-09-26T12:12:46Z
Queer film in Africa is rising – even in countries with the harshest anti-LGBTIQ+ laws
<p><em>A recent book, <a href="https://www.nisc.co.za/products/111/books/queer-bodies-in-african-films">Queer Bodies in African Films</a>, studies the growing LGBTIQ+ output from film-makers around the continent, from Morocco to South Africa. In the process it analyses what queerness is and means within the context of African countries. Its author, Gibson Ncube, is a lecturer and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=M5o4S3EAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate">scholar</a> who focuses his research on queerness in African cultural production – from literature to films. We asked him four questions.</em></p>
<h2>Is there a growing queer representation in films from African countries?</h2>
<p>Yes, the last decade has seen a proliferation of these films. <a href="https://theconversation.com/from-nollywood-to-new-nollywood-the-story-of-nigerias-runaway-success-47959">Nigeria’s Nollywood</a> has produced a <a href="https://www.okayafrica.com/nollywood-lgbtq-movies/">considerable body</a> of films portraying queer lived experiences. Although most of these experiences remain largely formulaic and moralistic, there have been films like the 2020 lesbian love story <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/ife-queer-film-nigeria-intl/index.html">Ife</a> which offer positive images of queerness in Nigeria. </p>
<p>With its long history of queer representation in film, South Africa continues to produce work that highlights the diversity of LGBTIQ+ experiences. Christiaan Olwagen’s coming-of-age war musical <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8595480/">Kanarie</a> appeared in 2018. The following year saw <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10699362/">Moffie</a> by Oliver Hermanus, set in the <a href="https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/history-apartheid-south-africa">apartheid</a> army. And Bonnie Sithebe’s 2022 lesbian drama <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21437200/">Valley of a Thousand Hills</a> is set in traditional rural South Africa.</p>
<p>Importantly, there have also been features from countries that previously had not produced such themed films. For example, the 2015 <a href="https://www.tchindas.com/">Tchindas</a> is about a queer carnival in Cape Verde. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14154538/">Kapana</a> is a 2020 gay love story from Namibia. A documentary about being gay in conservative Sudan, <a href="https://www.theartofsin.movie/about">The Art of Sin</a>, appeared in 2020. </p>
<p>Also, there have been films from countries with some of the harshest <a href="https://theconversation.com/being-queer-in-africa-the-state-of-lgbtiq-rights-across-the-continent-205306">LGBTIQ+ laws</a>, such as Nigeria (<a href="https://www.pulse.ng/entertainment/movies/pulse-movie-review-hell-or-high-water-starts-a-necessary-conversation-about/9t7nfeg">Hell and High Water</a>), Uganda (<a href="https://pearlofafrica.tv/">The Pearl of Uganda</a>) and Kenya (<a href="https://www.watchiamsamuel.org/">I am Samuel</a>). </p>
<p>But film-makers still have to contend with diverse forms of <a href="https://theconversation.com/banning-african-films-like-rafiki-and-inxeba-doesnt-diminish-their-influence-162315">banning and censorship</a>. This does not, of course, diminish the films’ growing influence.</p>
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<p>African queer films often navigate unique social, cultural and political challenges – such as deep rooted homophobia and colonial legacies. They explore the complexities of being both queer and African, and often incorporate traditional cultural elements. These films contribute to a broader global discourse on queer issues while offering distinct perspectives and narratives.</p>
<h2>What is the book’s main argument?</h2>
<p>The main argument is in two parts. Firstly, I argue that the body is central in understanding queerness in African film. I first watched some of the films in their original languages and without subtitles. Although I did not understand languages like Afrikaans, Arabic or Kiswahili, I found that the visuality of queer bodies told stories. The bodies told stories in a language that wasn’t verbal or oral. </p>
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<p>Secondly, I contend that it is important to think of how queer bodies come into being in different parts of the continent. I undertake a pan-African reading of films from various regions to emphasise not only the differences in how they depict queer bodies but also the shared experiences that transcend regional and cultural differences. </p>
<p>One of the main differences between films north and south of the Sahara is the openness of depicting queerness. In north African films, queerness exists in silence and is expressed through suggestive language. In sub-Saharan films, there is a move to more unconcealed representations. But the films capture the cultural and social realities of the societies being portrayed. </p>
<h2>Please tell us about a few of the films you studied</h2>
<p>Some were better known than others. I examined contemporary films like <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1922721/">Skoonheid</a> (Beauty) by Oliver Hermanus, the 2011 gay drama set in a conservative Afrikaans community, and the 2013 Moroccan coming-of-age drama <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3016266/">Salvation Army</a> by <a href="https://theconversation.com/abdellah-ta-a-is-moroccos-first-openly-gay-writer-his-work-reimagines-being-muslim-queer-and-african-205574">Abdellah Taïa</a>. I also looked at the gay 2017 Xhosa initiation school drama <a href="https://theconversation.com/no-the-award-winning-film-inxeba-isnt-a-disrespectful-gay-sex-romp-92462">Inxeba/The Wound</a> by John Trengove and the 2018 Kenyan lesbian romance <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8286894/">Rafiki</a> by <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-kenyan-film-director-taking-on-the-world-with-positive-stories-of-black-life-149689">Wanuri Kahiu</a>. </p>
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<p>These films have <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=skoonheid&btnG=">attracted</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=salvation+army+film&btnG=">considerable</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=inxeba&btnG=">academic</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=rafiki+wanuri+kahiu&oq=rafiki">attention</a>. But I reread them by focusing on the representation of the queer bodies. </p>
<p>For example, Inxeba has previously been <a href="https://issuu.com/849269/docs/signals_edition3_august_2021/s/13170457">analysed</a> for the way in which queerness exists within the traditional Xhosa ceremonies of <em>ulwaluko</em> (circumcision and rites of initiation into manhood). I concentrate rather on the penis and how <em>ulwaluko</em> is a process of conferring symbolic and cultural authority to this organ. I demonstrate that the penis can be a site of rethinking masculinity and also what queerness means in traditional black societies of post-apartheid South Africa. Instead of portraying the penis as virile and domineering, Inxeba considers the penis as vulnerable and feeble. Through this focus, I attempt to understand queer embodiment.</p>
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<p>I also examine little-known films from north Africa like the 2009 lesbian drama <a href="https://africanarguments.org/2021/01/silence-and-skin-depicting-queerness-in-maghrebian-films/">Al Dowaha</a> (Buried Secrets) by Tunisian director Raja Amari and the 2006 Muslim drama exploring masculinity <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/sep/14/worldcinema.drama">Imarat Yácubyan</a> (The Yacoubian Building) by Egyptian film-maker Marwan Hamed. </p>
<p>Through their varied depictions, these films play a significant role in making visible marginalised gender and sexual identities. They provide a crucial visual archive that contributes to our understanding of queer lives in north Africa.</p>
<h2>What did you learn from studying these films?</h2>
<p>Studying these films has yielded a profound understanding of queer experiences within diverse African cultural contexts. They undoubtedly <a href="https://mg.co.za/thoughtleader/opinion/2022-05-25-opinion-how-film-can-shape-our-understanding-of-african-queer-realities/">shape our understanding</a> of queer lives and experiences in a continent where queerphobia remains rampant. </p>
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<p>The films provide vital representation, challenging stereotypes and fostering visibility for marginalised communities. African queer cinema contributes to global discussions on important human rights questions. </p>
<p>The films also showcase cinematic innovation and underscore the role of media in social change. Moreover, studying these films chronicles the journey of queer rights in Africa. It reflects both progress and setbacks, while fostering community building and solidarity among queer individuals and allies.</p>
<p>The book highlights the rich diversity of experiences within African LGBTQ+ communities. It debunks the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/oct/02/homosexuality-unafrican-claim-historical-embarrassment">myth</a> that queerness is unAfrican and a western import and shows that queer individuals have always been part of African societies.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/213007/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gibson Ncube does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Despite harsh laws, a growing number of African countries are representing queer life in their cinema.
Gibson Ncube, Lecturer, Stellenbosch University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/200507
2023-04-11T14:35:53Z
2023-04-11T14:35:53Z
Nollywood could see a major boost from Nigeria’s new copyright law - an expert explains why
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519669/original/file-20230405-22-qvwbqt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=7%2C44%2C4913%2C3231&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The digital era contributed immensely to the growth of Nollywood, Nigeria's film industry.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/customers-look-at-nollywood-movies-in-a-shop-at-idumota-news-photo/1128688331?adppopup=true">Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Nigeria has finally <a href="https://infojustice.org/archives/45182">updated its 2004 copyright law</a>, bringing it into the digital era – where the entertainment industry has been for decades already.</p>
<p>Before the late 1990s, it was difficult even to get telephone services in Nigeria. And it was very expensive for private enterprises to make films. Since then, digital technology has unleashed a multitude of ways to receive information and entertainment. </p>
<p>With the arrival of digital technology, all a filmmaker needed was a simple video recorder and a group of talented creatives. Thus modern Nollywood – the Nigerian film industry – was born.</p>
<p>Nollywood employs <a href="https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/2021/06/streaming-video-services-flood-emerging-markets-behsudi">more than a million people</a> directly or indirectly, making the sector Nigeria’s second largest employer after agriculture. In 2022, <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1186955/arts-entertainment-and-recreation-sector-contribution-to-gdp-in-nigeria/#:%7E:text=Arts%2C%20entertainment%20and%20recreation%20sector,GDP%20in%20Nigeria%202019%2D2022&text=In%20the%20second%20quarter%20of,when%20it%20reached%200.3%20percent.">Nollywood’s contribution to Nigeria’s GDP stood at 0.1%</a>. It’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/10/nigeria-africa-biggest-economy-nollywood">Africa’s most successful film industry</a> and the third largest globally after Hollywood and Bollywood in terms of the number of movies produced <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1186955/arts-entertainment-and-recreation-sector-contribution-to-gdp-in-nigeria/#:%7E:text=Arts%2C%20entertainment%20and%20recreation%20sector,GDP%20in%20Nigeria%202019%2D2022&text=In%20the%20second%20quarter%20of,0.21%20percent%20of%20Nigeria's%20GDP">annually</a>. </p>
<p>But Nigeria’s copyright regime lagged behind the industry’s technological and business developments. The biggest issue was piracy, that it was easy to copy and sell other people’s work without their consent. The courts found themselves with new intellectual property problems to deal with and it was clear a new copyright regime was needed.</p>
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<img alt="A man looking at some movies in a store filled with shelfs stacked with DVDs." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519675/original/file-20230405-23-fw13cr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519675/original/file-20230405-23-fw13cr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519675/original/file-20230405-23-fw13cr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519675/original/file-20230405-23-fw13cr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519675/original/file-20230405-23-fw13cr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519675/original/file-20230405-23-fw13cr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519675/original/file-20230405-23-fw13cr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The new copyright law make provision for the digital rights of Nollywood creatives. Photo by Cristina Aldehuela/AFP via Getty Images.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/customers-look-at-nollywood-movies-in-a-shop-at-idumota-news-photo/1128688331?adppopup=true">from www.gettyimages.com</a></span>
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<p>I have spent much of my career <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=1390877">researching copyright law in Africa</a> and the <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3373358">connection between copyright and the economic growth</a> of Africa’s creative industries – films, fashion, music, literature and others. </p>
<p>I have <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4228165">written specifically about Nollywood</a>, arguing that it needs a new copyright regime if it is to thrive. And I have <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3989947">researched the kind of copyright curriculum</a> that law schools in Nigeria need in order to make the amended copyright law effective in growing its creative industries. My research supports the idea that Nigeria should deliberately include digital copyright regimes in its laws and strengthen the institutions that put them into effect. </p>
<p>And the new copyright law in Nigeria does fill gaps. Nigerians will now have a legal regime that can protect their creativity within the technological space. The new law will be useful to combat online film piracy and loss of revenue from the illegal use of copyrighted works.</p>
<p>The new law has the potential to create stability and predictability in industries like Nollywood. This is a positive step towards a more diversified national economy – and economic growth. </p>
<p>But it will be important to allow the courts to do their job. Trying to settle disputes through the Nigerian Copyright Commission – which is a new option – could complicate and prolong the litigation. That might discourage investment in the creative industry.</p>
<h2>Key benefits of the new law</h2>
<p>Nigeria’s <a href="https://www.adams.africa/africa-general/nigeria-enacts-new-copyright-act/#:%7E:text=Nigeria%20enacts%20Copyright%20Act%2C%202022,the%20Copyright%20Act%20of%202004">new</a> copyright law recognises and protects creative works that are based on current digital productive technologies. It covers films, music, performances, literary works and performances enabled by the internet and wireless devices through streaming techniques, uploads, hyperlinks and air-drops. </p>
<p><a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3373358">The law now provides</a> anti-circumvention devices. It is now a copyright infringement to illegally circumvent a computer program, software or a technical protection measure created to protect a copyrighted work. Film piracy is both a criminal offence and a civil wrong, with severe punishment and consequences. This now applies to new forms of online film piracy too. </p>
<p>The new copyright law also includes a “safe harbour” provision which protects Nollywood entrepreneurs from unnecessary legal suits. For example, online service provider business is an emerging technology that requires huge investment and is vulnerable to illegal actions. People upload unauthorised content on an online platform and this can result in lawsuits which affect investors in this sector. The safe harbour comes with responsibility on the part of the online service provider: it must quickly remove unauthorised content and must not benefit financially from it. </p>
<p>The new law gives copyright owners ways to resolve disputes over ownership of online content without necessarily going to court. </p>
<h2>Five other new aspects</h2>
<p>The new law has five more aspects that will help sustain the creative economy and promote access to knowledge and education.</p>
<ol>
<li><p><strong>Alternative dispute resolution system.</strong> This mechanism can be used to settle issues surrounding creative rights within contemporary digital platforms. The process will be organised by the Nigerian Copyright Commission, the regulator. </p></li>
<li><p><strong>Register of works.</strong> Creators are required to register their created works. Although creators of works like Nollywood films automatically own their copyright, the register – if well executed – may help with rights management and be a resource for potential investors in the industry. </p></li>
<li><p><strong>User generated content.</strong> When you take a photo of yourself and upload it on platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram or TikTok, what you have done is upload content on an online service provider. You may have copyright over that content. The new copyright law clearly defines your rights and regulates infringement of such rights. </p></li>
<li><p><strong>Copyright exceptions.</strong> Sometimes a copyrighted work can be used without the copyright owner’s authorisation. The new law seems to take the approach that the public has a right to use a copyrighted work if it’s good for society. For example, anyone can use a copyrighted work for educational purposes – to teach in a classroom, for news reporting, criticism, or parody. People can also use the underlying idea in the copyrighted work (ideas aren’t protected by copyright) to create a new, “derivative” work. </p></li>
<li><p><strong>Copyright management organisation</strong>. Another new aspect is that regulators can appoint more than one copyright management organisation to serve a specific class of creative work. This will potentially further liberalise and democratise creativity. </p></li>
</ol>
<h2>The cautions</h2>
<p>Laws ought to be effective in action. If the new law is to benefit Nollywood and other digital industries, government institutions and policies will need revamping.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.eregistration.copyright.gov.ng/">Nigerian Copyright Commission</a> should use its new administrative powers carefully. It should be sensitive to the fact that only the courts can judge disputes of property rights.</p>
<p>The commission must stop licensing only one collective management organisation per creative category. Currently, for example, in the musical works category the commission has granted only one copyright management organisation the licence to collect royalties on behalf of creators. This has resulted in court <a href="https://ssrn.com/abstract=3260555">battles for sole control</a> over royalties. If the commission makes rights management more competitive, there may be less tension in the sector. Creatives should have more choice.</p>
<p>Nigeria will also need to pay more attention to training experts with knowledge of the digital era laws. The <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3989947">university creative and legal curriculum</a> needs reform along with the new law. </p>
<p>If the new law is to benefit Nollywood, it will have to be properly implemented. </p>
<h2>Why this matters</h2>
<p>The updated Nigerian copyright law recognises how a contemporary creative system can encourage investment in the Nigerian film industry.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/200507/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Samuel Samiái Andrews. does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari, recently signed the copyright law. Its provisions will be beneficial only if it is well implemented.
Samuel Samiái Andrews., Professor, University of Gondar
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/189656
2022-09-09T12:15:26Z
2022-09-09T12:15:26Z
The King’s Horseman, Nigeria’s most famous play, is now a Netflix movie: what makes it a classic
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483579/original/file-20220908-13-nwxk17.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Odunlade Adekola stars in Elesin Oba, The King's Horseman.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EbonyLife Media/Toronto International Film Festival/Netflix</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15374214/">Elesin Oba, the King’s Horseman</a> is a new movie coming to Netflix. It is based on Nigeria’s most famous play, Death and the King’s Horseman, written in 1975 by Nobel Prize-winning author, activist and academic <a href="https://theconversation.com/wole-soyinkas-life-of-writing-holds-nigeria-up-for-scrutiny-184909">Wole Soyinka</a>. Directed by the late <a href="https://theconversation.com/biyi-bandele-a-serial-storyteller-who-elevated-nigerian-culture-189015">Biyi Bandele</a>, the film – in the Yoruba language – is generating global attention with a <a href="https://tiff.net/events/the-kings-horseman">world premiere</a> at the Toronto International Film Festival. Tunde Onikoyi, a lecturer in African literature and film, acted in the original play. We asked him what it’s about and why it still matters.</em></p>
<hr>
<h2>What is Death and the King’s Horseman?</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/death-and-kings-horseman">Death and the King’s Horseman</a> is a famous play based on a historical event in Nigeria in the time of British <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Nigeria/Nigeria-as-a-colony">colonial rule</a> of the country. It tells the story of Elesin, the king’s horseman. He was prevented from committing ritual suicide by the British colonial powers. The play was written by Wole Soyinka in 1975. After studying theatre in the UK, Soyinka returned home to newly independent Nigeria in 1960. He threw himself into researching Yoruba culture, song and dance. The play was ultimately the fruit of this research.</p>
<h2>What’s the story about?</h2>
<p>Death and the King’s Horseman is set in the Oyo Kingdom in south-west Nigeria in the early 1940s. Oyo tradition demands that Elesin Oba, the king’s horseman, must commit suicide before the king is buried in order for his spirit to lead the king’s to the great beyond. But Elesin Oba failed in his duty. The story ends on a tragic note – his son, Olunde, has to return from studying medicine abroad to commit suicide in place of his father. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/biyi-bandele-a-serial-storyteller-who-elevated-nigerian-culture-189015">Biyi Bandele, a serial storyteller who elevated Nigerian culture</a>
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</em>
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<p>So the play is about ritual obligation; the traditional Yoruba belief of abobaku (self sacrifice). It is a mission that you cannot jettison. It’s a must. It is something that is not a tragedy in its real sense but it becomes a tragedy when the man who was to perform that role does not do it. He fails because he puts himself before his assignment – choosing to sleep with a woman before performing his role and also because he was working with the colonial leaders. He finds a collaborator in Mr Pilkings, the ignorant colonial administrator. </p>
<h2>Who’s the playwright?</h2>
<p>Professor Wole Soyinka is a man of many faces. He’s a playwright, he’s an activist. He’s also a novelist and poet, an essayist and an autobiographer. </p>
<p>Soyinka was born in Abeokuta in south-west Nigeria in 1934. He was jailed at least three times for criticising the government. In one of those instances, he hijacked a radio station to accuse the government of rigging a regional election in 1965. He was kept in solitary confinement for holding a meeting with the leader of <a href="https://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/12/biafra-idea-cannot-be-destroyed-nigerias-soyinka/">the Biafran secessionists, Odumegwu Ojukwu</a>, during the Nigerian civil war in 1967. His works became more popular after his incarceration. He won the <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1986/summary/">Nobel Prize for literature in 1986</a>.</p>
<p>Soyinka has really contributed so much to the growth of education and art culture in Nigeria. For someone like me who has directed his works and played roles in two of his plays – Kongi’s Harvest and, of course, Death and the King’s Horseman – I realised that for one to understand Soyinka’s work you need to understand the man. His way of life, his attitude to life. </p>
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<p>His philosophy is hinged on justice, which he has <a href="https://books.google.co.za/books/about/The_Man_Died.html?id=BXZlQgAACAAJ&redir_esc=y">described</a> as “the prime condition of humanity”. He believes the greatest <a href="https://idafricans.com/5-quotes-that-give-an-insight-to-wole-soyinkas-philosophy-of-life/">threat to freedom</a> is the absence of criticism.</p>
<h2>What impact did it have?</h2>
<p>You cannot imagine the kind of impact the play had. It spurred global interest in Nigerian culture. It’s still performed around the world. The theme of the clash of cultures further enlightens audiences about colonialism, that no culture is superior to another. </p>
<p>Much more, the richness of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Yoruba">Yoruba</a> culture, its language and proverbs, are brought to life in the play. It revolutionised a cultural revival in Nigeria. It was so impactful that examination bodies in Nigeria and West Africa had to include the drama in the curriculum of both secondary and tertiary schools. It has become the subject of university scholarship internationally. It forced African literary scholars – including me – to learn more about our culture.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/wole-soyinkas-life-of-writing-holds-nigeria-up-for-scrutiny-184909">Wole Soyinka's life of writing holds Nigeria up for scrutiny</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<p>The real power of the play lies in its timelessness. This is because the themes it explores are still relevant. The world is still battling with racism and cultural imperialism. Indigenous people around the world are finding ways to safeguard cultural heritage. By filming Death and the King’s Horseman, the producers are helping safeguard Nigerian cultural heritage.</p>
<h2>How is the play relevant to a Netflix audience?</h2>
<p>Well, I think the question you should be asking is how is it relevant to Nollywood – the Nigerian film industry? I can watch Death and the King’s Horseman on another platform. I can watch it in the cinema. So, it’s not essentially about Netflix, it is particularly about the play and how the play has actually been created as a Nollywood adaptation. However, on Netflix, it will break more ground and hopefully increase the demand for films like it, especially in Yoruba. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483574/original/file-20220908-9198-q9y5k0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A movie poster featuring a man looking sideways and with suspicion. He has a greying beard and moustache." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483574/original/file-20220908-9198-q9y5k0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483574/original/file-20220908-9198-q9y5k0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=849&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483574/original/file-20220908-9198-q9y5k0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=849&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483574/original/file-20220908-9198-q9y5k0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=849&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483574/original/file-20220908-9198-q9y5k0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1066&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483574/original/file-20220908-9198-q9y5k0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1066&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483574/original/file-20220908-9198-q9y5k0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1066&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="attribution"><span class="source">EbonyLife Media/Netflix</span></span>
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<p>There are lots of lessons in the story. Firstly, you have a sense of duty to your ancestors and your people. Secondly, to Europeans represented by Mr Pilkings, if you do not understand a culture, there is nothing wrong about being ignorant. Be humble enough to ask. </p>
<p>Viewers will also be inspired by the character of Olunde, the well-educated son of Elesin Oba. In spite of his western education, he still understands his culture, his family ties. Do not abandon your mother tongue. Don’t throw away your culture. </p>
<p>The play is again breaking ground and celebrating Nigerian culture, only this time as a film.</p>
<p><em>The film streams on Netflix from 10 September</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/189656/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Babatunde Onikoyi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Elesin Oba, The King’s Horseman, is a film of a play by author and activist Wole Soyinka. It premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Babatunde Onikoyi, Researcher and Assistant Lecturer, University of Regina
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/184072
2022-06-02T14:16:18Z
2022-06-02T14:16:18Z
Blood Sisters: why the mini-series on Netflix sets a new pace for Nollywood
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/466626/original/file-20220601-49081-f973gu.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The new thriller Blood Sisters puts women at the centre.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo courtesy Netflix</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1527476412443089">Nollywood</a> – the Nigerian movie industry – was described as a small screen cinema involving amateurs who produced low budget trashy videos with predictable storylines. </p>
<p>But in the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23311983.2020.1849971">intervening decade</a> it’s been transformed into a multi-million dollar industry with rising international interest.</p>
<p>For <a href="https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/6982/1/IGWE%2C%20Izinne%20-%20PhD%20Thesis.pdf">my PhD</a> I interrogated this transformation as a gentrification of the industry due to the apparent displacement of popular viewers who previously formed its audience base.</p>
<p>The growth of Nollywood is phenomenal considering its being largely unsupported by the government and grown by private investors. The industry has become a showcase for resilience, tenacity and creative prowess. An example of how, despite limited resources, Nigerians have successfully exported aspects of Africa’s cultural history and heritage to the world. </p>
<p>Across Africa, Nigerian entertainment, especially music and film, enjoys a <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/9780230305854_8?noAccess=true">constantly rising</a> patronage. Nollywood is undoubtedly the <a href="https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/may-2013/nigeria%E2%80%99s-film-industry-potential-gold-mine">most popular</a> film industry on the continent. And, with the availability of subscription video on demand platforms, Nollywood films are reaching subscribers across the world. </p>
<p>So a Nollywood venture like the new Netflix original four-part mini-series <a href="https://www.news24.com/channel/tv/news/netflixs-first-ever-nigerian-original-series-blood-sisters-has-everyone-talking-20220511">Blood Sisters</a> is able to conquer global markets, and deserves to.</p>
<p>In my view, Blood Sisters, sets a new pace for the industry. Its plot line is untypical of popular Nollywood in a number of ways. Firstly, it chooses thrill and suspense over comical romance. Secondly, it pursues a new and growing representation for friendship between women.</p>
<p>And lastly, Blood Sisters comments on the struggle against gender and intimate partner violence in a unique way. Cases of deaths due to domestic violence are <a href="https://guardian.ng/saturday-magazine/domestic-violence-why-nigeria-is-experiencing-an-upsurge/">surging</a> in Nigeria. The mini-series contributes to conversations around changing the narrative. </p>
<h2>Stereotypes under the microscope</h2>
<p>Blood Sisters follows the lives of two best friends. Despite differences in ethnicity and culture, Kemi Sanya and Sarah Duru, build a friendship which becomes bound by the murder of Kola Ademola, Sarah’s fiancé. </p>
<p>The plot eschews a number of stereotypes. These include the evil girlfriend, misguided career woman, bickering and unforgiving trophy wives and pampered daughters versus overworked house girls. Instead, it promotes the supportive girlfriend and women of strong willpower. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/466622/original/file-20220601-49336-nctl6a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/466622/original/file-20220601-49336-nctl6a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/466622/original/file-20220601-49336-nctl6a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=639&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466622/original/file-20220601-49336-nctl6a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=639&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466622/original/file-20220601-49336-nctl6a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=639&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466622/original/file-20220601-49336-nctl6a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=803&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466622/original/file-20220601-49336-nctl6a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=803&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466622/original/file-20220601-49336-nctl6a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=803&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Promotional image courtesy Netflix</span></span>
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<p>Blood Sisters suggests that when women support each other incredible things happen. This echoes a model found in literary works such as <a href="https://whatkeptmeup.com/movies/movie-review-ije-the-journey/">Chineze Anyaele’s Ije</a>, <a href="https://www.netflix.com/ng/title/81342973">Kemi Adetiba’s King of Boys</a>, Bunmi Ajakaiye’s The Smart Money Woman and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2215077/">Biyi Bandele’s Half of a Yellow Sun</a>, among others. </p>
<p>The story of a missing abusive fiancé, cherished son, brother and friend with dark secret desires, opens up conversations around mental health and wellness as well as gender issues in Nigeria. </p>
<p>Blood Sisters x-rays the anguish and frustration created by gender preferences and inequality. Male children continue to enjoy preference over the girl-child and the psychological harm this inflicts on them is mirrored in the characters of Femi and Timileyin Ademola. Despite their personal struggles and effort to live up to expectation, Kola overshadows them. </p>
<p>Some stereotypes, however, persist. While Uduak Ademola’s attitude towards her daughter is untypical, we see a very stereotypical portrayal of motherhood in Uchenna Duru and of course the Igbo tribe in Mr Ifeanyi Duru. </p>
<p>Representation of the Nigerian police is equally stereotypical, although the dismissed Inspector Joe offered a ray of hope in the force.</p>
<h2>Success story</h2>
<p>Blood Sisters is an excellent first season which leaves audiences asking for more. It has been well received and <a href="https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/05/netflixs-blood-sisters-becomes-top-10-rated-in-over-30-countries/">widely acclaimed</a>. </p>
<p>Typical of <a href="https://ebonylifestudios.com/">EbonyLife Studio production</a>, it is extravagant in many respects. This includes the cast and crew ensemble, costumes, cinematography and overall technical elements. </p>
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<p>The mini-series features some of Nollywood’s finest actors. Like many other contemporary Nollywood films, Blood Sisters typifies how much filmmakers and film making in Nigeria have improved since becoming very popular in 1992. This is particularly true in terms of technical elements of film making. </p>
<p>There is yet much to do. But the coming of subscription video on demand platforms serves as a necessary and timely challenge to the industry. Beyond supporting diversity and boosting creativity, it connects filmmakers as well as audiences, bringing Africa to the world, one film at a time. </p>
<p>This new opportunity is leading to a rejuvenation of experimentation with “unconventional” genres. Examples include time-travel adventures like Akay Mason and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15149712/">Abosi Ogba’s Day of Destiny</a>, and culturally sensitive and controversial subjects, like <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13149312/">Robert Peters’ Voiceless</a>. </p>
<p>Blood Sisters is also unique for being an intense and creatively unified story despite being co-created by two different directors – <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4161077/">Biyi Bandele</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5763427/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1">Kenneth Gyang</a>. Experimental film making is a familiar terrain for both. </p>
<p>Bandele, a poet, novelist, playwright and filmmaker, has often creatively explored themes of oppression, violence, and corruption. This includes his acclaimed high budget adaptation of novelist Chimamanda Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun. The story attempts to re-imagine the hushed chaos, pain, suffering and anguish of the Nigerian civil war. </p>
<p>Experimentation makes up a great deal Bandele’s way of capturing, expressing, commenting on, as well as documenting life experiences. He, like Gyang, has continuously created and depicted strong African women undeterred by life’s challenges. </p>
<p>Gyang’s creative abilities stand out in different ways. The award-winning director continues to use every film project to challenge his creative capacity and maximise film for entertainment and education. In Blood Sisters he continues to display extraordinary skills inspired by great filmmakers. </p>
<p>Indeed for Nollywood – films, filmmakers and film making – the beautiful ones are not yet born.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/184072/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ezinne Ezepue has received funding from British Council’s Chevening scholarship Tertiary Education Trust Fund for academic staff at Nigerian universities and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation postdoctoral research fund for early career researchers.
</span></em></p>
Blood Sisters is untypical of Nollywood’s normal fair in a number of ways. It chooses thrill over romance and challenges taboos.
Ezinne Ezepue, Lecturer, University of Nigeria
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/172658
2022-01-20T13:21:19Z
2022-01-20T13:21:19Z
Olu Jacobs: Nollywood’s elder statesman has always acted for his country
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440619/original/file-20220113-13-19bv3p2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Olu Jacobs and Joke Silva at the 2014 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0">Ameyaw Debrah/Wikimedia Commons</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs, the Nigerian film producer and renowned actor, whose career spans more than five decades, belongs to that group of elders representing the best of Nigeria. He was <a href="https://www.legit.ng/entertainment/nollywood/1443447-pale-looking-veteran-actor-olu-jacobs-attends-afriff-with-wife-joke-silva-wins-lifetime-achievement-award/">recently presented with</a> the lifetime achievement award at the Africa International Film Festival. Jacobs is one of those who made good use of their skills to pursue a worthy career, benefiting their society and country. </p>
<p>Born on 11 July 1942 to Yoruba parents from Egba Alake, Abeokuta, Jacobs spent his early childhood in Kano. His Nigerian identity is captured by his words in the film <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4452274/"><em>Oloibiri</em></a> (2015), “We are one people.” Now a dual Nigerian-British national, Jacobs has become a citizen of the world.</p>
<p>Jacobs’ acting talent showed up early. In secondary school, he joined debating and drama societies, trying out on stage and building his craft. This interest was later confirmed after he discovered <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hubert-Ogunde">Chief Hubert Ogunde</a>, the Nigerian actor, playwright, theatre manager and musician who founded the first contemporary professional theatrical company in Nigeria. Jacobs attended one of Ogunde’s annual concert parties in Kano and became convinced of his path. </p>
<p>Like the best of his contemporaries – at a time when Nigerian universities could not offer many options – he pursued his higher education abroad. In 1964, Jacobs travelled to Britain to study. He took up a spot at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, studying acting. He returned home in 1980, just like many other Nigerians looking to develop their home societies, to enrich the federation and encourage young talents to find local success.</p>
<p>Jacobs’ career had a highly focused and fruitful trajectory: he made his mark in innovation and mentoring, both in theatre arts and in Nigeria’s movie industry. Jacob also worked with various repertoire theatres in Britain and Ireland and starred in several British television series and international movies. Cinema wasn’t just work for Jacobs, it was life itself. In 1989 he married <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0798364/">Joke Silva</a>, a veteran actor and a graduate of the University of Lagos and the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London.</p>
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<p>In 2007, Jacobs won the African Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in <em><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0938599/">Dancing Heart</a></em>. In recognition of his immense contribution to Nigerian cinema, Jacobs was also awarded the Nigerian national honours, as Member of the Order of the Federal Republic, in 2011. A multi-award winning actor and producer, he has been hailed by many as one of the greatest and most widely respected African actors of his generation. He is considered a bridge between the old and new breed of actors, paving the way for much emerging talent in the industry. </p>
<p>His company, the Lufodo group, opened in 1985 and now trains movie practitioners in acting, producing, directing, script-writing, photography and other film-related careers. He became one of the pioneers of Nollywood, acting as a father, an elder or a politician in more than 120 films, notably <em>Oloibiri</em> (2015) and <em>The Royal Hibiscus Hotel</em> (2017) in which his lead role successfully brought to the fore valued messages on national issues. </p>
<h2><em>Oloibiri</em>‘s elder</h2>
<p>One of Jacob’s most defining performances was in <em>Oloibiri</em>. With a script that runs close to the Nigerian reality, the film was a perfect fit for a man who has constantly demonstrated his commitment to his people. The movie focuses on Oloibiri, a southern Nigerian village devastated by oil exploration and exploitation in the Niger Delta. It starts with a text that appears on the screen and roots the film in the history of the Delta: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>In 1956, oil was discovered in Oloibiri, Nigeria.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>From the beginning, <em>Oloibiri</em> confronts us with the dangers in the region. A man discovered in possession of money and ammunition is summarily shot dead on the road by rebels acting on behalf of the villagers. His vehicle is also set on fire. The second scene introduces us to the two central characters who will clash about the solution to stop the violence and corruption in the area: the leader of the rebels, called “Gunpowder”, and the elder Timipre Dobrat, played by Jacobs. Timipre, traumatised by 50 years of powerlessly suffering from environmental degradation, and torn by the loss of his wife who died after drinking polluted water, laments: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Oil exploitation. Our nephews turned kidnappers. If I had protested … in the 1960s, none of this would have happened … I let my community down. I could have fought. I could have fought.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/CWPin2rK9YW","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>The Nollywood character bears some resemblance to Jacobs. After trying to warn the other elders of the serious consequences of oil drilling, he too emigrates to Britain. Returning some ten years later, in 1978, he can see the damage and losses he had envisaged. Eventually Gunpowder and Timipre strike a deal to force the oil company to clean up the area.</p>
<h2>Oloibiri’s legacy</h2>
<p><em>Oloibiri</em> triggered a new reflection on the Niger Delta’s crisis. During its 2016 movie screening <a href="https://guardian.ng/art/at-oloibiri-screening-richard-mofe-damijo-hails-nollywood-for-improved-filmmaking-technique/">event</a> in Abuja, the Nigerian minister of environment commented that the film “emphasizes that in its response to problems, violence has never succeeded in replacing diplomacy”.</p>
<p>This beautiful movie is a tribute to Olu Jacobs’ lifetime endeavour to improve his society. It’s a film celebrated by Nollywood and all Nigerians, as the industry recognises his leadership and continuous influence.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/172658/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Françoise Ugochukwu does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
As ill health besets the Nigerian film and theatre legend, a tribute is in order. In his career he has always placed his country and industry first.
Françoise Ugochukwu, Senior Research Fellow, Development, Policy and Practice (DPP), The Open University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/165824
2021-08-17T14:38:53Z
2021-08-17T14:38:53Z
Why Nollywood is obsessed with remakes of classic movies
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/416362/original/file-20210816-59076-akc0pu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Nigerian actors Ramsey Nouah, Rita Dominic and Chidi Mokeme attend attend a movie premiere in Canada. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sam Santos/Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Since the record-breaking success of <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1588599/">Ramsey Nouah</a>’s 2019 sequel to the Nollywood classic, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0489511/"><em>Living in Bondage</em></a>, the Nigerian film industry has been overtaken by a frenzy of remakes and sequels of classics from the 1990s. These new nostalgia-driven movies have recently proved popular among viewers, becoming top earners at the local box-office.</p>
<p>Successful examples include <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12539758/"><em>Living in Bondage: Breaking Free</em></a>, which has won major continental <a href="https://punchng.com/living-in-bondage-wins-big-at-amvca-7/">awards</a>. Funke Akindele’s <em>Omo Ghetto: The Saga</em> is a sequel to Abiodun Olarenwaju’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e50UxNwUUso&ab_channel=SCENEONETV"><em>Omo Ghetto</em></a>. It is currently the highest grossing <a href="https://www.premiumtimesng.com/entertainment/438782-omo-ghetto-the-saga-becomes-highest-grossing-nollywood-film-of-all-time.html">film</a> in Nigeria. The sequels to Kemi Adetiba’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7827944/"><em>The Wedding Party</em></a> and Toke Mcbaror’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11417930/"><em>Merry Men</em></a> have <a href="https://qz.com/africa/1172784/wedding-party-2-breaks-box-office-records-in-nigeria-uk-and-takes-nollywood-to-global-cinemas/">earned</a> nearly as much as their prequels.</p>
<p>Netflix has also joined in the action. The streaming company is currently distributing remakes of Zeb Ejiro’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13809646/"><em>Nneka the Pretty Serpent</em></a> (1992) and Amaka Igwe’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13890834/"><em>RattleSnake</em></a> (1995). It has also commissioned two new remakes of Ejiro’s <a href="https://guardian.ng/saturday-magazine/zeb-ejiro-movie-sheik-returns-with-nollywood-classic-domitila/"><em>Domitilla</em></a> (1996) and Chika Onukwufor’s <a href="https://www.bellanaija.com/2021/03/abimbola-craig-producing-glamour-girls/"><em>Glamour Girls</em></a> (1994). Both releases are planned for late 2021.</p>
<p>These Nollywood classics have stayed popular due to their unique original storytelling, creativity and accessibility. They were cultural productions reflecting the lived experiences of Nigerians. They also expressed societal and cultural aspirations, while providing relatable entertainment. </p>
<p>1990s Nollywood classics also introduced a crop of talented actors who delivered performances that turned them into household names and international stars. Actors such as Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Genevieve Nnaji, the late Sam Loco, Sam Dede, Nkem Owoh, and others rose to prominence in that era. </p>
<p>These films were largely made by trained professionals. Prominent names include the late <a href="https://businessday.ng/arts-and-life/article/amaka-igwe-the-entertainment-amazon-in-my-mind/">Amaka Igwe</a>, the <a href="https://www.sunnewsonline.com/chico-ejiro-his-last-moments-and-i-zeb-ejiro/">Ejiro</a> brothers – Zeb and late Chico, <a href="https://guardian.ng/saturday-magazine/father-of-nollywood-chris-obi-rapu-finally-honoured/">Chris Obi-Rapu</a> (Vic Mordi), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0445391/">Tunde Kelani</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2129302/">Andy Amenechi</a>, <a href="https://africanfilmny.org/directors/tade-ogidan/">Tade Ogidan</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2098672/">Okechukwu Ogunjiofor</a>, <a href="https://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/07/where-is-kenneth-nnebue/">Kenneth Nnebue</a>, among others. Their works provided the growing industry with templates for effective storytelling. They inspired production houses to invest in similar storylines and plots.</p>
<p>For instance, after the success of <em>Living in Bondage</em> in 1992, the local market was flooded with multiple releases exploring satanic cult storylines and money ritual themes. Zeb Ejiro’s <em>Nneka The Pretty Serpent</em> (1992) inspired a string of movies stereotyping pretty young ladies as evil seductresses.</p>
<p>Among Nollywood films of the 1990s, <em>Living in Bondage</em> stands out. Not only did it contain enduring emotional resonance, its financial success also advanced the industry, providing a template for the <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/21582440211032620">Nollywood economic model</a>, commonly referred to today as ‘old Nollywood’. </p>
<p>As Nollywood continues to grow and improve on output and professionalism, these old movies still retain a strong influence on the industry, except in terms of technology and <a href="https://theculturetrip.com/africa/nigeria/articles/from-living-in-bondage-to-the-global-stage-the-growing-success-of-nollywood/">budget size</a>. </p>
<h2>History of Nigerian filmmaking</h2>
<p>The film industry in Nigeria can be traced to the <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323938801_THE_DEVELOPMENT_OF_VIDEO_FILM_IN_NIGERIA_A_RETROSPECTIVE_ACCOUNT">colonial</a> era. The first film (not video film) was exhibited in August 1903 at the Clover Memorial Hall in Lagos. Most early productions favoured documentaries and propaganda films designed to foster cohesion and orientation in the colonial framework. In the early films, local talents largely played only minor roles and transfer of technology was limited.</p>
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<p>In 1947, a Federal Film Unit was established by the colonial administration, with the bulk of releases supplied from London, and distributed via the British Council and missionary efforts. These films were screened in makeshift centers, including school premises, village halls, open spaces, and civic centers. All it needed was a mobile film unit comprising a van, a 16mm projector, a reel of 16mm and a collapsible screen.</p>
<p>The 1960s saw the rise of feature films, with movies such as <em>Moral Disarmament</em> (1957) and <em>Bound for Lagos</em> (1962) produced for the Nigerian government. An oil company, Shell-BP of Nigeria Limited, also released a full length feature film titled <em>Culture in Transition</em> in 1963. And in 1970, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kongis-Harvest"><em>Kongi’s Harvest</em></a>, a version of a play by Wole Soyinka, was released.</p>
<p>After Nigeria gained independence in 1960, the federal government opened the distribution circuit to private Nigerians, while remaining the major producer, distributor and exhibitor. This led to the rise of cinema culture in Nigeria due to the influx of independent operators into the industry. </p>
<p>By mid to late 1980s, cinema in Nigeria began to decline for a number of reasons. These include, the rising television culture and the emergence of the Video Home System (VHS), oil boom, economic recessions, drop in cinema patronage (resulting from insecurity), rising cost of living and cost of film production in comparison to yield.</p>
<p>By early <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323938801_THE_DEVELOPMENT_OF_VIDEO_FILM_IN_NIGERIA_A_RETROSPECTIVE_ACCOUNT">1990s</a>, cinemas were either closing down or being converted for other uses. This contributed to the birth of the video-film era which began in the late 1980s but became popular with the success of <em>Living in Bondage</em> (1992). Along with a number of other titles produced in the 1990s, <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315097534-19/nollywood-classic-living-bondage-kenneth-nnebue-1992-1993-onookome-okome"><em>Living in Bondage</em></a> became a <a href="https://www.premiumtimesng.com/entertainment/nollywood/225087-throwback-things-didnt-know-nollywoods-epic-movie-living-bondage.html">classic</a>.</p>
<h2>Why Nollywood classics still appeal to audiences</h2>
<p>Nollywood critic Rosemary Bassey <a href="https://dailytrust.com/1990s-nollywood-movies-to-reminisce-on">notes</a> that a large number of films made in Nigeria in the early stages of video-filmmaking in Nigeria still appeal to a large majority of Nigerians. They told didactic stories which are deeply rooted in Nigerian culture. According to Nollywood researcher, Francoise Ugochukwu, this is the second major <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-nigerians-living-abroad-love-to-watch-nollywood-movies-132983">attraction</a> for Nollywood diaspora audiences after language.</p>
<p>The nostalgia for these films therefore stems from their story-driven narratives, as opposed to the contemporary aesthetics-driven new Nollywood productions. </p>
<p>After a period of artistic impasse in the 2000s, today’s film industry in Nigeria is in a near-constant experimental phase to find new stories in a saturated industry. And central to this experimentation is a backward gaze to the past, when the classics dominated. Movie enthusiasts continue to discuss these old films with fond recollections. The opportunity presents itself. Why not cash in?</p>
<h2>What this means for the industry</h2>
<p>The most significant impact of Nollywood’s nostalgic obsession will be concerns over the industry structure and intellectual property protection. With a good economic structure, these remakes and sequels have the potential to revive earnings for the old films. I believe contemporary filmmakers will be motivated to take this seriously going forward. </p>
<p>Pursuing remakes and sequels also means there are less resources needed to develop and produce new stories. It also raises questions over the socio-cultural relevance of these stories in the global arena. Are contemporary Nollywood film re-makers too profit-driven by the opportunity of transnational distribution, to begin to reclaim and repair Africa’s lost identity and damaged repute? Now is the time for the government and corporate bodies to intervene to further make Nollywood films globally competitive.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/165824/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ezinne Ezepue does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Nigerian filmmakers are looking at the past and remaking old Nollywood classics for a new generation.
Ezinne Ezepue, Lecturer, University of Nigeria
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/160001
2021-06-01T15:10:01Z
2021-06-01T15:10:01Z
Nollywood: how professionalism – and a new elite audience – is affecting it
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/398028/original/file-20210430-23-75c9vn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Director Kunle Afolayan and actress Genevieve Nnaji discuss the international rise of Nollywood at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Tara Ziemba/Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Nigerian film industry, fondly called Nollywood, became popular in the early 1990s, although with more negative attributes than positives. Over the years, the industry has attracted a lot of <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/african-studies-review/article/new-nollywood-a-sketch-of-nollywoods-metropolitan-new-style/21DD79D3A94E58E61B1483DD2D61D54D">criticism</a>. </p>
<p>Some critics believe that the industry is quantity driven, while shunning quality. Others slated the industry for its budget restrictions, weak plots and repetitive dialogue.</p>
<p>But the most alarming criticism was focused on fatigue caused by movie overproduction. This fatigue was created by profit-driven <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/19/world/africa/with-a-boom-before-the-cameras-nigeria-redefines-african-life.html">filmmakers</a> who churn out cheap, rushed movies on the regular. This wasn’t surprising given the fast growth of the industry. In the early 2000s, Nollywood went producing up to 50 films per week, with an annual total of over 2,500 <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/19/world/africa/with-a-boom-before-the-cameras-nigeria-redefines-african-life.html">movies</a>.</p>
<p>This overproduction caused a saturation of the market and film professionals began to seek alternatives in order to produce quality films. Starting as early as 2006 the industry began to make movies with a new approach to everything. Films like <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0804225/"><em>The Amazing Grace</em></a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1578582/"><em>Ije</em></a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1326268/"><em>Through the Glass</em></a> started a change in the diaspora. And on the home market, the new wave was domesticated with Kunle Afolayan’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1542960/"><em>The Figurine</em></a>. Some filmmakers described this as their attempt to rescue the dying <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/av/technology-29477015">industry</a>. </p>
<p>Filmmakers – among them Afolayan, Chineze Anyaene, Obi Emelonye, Stephanie Linus, Jeta Amata and Mahmod Ali-Balogun – began to adopt a different marketing strategy to amplify earnings. Previously, Nollywood was largely produced for the small screen and consumed mostly straight to video on VCD/DVD. The new marketing strategy took the consumption of Nollywood back to the cinema.</p>
<p>This marked a turning point for the industry. </p>
<h2>The big changes</h2>
<p>In 2013 President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration launched a 3 billion naira fund named Project ACT Nollywood, to support filmmakers. The fund was to help with capacity building and training for actors and filmmakers. It was also a vehicle for the establishment of film distribution <a href="https://www.boi.ng/boi-refutes-custody-of-200m-entertainment-fund-2/">platforms</a>. This rejuvenated the industry, attracting young professionals in droves.</p>
<p>Nollywood’s transformation has since become huge, with films such as Kemi Adetiba’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5978822/"><em>The Wedding Party</em></a> (2016) grossing record breaking figures at cinemas.</p>
<p>In my recent <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2158244020940994">paper</a>, I explore these seismic changes. I set out to answer what impact this revamping – from producing straight to VCD/DVD films consumed mostly by the masses, to an elite-targeted theatre distribution – has had on the industry.</p>
<p>Since 2010, some dramatic developments have changed the nature of Nollywood. They include an influx of professional filmmakers, the rise in international festival and cinema tours, international premieres, collaborations with multinational companies, Pan Africanism and distribution via multiplexes. In this time, a film’s release on VCD/DVD began to happen later in its life, effectively disenfranchising Nollywood’s traditional mass-market consumer base.</p>
<p>The questions I was interested in answering were: was the industry professionalising – in other words have Nollywood’s film makers become more specialised in their art? And was it <a href="https://www.urbandisplacement.org/gentrification-explained">gentrifying</a>? Gentrification refers to the renovation and transformation of a neighbourhood, previously occupied by the working class, to suit the tastes of middle and upper class. I use the word metaphorically to explore whether Nollywood increased in grandeur, appeal and acceptance among Nigeria’s upper class.</p>
<p>The ability of Nollywood filmmakers to receive specialised training and improved knowledge meant that filmmakers’ perception of film and the creative process changed. It led to a new outlook – filmmakers became quality rather than quantity driven. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/398033/original/file-20210430-15-ikncgv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man standing and smiling for a photo." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/398033/original/file-20210430-15-ikncgv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/398033/original/file-20210430-15-ikncgv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398033/original/file-20210430-15-ikncgv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398033/original/file-20210430-15-ikncgv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398033/original/file-20210430-15-ikncgv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398033/original/file-20210430-15-ikncgv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398033/original/file-20210430-15-ikncgv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Veteran Nigerian filmmaker, Tunde Kelani poses for a portrait in Mumbai, India.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Abhijit Bhatlekar/Mint/Getty Images</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>Budgets also got bigger. More money began circulating in the industry as corporate and institutional funders stepped in. Corporate funders became interested in the industry due to its increasing formalisation of practice and rising professionalism among practitioners. They also saw the potential of high profitability and return on investment. State and Federal governments are also showing increased interest in the <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/african-studies-review/article/new-nollywood-a-sketch-of-nollywoods-metropolitan-new-style/21DD79D3A94E58E61B1483DD2D61D54D">industry</a>. </p>
<p>The effects soon become apparent. Producers could now hire the best cast and crew. Nollywood films appeared more often at international film festivals. Filmmakers increasingly began to target the diaspora, as well as unlocking new strategies to garner international audiences. Overseas premiers became more common. </p>
<p>Media anthropologist Alessandro Jedlowski <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057%2F9781137282187_11">notes</a> that targeting diaspora audiences was a way to overcome the fatigue in the industry which began to manifest from 2017. Entertaining the elite, diaspora and non-African audiences came with its own activities. They include the exposure of filmmakers through film schools, international workshops and personal developments, interaction with Nigerian filmmakers in the diaspora, as well as the exploitation of linkages and contacts.</p>
<p>But did this these transformations mean the gentrification of the industry? </p>
<h2>Gentrification</h2>
<p>The gentrification process generally increases cost of living as well as housing, forcing original residents of the neighbourhood to relocate to less expensive areas. This invariably leads to their displacement. </p>
<p>The use of gentrification as a metaphor is deliberate. I wanted to avoid exploring the rise in the cost of production as a result of the influx of new and wealthy film professionals. Or the displacement of filmmakers or audiences. Instead, I wanted to explore whether the acceptance of Nollywood among the upper class or elite had led to a loss of dominance among poor people. </p>
<p>I did not find any displacement of either filmmakers or audiences. </p>
<p>But I did find that Nollywood had moved to catering to upper classes as much as it catered for the masses.</p>
<p>I concluded that gentrification in Nollywood wouldn’t lead to any permanent displacements as two disparate filmmaking models co-exist. If any, I anticipate a temporary displacement at the point of consumption. But, since films eventually end up on DVDs, audiences that have been displaced from consuming films distributed via the theatres will finally get to consume them when they’re released on DVD. </p>
<h2>The old and the new Nollywood</h2>
<p>Nollywood currently has two broad business models – one that has come to be called the Old Nollywood. And the other, New Nollywood. </p>
<p>While some have confused these to be classifications for films and filmmakers, in reality, they are both business choices available to the Nollywood filmmaker.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/398034/original/file-20210430-13-yui3wf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Tow women standing side by side." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/398034/original/file-20210430-13-yui3wf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/398034/original/file-20210430-13-yui3wf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398034/original/file-20210430-13-yui3wf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398034/original/file-20210430-13-yui3wf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398034/original/file-20210430-13-yui3wf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=650&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398034/original/file-20210430-13-yui3wf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=650&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398034/original/file-20210430-13-yui3wf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=650&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Director-General of the WTO, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Nigerian actress and filmmaker, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Jemal Countess/TIME/Getty Images</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These models cater to different audiences while some filmmakers continue to explore and experiment with new distribution channels.</p>
<p>The interesting question is: can the changes be sustained? </p>
<p>At the University of Nigeria we’re trying to ensure that they are. We’re doing this by guiding students to create authentic African stories. Chris Obi-Rapu, director of the classic film <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGXs6Cd1jfA&ab_channel=OldiesTV"><em>Living in Bondage</em></a> (1992), maintains that story is the bedrock, the foundation of every film. A film created from a faulty foundation is doomed, no matter how large its budget is.</p>
<p>As one of the recurrent points of criticism against the industry, we are contributing to Nollywood’s transformation by ensuring that future industry players and scriptwriters are equipped with creative ingenuities to conceive and produce screenplays which are authentically African, well researched and thoroughly entertaining.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/160001/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ezinne Ezepue does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
As the Nigerian film industry advances its methods, is it in danger of alienating its poorer audiences?
Ezinne Ezepue, Lecturer, University of Nigeria
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/159255
2021-05-02T07:49:34Z
2021-05-02T07:49:34Z
South Africa’s romcom revolution and how it reimagines Joburg
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397868/original/file-20210429-13-1a9om3j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Detail from a poster for the romantic comedy Happiness is a Four-Letter Word.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source"> © Junaid Ahmed/Happiness is a Four-Letter Word</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Netflix went <a href="https://www.news24.com/fin24/tech/news/breaking-netflix-goes-live-in-south-africa-20160106">live</a> in South Africa on 6 January 2016. The arrival of the subscription-based content streaming service was a game changer for the country’s film and television industry, as it had been for other countries.</p>
<p>At about the same time – in 2015 and 2016 – there was another turning point for South Africa’s film industry: the arrival of a new, commercially successful genre, the black romantic comedy. </p>
<p>For the first time, the country’s black filmmakers were able to make an impact at the box office – and go on to licence their films to streaming platforms.</p>
<p>In South Africa, Netflix signalled the turn to streaming for watching films and television series. Despite a recent slowing of subscriber growth, Netflix has over <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2021/04/20/netflix-q1-2021/">200 million</a> paid subscribers worldwide. These numbers – and the way streaming services are reshaping content production, distribution and consumption – represent the most radical change in the film industry in recent years. </p>
<p>On the African continent, this expansion has had to face the challenges of lack of affordability, uneven connectivity and the cost of data. These keep Netflix beyond the reach of the majority of the population. According to <a href="https://business.inquirer.net/309352/netflix-doubles-down-on-efforts-to-tap-african-market">data</a>, in 2020 Netflix still had only 1.4 million subscribers across the continent. Still, in a growing number of African countries, content acquisition and production for online streaming is a <a href="https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/netflix-ups-the-ante-in-africa-11608744867416.html">fast growing</a> industry. </p>
<hr>
<p><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/0dsaIxssh1iJryuh18vjvg?si=lvBzkeC9QgGz003KkiNx2A&context=spotify%3Ashow%3A14O3EsEGWQ4mK3XpKzsncP&t=1520"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/403157/original/file-20210527-17-uj70mp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=212&fit=crop&dpr=1" alt="Promotional image for podcast" width="100%"></a>
<br>
<em>Find other ways to listen to <a href="https://theconversation.com/growing-human-embryos-in-the-lab-and-why-scientists-just-tweaked-the-rules-podcast-161611">The Conversation Weekly podcast</a> here.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>And it’s not just about Netflix. South Africa-based Multichoice – owner of digital satellite television service DStv and online subscription video on demand service Showmax – has put up an effective fight for this market. Before the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, Multichoice was planning to produce 52 local movies and 29 dramas in 2020. </p>
<p>The company claimed that DStv and Showmax doubled South African users between 2018 and 2019 and are now locally <a href="https://www.businessinsider.co.za/multichoice-netflix-showmax-dstv-dtsv-now-local-movies-streaming-service-naspers-2019-6">bigger</a> than Netflix – though it did not disclose the exact numbers. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oBMDMXDftnM?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The 2015 romcom Tell Me Sweet Something was a breakthrough.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The African romcom seems a perfect fit for the streaming market. Versions of it are still being produced and made accessible via streaming platforms today. South African romcoms <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5702884/"><em>Mrs Right Guy</em></a> (2016), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5827360/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1"><em>Catching Feelings</em></a> (2017) and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11010144/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1"><em>Seriously Single</em></a> (2020) are currently available on Netflix. They rub shoulders with a selection of Nollywood takes on the genre, including hits like <em><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5978822/">The Wedding Party</a></em> (2016). </p>
<p>My <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02533952.2021.1899734">recent article</a> on this genre explores what some of these popular films reveal about urban middle and upper-class lifestyles and aspirations. It also considers how they reimagine Johannesburg, the city where most black South African romcoms are set. </p>
<h2>The romcom revolution</h2>
<p>In 2016, the highest grossing local film was Jaco Smit’s Afrikaans-language romantic drama, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4768926/"><em>Vir Altyd</em></a> (Forever), which made over R15 million (over a million USD) at local theatres. It was followed by Thabang Moleya’s Johannesburg northern suburbs’ bling-saturated romcom <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5174974/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1"><em>Happiness Is a Four-Letter Word</em></a>. This made an impressive <a href="https://www.nfvf.co.za/home/22/files/2017%20files/Box%20office%20report%202016%20reviewed%202.pdf">R13.2 million</a> in a box office previously dominated by Afrikaans films and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0776856/">Leon Schuster’s slapstick</a> comedies. In fourth place was Adze Ugah’s <em>Mrs Right Guy</em>, which took in over R4 million by rehearsing one of the genre’s standard plots.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t12fp8XU1pA?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Happiness is a Four-Letter Word passed R13 million at the South African box office in 2016.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The year before, Akin Omotoso had directed <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4573706/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1"><em>Tell Me Sweet Something</em></a>, a romantic comedy set in Johannesburg’s downtown hipster hangout <a href="https://mabonengprecinct.com">Maboneng</a>. It was one of the few black South African films since 1994 to <a href="https://www.nfvf.co.za/home/22/files/2016%20Files%20Folders%20etc/South%20Africa%20Box%20Office%20Report_Final%202015.pdf">gross</a> almost R3 million. South African audiences, commentators concluded, had had enough of highbrow, socially engaged films and were turning to genre flicks. In the words of journalist Lindiwe Sithole, “It seems that South Africans are leaning towards the lighter offerings.”</p>
<p>To understand their appeal, it is worth asking what these films say about the time and place where they are set.</p>
<h2>The end of the rainbow</h2>
<p>South Africa’s black romcoms break with the tales of racial reconciliation and the rainbow intimacies of a prior generation of English-language romantic comedies. Think of <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1213929/"><em>White Wedding</em></a> (2009), where Elvis and Ayanda’s interracial wedding in Gugulethu is joined by right wing Afrikaners ready to embrace racial diversity. Or <em><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1683879/">I Now Pronounce You Black and White</a></em> (2010), where a groom and bride transcend the conflict between their Jewish and Zulu parents – or <em><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2181941/">Fanie Fourie’s Lobola</a></em> (2013) where a couple must also overcome their families’ cultural differences.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BagGDvbVK9A?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Most black South African romcoms, like Catching Feelings, are set in Johannesburg.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>By contrast, <em>Tell Me Sweet Something</em>, <em>Mrs Right Guy</em> and <em>Happiness Is a Four-Letter Word</em> are conspicuously “black” films. In contrast to the previous generation of English-language romcoms, they all have black directors (a sign that the South African film industry is slowly transforming). </p>
<p>Set in Johannesburg’s middle and upper-class cityscapes, they portray mostly young, hip, affluent, good-looking, heterosexual black characters falling in love with each other – with the occasional split and disappointment to add spice to the quest for happiness, real passion and true love.</p>
<h2>Joburg as glamorous global city</h2>
<p>The emergence and mainstreaming of the black South African romcom is also part of a broader trend in the cinema of the global south, where the appropriation of western commercial genres is accompanied by images of the “global city”.</p>
<p><em>Tell Me Sweet Something</em>, <em>Mrs Right Guy</em> and <em>Happiness Is a Four-Letter Word</em> reimagine Johannesburg by <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02533952.2021.1899734">aligning it</a> with an imagery of global urbanism that is associated with visual and narrative repertoires of contemporary African cinemas, such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/from-nollywood-to-new-nollywood-the-story-of-nigerias-runaway-success-47959">New Nollywood</a> comedies in Nigeria. This challenges discourses and stereotypes of “African backwardness” and is often captured in aerial or high angle shots of skylines made up of tall buildings, or through images of glossy, gentrified and glitzy urban landscapes. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jj0JiEs3lj8?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The 2016 romcom Mrs Right Guy came fourth at the South African box office.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But there is more to this, I argue. By representing a globalised version of Johannesburg, these films are throwing up their own contradictions. They cash in on the aesthetic of an African global city even as they unavoidably continue to remind us of the city’s social conflicts and socioeconomic inequalities. They do this in their storylines as well as their images.</p>
<p>All three films repeatedly reference a more authentic version of the city as an object of love and desire. This is evoked not only through the high angle shots of some of Johannesburg’s most densely populated urban areas, but also through images of some of its newly gentrified downtown neighbourhoods and via their characters’ desire for loving, inhabiting and being part of “the city”.</p>
<p>These films are not simply a celebration of consumerist lifestyles. They also represent the tensions and dislocations that accompany the black majority’s occupation of affluent urban spaces and its embrace of the consumptive practices from which it had so long been excluded. It is no surprise they have turned out to be popular, boosted by the demand for streamed content.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/159255/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Pier Paolo Frassinelli receives funding from University of Johannesburg University Research Council for a project on African Cinemas.</span></em></p>
The rise of the black romantic comedy in South Africa dovetailed perfectly with the advent of streaming services - creating a box office phenomenon.
Pier Paolo Frassinelli, Professor, Communication and Media Studies, University of Johannesburg
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/150195
2021-01-07T14:50:34Z
2021-01-07T14:50:34Z
Going to the cinema in Lagos isn’t just about the movie that’s showing
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/374221/original/file-20201210-20-1xjh2po.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Nigerian director Kunle Afolayan speaks with passengers aboard a flight during the premiere of his film, The CEO.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Florian Placheur/AFP/Getty</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Going to the movies is a favourite hobby of many young people in Lagos, Nigeria’s most populous city. As the centre of the country’s media and art industry, Lagos vibrates with culture and entertainment. It is home to a massive creative ecosystem including film production and exhibition, theatre, music, photography, fashion, hospitality and festive events.</p>
<p>Lagos is also the capital of <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/27666895?seq=1">Nollywood</a>, Nigeria’s prolific movie industry. It’s the seat of Nigeria’s cinema culture, boasting the highest number of movie theatres and distribution companies in the country. The leading Nigerian cinema chain, Filmhouse Cinemas, has 12 cinemas. Lagos alone accounts for <a href="https://filmhouseng.com/cinemas">six</a>, while other cities have one each. </p>
<p>There is limited research into the makeup of African cinema audiences. The existing information tend to be anecdotal evidence of censorship and social media commentary. Cinema audiences carry important data. Who are they and how do their demographic details influence their interpretation of the films? </p>
<p>To understand more, I conducted a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/13696815.2019.1615871?casa_token=Y1S0c4ySfGQAAAAA:eFhSiCu4hooxYLVV5NtrTJdFfBVDAqmN5kJv3krzZxtJzSSR1MwdBteQn9DCGFi6uuDp-T0cZpS5wNk">study</a> of cinema-goers in Lagos, based on demographics and habits. The dominant group were young, educated women who visit the cinemas as part of a social and networking experience. They also view the practice as aspirational.</p>
<h2>The cinema-going audience and why they go</h2>
<p>Audience studies are crucial to the cinema business. Filmmakers gain insights into what movies to produce, cinema operators learn more about their income sources. Companies also learn the optimum number of screenings to hold, how long to keep a film in the cinema, and other valuable data.</p>
<p>With the help of assistants, I interviewed cinema-goers across 3 movie theatres in Lagos, on the opening weekend of a popular Nollywood film–Kunle Afolayan’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5036924/"><em>CEO</em></a>. I analysed the data using demographics and their corresponding habits to understand movie watchers’ behaviour.</p>
<p>Young people aged 26-35 made up the dominant cinema audience in Lagos. This group was mostly made up of college-educated women, who attended their neighbourhood cinemas on weekends, in the company of friends and dates. Cinemas were packed on evenings, starting heavy on Fridays and thinning out by late Sunday.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373249/original/file-20201207-19-lyt0mm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Two men smiling and waving." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373249/original/file-20201207-19-lyt0mm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373249/original/file-20201207-19-lyt0mm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373249/original/file-20201207-19-lyt0mm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373249/original/file-20201207-19-lyt0mm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373249/original/file-20201207-19-lyt0mm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373249/original/file-20201207-19-lyt0mm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373249/original/file-20201207-19-lyt0mm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Nigerian director Kunle Afolayan and actor Wale Ojo pose for pictures at the premiere of a film.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Florian Plaucheur/AFP/ Getty Images</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Since 2004, Hollywood movies have dominated Nigerian cinemas and attracted the most audience. But that trend is rapidly changing with the emergence of high quality Nigerian films. Cinema-goers showed more enthusiasm for local movies made by prominent filmmakers and featured celebrity actors.</p>
<p>Audiences were also attracted by huge marketing and publicity efforts. Movie lovers crowded venues to see trailers, with the hope of meeting the filmmaker and actors in person. Many were willing to pay higher ticket prices for the experience. </p>
<p>Cinema-goers in Lagos were interested in the technical and aesthetic values of the production, and the quality of the acting. While they were largely drawn to romantic comedies, they sometimes enjoyed thrillers with strong narratives.</p>
<p>For many, cinema-going is a social process, which begins with one’s companion and continues with other viewers at the venue. Activities such as sharing expectations while in the queue at the box office, searching for online information about the film and deciding refreshment choices are all part of the cinema experience. </p>
<p>Many cinema-goers spend considerable time with their partners, including post-movie window-shopping at the mall. Audiences aren’t only focused on the movies. Other attractions include the entire experience of leaving their homes, being immersed in a modern, air-conditioned shopping mall, taking in the sights, sounds and smells from the shops in the building, seeing a mix of female and male fashion trends, running into acquaintances, seeing and being seen by people they aspire to be like, all without hurry.</p>
<p>At the mall, people took selfies and shared them on social media for their friends’ network. It was an announcement of how they wanted to be seen, their personal styling, where they had been, what they could afford and the relationships they were in. It provided the space for intimate conversations as well as other subjects of interest, not least the film of the day.</p>
<h2>Is cinema audience research important?</h2>
<p>Cinema audience research provides independent data that is not influenced by external sources. Cinema operators and other industry players collect their own data. But their efforts are often guided by economic and political interests. </p>
<p>Independent studies are crucial to understanding this aspect of cultural production and circulation. The competition among cinema owners, and the government’s quest for taxes could affect the credibility of data generated by cinema chains.</p>
<p>With the loss of revenue to cinema chains due to the pandemic, this type of research is bound to be digital. As Showmax, Netflix, iROKOtv and other video-on-demand platforms vie for online viewers, it remains to be seen if cinemas will return to pre-COVID positions. But the research has to continue wherever film audiences convene.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/150195/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Añulika Agina does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
In Lagos, cinema audiences don’t go to the movies for the film alone. There’s more.
Añulika Agina, Senior lecturer, Pan Atlantic University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/132983
2020-03-22T08:49:29Z
2020-03-22T08:49:29Z
Why Nigerians living abroad love to watch Nollywood movies
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/321006/original/file-20200317-60879-1x2i3cg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Director Kunle Afolayan, actress/singer Genevieve Nnaji and moderator Wendy Mitchell discuss the international rise of Nollywood at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Tara Ziemba/Getty Images)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Nollywood industry – which came to life in the early 1990s – is often seen as a natural heir to the Nigerian TV series which had already produced roughly <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p011fqh9">14,000 feature films</a> in the previous decade. These video-films of the early years have now become full feature films, and an integral part of popular life in Nigeria. Local audiences appreciate these homegrown productions relating to daily life in the country. </p>
<p>The films – about <a href="https://www.canon-emirates.ae/view/nollywood-hollywood-nigerian-cinema/">1,000 are produced</a> a year – offer a mix of urban scenes and village encounters. They appeal to both young people and to families, reaching out to local audiences in several Nigerian languages. The films are mainly produced in the big cities in the south of the country such as Lagos, Onitsha, Enugu, Aba, Ibadan or Calabar, though they are usually set in Lagos or Abuja and involve crews and actors from various ethnic backgrounds. </p>
<p>While Yoruba and Hausa filmmakers have opted for productions foregrounding their respective languages, statistics show that the number of films in Igbo, the language most commonly spoken in Eastern Nigeria, has been infinitesimal. Most of the films emanating from Igboland are in Nigerian English, a choice which has allowed them to reach out to wider audiences in other parts of the country and abroad. This has made them an instant hit and projected Nollywood on the international scene. </p>
<p>The number of films produced in <a href="https://www.channelstv.com/2012/09/06/nollywood-to-start-producing-ijaw-films/">other Nigerian languages</a> such as Esan, Edo (Bini), Urhobo, Ijo, Hausa and Ogba has equally gained momentum.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/321312/original/file-20200318-37401-pn9nzb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/321312/original/file-20200318-37401-pn9nzb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/321312/original/file-20200318-37401-pn9nzb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/321312/original/file-20200318-37401-pn9nzb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/321312/original/file-20200318-37401-pn9nzb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/321312/original/file-20200318-37401-pn9nzb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/321312/original/file-20200318-37401-pn9nzb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/321312/original/file-20200318-37401-pn9nzb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Nigerian film director of the Nollywood film</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Stefan Heunis/AFP/Getty Images</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Over less than three decades, Nollywood has gained an international reputation and inspired new film industries across Africa. The industry is widely considered as a showcase of the country. Interestingly, although a growing number of these films are now set in locations abroad, most remain firmly grounded in Nigerian cultures. </p>
<p>Over the years, the African public has come to discover and appreciate Nollywood. Nevertheless, outside Nigeria, its main public remains the Nigerian diaspora. Research carried out in London and Paris nine years ago sought out the opinions of Nigerians living abroad about the films. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.academia.edu/41894744/Language_and_identity_Nigerian_video-films_and_diasporic_communities">research showed</a> that respondents spend a significant portion of their leisure time together with other Nigerians or other Africans, viewing Nigerian videofilms. They overwhelmingly preferred them to foreign films. These observations have since been enriched by follow-up interviews, confirming that these results remain relevant.</p>
<h2>Scripting and scene-setting</h2>
<p>By and large, protagonists in Nollywood films adhere to ancestral beliefs and carry on with most rural traditions. </p>
<p>The ancestral village that nurtured these beliefs never disappears entirely. It is nearly always the scene of at least a few family encounters. The acknowledgements that follow the film give precious few details about the places used, such as community centres, hospitals or churches. The village is usually signalled by narrow paths, mud houses, grassy compounds and farmlands, people in wrappers, bare-chested men or chiefs in traditional attire and oja music.</p>
<p>The set is far less important than the content; it is just there to provide a background to the protagonists’ actions and to reinforce the message that the individuals’ behaviour is partly determined by their family background.</p>
<p>Both the ‘old’ Nollywood and its ‘new’ version that has developed within the past 20 years have highlighted the premium value still given to the concept of extended family, the bedrock on which most scenarios are constructed. Yet storylines point to the flaws of the traditional family system and reflect on the malaise experienced by a country in the throes of rapid changes, leaving traditions behind and often incapable of replacing them with new values. </p>
<p>Subjects woven into the plots include polygamy turned sour, marital infidelity and couples drifting apart, obsession with male heirs and problems associated with childlessness, and strained relationships with in-laws and with rural folks.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/321314/original/file-20200318-37397-1jeni1g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/321314/original/file-20200318-37397-1jeni1g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/321314/original/file-20200318-37397-1jeni1g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/321314/original/file-20200318-37397-1jeni1g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/321314/original/file-20200318-37397-1jeni1g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/321314/original/file-20200318-37397-1jeni1g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/321314/original/file-20200318-37397-1jeni1g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/321314/original/file-20200318-37397-1jeni1g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A man passes by Nigerian movie billboards at a cinema in Lagos.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Cristina Aldehuela/AFP/Getty Images</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Films also denounce other social ills. These include the traditional maltreatment of widows, political corruption and some of the troubles associated with urban life. </p>
<p>All these topics appeal to a broad African audience and have helped to lead to African co-productions.</p>
<h2>The crucial role of Nollywood in diaspora</h2>
<p>Nearly half of those interviewed in my research said they preferred watching Nigerian films in English. A quarter preferred Yoruba while 16% preferred Igbo. Even so, over 58% of those interviewed considered that Nigerian languages played a role in the pleasure they derived from viewing films. They clearly perceived those languages as part of their cultural heritage and identity, a legacy to be cherished and protected. </p>
<p>Respondents equally considered their Nigerian language as a vital tool to communicate with older relatives in Nigeria and keep in touch with their roots. One of them says it beautifully:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It makes me feel more at home once I speak my language.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Unsurprisingly, language featured prominently in the list of what attracts viewers to Nollywood, second (50%) after the storyline (71.7%). Factors such as landscape and clothes, body language, houses and dances trailed behind.</p>
<p>Viewing Nigerian movies can therefore be seen and experienced as a trip down memory lane, a virtual journey back home and group therapy. A number of respondents also insisted on the educational value of the films, saying that “they have a moral tale to tell”.</p>
<h2>Looking forward</h2>
<p>Given the growing number of Nigerians migrating abroad in the current political climate, and given the proven benefits gained from regular watching as proven by my research and interviews, one cannot but encourage the current trend, which has seen a <a href="https://www.londonmet.ac.uk/news/articles/nollywood-top-10">number of London</a> and Paris <a href="http://www.nollywoodweek.com/en/">cinema houses</a> screening films belonging to the new Nollywood co-productions. Their recorded success will no doubt help Nigerians adjust to their diasporic situation while enriching the cultural scene of host countries.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/132983/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Françoise Ugochukwu does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Viewing Nigerian movies is seen as a trip down memory lane, a virtual journey back home and group therapy for Africans in the diaspora.
Françoise Ugochukwu, Senior Research Fellow, Development, Policy and Practice (DPP), Open University (UK), The Open University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/133252
2020-03-19T13:49:56Z
2020-03-19T13:49:56Z
Netflix Naija: creative freedom in Nigeria’s emerging digital space?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/320398/original/file-20200313-108907-1p48k19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Back row (From L-R): Banky W, Ted Sarandos (Netflix Chief Content Officer), Kate Henshaw, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Felipe Tewes (Netflix Italian & African Originals Director), Omoni Oboli, Ben Amadasun (Netflix Africa Licensing Director) and Akin Omotoso
Front Row (L-R) Mo Abudu, Adesua Etomi, Dorothy Ghettuba (Netflix African Originals lead) , Kunle Afolayan, Kemi Adetiba and Ramsey Noah.</span> </figcaption></figure><p>Netflix has increased its <a href="https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/netflix-head-african-originals-lays-out-plans-for-continent-1203518648/">investment in Nigeria’s film industry</a>, Nollywood. The <a href="https://hbr.org/2018/10/how-netflix-expanded-to-190-countries-in-7-years">dominant</a> streaming company announced its presence via its newly created Twitter handle, NetflixNaija, while also detailing plans to commission original content by partnering with local creatives and investing in the space. The streamer has ordered an as-yet-untitled six-part series that will be directed by local directors Akin Omotoso, Daniel Oriahi and CJ Obasi.</p>
<p>This is a welcome development for the industry. Apart from the <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-24/nollywood-is-ready-to-go-global-thanks-to-netflix">visibility</a> and increased viewership, Netflix also gives Nigerian filmmakers a strategy to combat the <a href="https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/0c19/0f9c4659844f750ee906d2e2bc68ca5fb8a5.pdf">adverse impact</a> of <a href="https://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/04/nigeria-loses-2bn-piracy-annually-utomi/">piracy</a> in Nigeria. It’s not the first attempt at this. An indigenous streaming platform, IrokoTV, established in 2011, has been using streaming to <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/3006695/irokos-jason-njoku-is-creating-the-next-netflix-in-nigeria?cid=search">distribute Nollywood</a> content while staying out of the reach of pirates.</p>
<p>Nollywood is the second largest employer after agriculture in Nigeria. In 2014, Nollywood was <a href="https://www.one.org/us/blog/first-hollywood-then-bollywood-now-nollywood/">worth $5.1 billion</a> and made up 5% of Nigeria’s GDP. Although the first Nigerian films were made in the 1960s it wasn’t until the 1990s and 2000s that the industry blossomed as filmmakers took advantage of digital technology and internet distribution. Nollywood filmmakers have largely run an independent model for over three decades, producing about <a href="https://www.theafricancourier.de/special-nollywood-at-25/new-nollywood-going-for-new-models-to-curb-piracy/">50 movies a week.</a></p>
<p>Lax copyright laws and enforcement allow piracy to continue, though. For years, pirates have stolen Nigerian filmmakers’ profits at the end of the distribution chain by replicating and distributing films within days of VCD/DVD release. These losses lock up the industry’s full potential, as filmmakers experience difficulty in attracting funding for ambitious projects.</p>
<h2>Creative freedom? Not yet</h2>
<p>Netflix investment is great, but maximising the new resources depends on certain legal <a href="https://www.academia.edu/38436814/REFORMING_COPYRIGHT_LAW_FOR_A_DEVELOPING_AFRICA_66_J._Copyright_Socy_U.S._A._1_2018_">fundamentals</a>. Are Nollywood filmmakers and stakeholders conversant with the ownership rights regime in the evolving digital copyright era? Will Nollywood get value for its rich creative resources when negotiating across licensing and other transactional platforms? How well would the Nigerian intellectual property laws – particularly its copyright laws – protect Nollywood creators in dealings with Netflix and other sophisticated partners? </p>
<p>Nollywood is disadvantaged at present, but there is <a href="https://www.academia.edu/41748948/Reconceptualizing_International_Copyright_Laws_to_Protect_African_Creative_Industries">hope</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/320402/original/file-20200313-115101-1jrw541.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/320402/original/file-20200313-115101-1jrw541.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/320402/original/file-20200313-115101-1jrw541.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/320402/original/file-20200313-115101-1jrw541.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/320402/original/file-20200313-115101-1jrw541.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/320402/original/file-20200313-115101-1jrw541.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/320402/original/file-20200313-115101-1jrw541.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/320402/original/file-20200313-115101-1jrw541.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A customer looks at some Nollywood movies in a shop at Idumota market in Lagos.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Cristina Aldehuela/AFP/Getty Images</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Licensing is defined as the process of obtaining permission from the owner of a TV show or movie for various purposes, and online streaming is no different. A licensing agreement is established under the terms of a legally binding contract between the content owners and Netflix, and each agreement varies. Some licences will last into perpetuity, while others are limited for a time. This is why Netflix is constantly updating consumers on what will be available, and also what will soon disappear.</p>
<p>Netflix licenses out content that does not belong to it from the entity that owns that content. This vastly oversimplifies the process, but Netflix gets written permission from rights holders to show their movies. That permission comes in the form of a licence (a contract) that allows the use of copyrighted creations, contingent upon various limitations and fees.</p>
<p>For original content, the company gets into specialised agreements with production houses. These agreements are made within the copyright regimes of the United States. Sound knowledge of these licence contracts and how they are structured is crucial for Nollywood’s growth.</p>
<h2>Nigeria lags behind on copyright</h2>
<p>Nigeria’s copyright law was first governed by the English Copyright Act 1911, which was made applicable to Nigeria by the colonial powers of Great Britain. Nigeria applied the 1911 Act until it was replaced with the Copyright Act of 1970. This act was considered inadequate because it failed to combat and punish the increasing rate of piracy and other copyright infringements. Hence the birth of the 1988 Act, later amended and recodified. </p>
<p>In 2012, the Nigerian Copyright Commission led the drafting of a new copyright bill, published in 2015. But the country’s National Assembly hasn’t passed it into law.</p>
<p>From the late 1990s, the global intellectual property regime encountered disruptive changes because of the influence of digital technology. The World Intellectual Property Organisation led the charge to change intellectual property laws to respond to digital creations and protect creativity. The outcome is the current global digitalised intellectual property regimes. </p>
<p>Nigeria, with its archaic copyright regime, still lags behind. The country’s copyright laws and others which may complement copyright – including torts, contract and e-commerce laws – have not been updated since 1999. How can Nigerian creatives thrive globally if the minimum threshold for protecting their content isn’t modernised?</p>
<h2>Nollywood’s creative handicap</h2>
<p>Being the most successful video streaming platform, Netflix possesses the resources to protect its <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/1/27/21083551/netflix-library-titles-decline-awards">legal and business interest</a>. Some <a href="https://www.techinasia.com/india-netflix-streaming-war">commentators</a> believe that it might become a monopoly in the streaming industry. This scenario will adversely affect Nollywood by limiting the bargaining space for alternatives. Local player IrokoTV needs to devise new strategies to compete. </p>
<p>In my earlier research between 2016 and 2018, I had discussions and interviews with some Nollywood stakeholders who raised their <a href="https://www.academia.edu/38436814/REFORMING_COPYRIGHT_LAW_FOR_A_DEVELOPING_AFRICA_66_J._Copyright_Socy_U.S._A._1_2018_">concerns</a> about the inadequacy of digital copyright regimes in Nigeria to protect their creative interest. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/320403/original/file-20200313-115101-iqkisf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/320403/original/file-20200313-115101-iqkisf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/320403/original/file-20200313-115101-iqkisf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/320403/original/file-20200313-115101-iqkisf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/320403/original/file-20200313-115101-iqkisf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/320403/original/file-20200313-115101-iqkisf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/320403/original/file-20200313-115101-iqkisf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/320403/original/file-20200313-115101-iqkisf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A street clothing seller passes by two movie vendor stands at Idumota market in Lagos.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Cristina Aldehuela/AFP/Getty Images</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>If these concerns aren’t properly addressed, Nollywood creators may be operating in an unequal legal and economic environment which favours the video-on-demand partners. Nigeria’s copyright laws are outdated and in need of reform to adapt to current digitalised intellectual property regimes and productive methods.</p>
<h2>How Nigeria can fix it</h2>
<p>For Nollywood to fully compete at the global level, it should adopt a smart, proactive approach. Nigerian creators and policymakers need collaboration to achieve progress. Most importantly, it is time for the proposed amended <a href="http://www.spaajibade.com/resources/a-brief-review-of-the-nigerian-draft-copyright-bill-2015-oluwafunmilayo-mayowa/?utm_source=Mondaq&utm_medium=syndication&utm_campaign=LinkedIn-integration">Nigerian Copyright Act</a> to become law. The amended law will help protect Nollywood in the digital market place.</p>
<p>Nigerian copyright management organisations and performer rights organisations have to educate themselves and plan programmes to enforce the rights of their members. With digital platforms, the formation of contracts entails different legal regimes. Nigerian creatives need a reformed and recognised idea submission agency based on a deliberate policy and legal framework.</p>
<p>Nollywood should also focus on the economics of creativity. The industry needs metrics to track and measure skills and output of performances. A collaborative partnership with experts in economics, analytics, statistics and adjacent fields will help. Nigerian universities should revamp their curricula to train existing and emerging lawyers to master the intricacies of digital licensing so they can advise Nollywood’s creative industry.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/133252/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Samuel Samiái Andrews. does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
For Nollywood to fully compete at the global level, it should adopt a smart, proactive approach.
Samuel Samiái Andrews., Professor of Intellectual Property Law, University of Gondar
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/113393
2019-03-18T13:33:49Z
2019-03-18T13:33:49Z
Africa’s top film festival celebrates 50 years: what’s to celebrate, and learn
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/264120/original/file-20190315-28492-lcvjfq.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The entrance to Fespaco's main venue, Cinema Burkina.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pier Paolo Frassinelli</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>There is no better place to assess the state of “auteur” African cinema than at its premier showcase, the biennial film festival in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. Popularly known by its acronym, Fespaco, the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47348906">Festival panafricain du cinéma et de la télévision de Ouagadougou</a> recently celebrated its 50th birthday.</p>
<p>Fespaco and the 1966 Journées cinématographiques de Carthage in Tunisia were the earliest concrete steps towards the idea of African cinema on African soil. These two film festivals were the first major African events entirely dedicated to showcasing movies from across the continent. </p>
<p>In the words of former director of the Ouagadougou festival Michel Ouédraogo, Fespaco</p>
<blockquote>
<p>was created in a context in which the African states had recently acquired their independence and they wanted to express their sovereignty and their identity.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>To mark its half century, this year’s edition was themed “The Memory and Future of African Cinema”. In addition to the competitions for the various prizes, the organisers curated a retrospective of classic African films that were shown at pop up outdoor cinemas throughout the city.</p>
<p>Watched by festival goers and Burkinabés sitting on their scooters or plastic chairs, screenings included Souleymane Cissé’s <em>Finye</em> (1979) and <em>Baara</em> (1983), Med Hondo’s <em>Sarraounia</em> (1987), Idrissa Ouédraogo’s <em>Tilaï</em> (1991) and Gaston Kaboré’s <em>Buud Yam</em> (1997). More recent works such as Zola Maseko’s <em>Drum</em> (2005) and Alain Gomis’s <em>Tey</em> (2013) and <em>Felicite</em> (2017) were also shown. </p>
<p>But if the canonised past of African cinema was ripe for celebration, its present and future looked distinctly uncertain.</p>
<h2>A special table</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/264125/original/file-20190315-28512-ub0w7a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/264125/original/file-20190315-28512-ub0w7a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/264125/original/file-20190315-28512-ub0w7a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/264125/original/file-20190315-28512-ub0w7a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/264125/original/file-20190315-28512-ub0w7a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/264125/original/file-20190315-28512-ub0w7a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/264125/original/file-20190315-28512-ub0w7a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Ouagadougou statue of Ousmane Sembene.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pier Paolo Frassinelli</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Ouagadougou festival is the place historically associated with the African auteur filmmaker. The city is where <a href="https://theculturetrip.com/africa/senegal/articles/why-ousmane-sembene-is-considered-the-father-of-african-cinema/">Ousmane Sembène</a> and the other doyens of African film used to congregate at a special table at the Hôtel Indépendance before it was set aflame in 2014. </p>
<p>But who are Sembène’s heirs now?</p>
<p>Veteran Cameroonian filmmaker <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0067464/">Jean-Pierre Bekolo</a> was at Fespaco 2019 with <em>Les armes miraculeuses</em> (Miraculous Weapons). The film is set in the small Free State town of Vrede in 1960s apartheid South Africa. Two French women, the black female owner of a bed and breakfast and a political prisoner, discuss freedom, Sartre and the poetry of Negritude under the watchful eye of apartheid state security. It won the Ecobank Foundation’s Ousmane Sembène prize.</p>
<p>Otherwise, it was emergent filmmakers who got the lion’s share of awards and grabbed audience attention. The top prize, L'Étalon d'or de Yennenga for the best film, was deservedly awarded to young Rwandan director <a href="http://www.neonrouge.com/en/joel-karekezi">Joel Karekezi</a> for <em>La miséricorde de la jungle</em> (The Mercy of the Jungle). A beautifully shot, gripping story, it brings the audience deep into the jungle on the border of Rwanda and Congo where two soldiers battle for survival during the Second Congo War. </p>
<p>The film also clinched best actor for co-star Marc Zinga. The prize for best actress went to <a href="https://www.okayafrica.com/fespaco-2019-samantha-mugatsia-best-actress-rafiki/">Samantha Mugatsia</a> for her nuanced performance in Wanuri Kahui’s Kenyan lesbian romance <em>Rafiki</em>, which has already made history for being selected at Cannes after being banned in its home country.</p>
<h2>Young filmmakers</h2>
<p>The fact that these young filmmakers and actors are bursting onto the scene no doubt bodes well for the future. But questions still linger about the future of the festival and its packaging of African cinema.</p>
<p>Is this the kind of venue where one comes to see what is new in film production across the continent? Is auteur cinema what African audiences are interested in? How about the videos eagerly consumed by Africans across the continent: from the phenomenon of Nollywood to the bongo movie industry in Tanzania? Are the tastes of their audiences catered for?</p>
<p>Perhaps a good way of answering these questions is by looking at how the Fespaco is changing.</p>
<p>Since 2015, films shot digitally have become eligible for the festival’s main prize, which was previously reserved for celluloid films only. At the 2019 edition, the two movies that got the warmest reception among the screenings I attended were not the kind of film one normally associates with Fespaco. One was the Ivorian film <em>Resolution</em>, an earnest denunciation of gender violence that had the audience voicing its disapproval at the physical brutality inflicted upon the female protagonist and cheering her resolution to finally stand up to her abusive husband. </p>
<p>The second was <em>Hakkunde</em> (In between). It is the first Nigerian publicly crowdfunded movie by Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) award-winning director and producer Oluseyi Asurf Abuwa. This Nollywood-style comic tale of a self-made man also got the audience laughing and applauding. The audible approval for both of these films was no doubt a sign of the times.</p>
<p>The other issue that stood out was the contestation surrounding how the festival’s history and present are dominated by men. After 50 years, no woman director has won the festival’s main prize.</p>
<p>This year, out of a selection of 124 films in competition for the various prizes and 79 not in competition, women represented a small portion of the directors participating: only 30 films in competition and nine not in competition. But even though they were outnumbered, women were not silent. Festival events included a meeting titled “Where are the women?” and a round table organised by the collective “Non aligned filmmakers” on the place of women in African cinema.</p>
<h2>A lack of focus</h2>
<p>But perhaps the biggest challenge faced by Fespaco has to do with the forms of attention that the seventh art requires. The festival was very well attended. The main venue, Ciné Burkina, was usually packed. However, part of the audience seemed incapable of focusing on the film they had ostensibly come to watch instead of the tiny screens of their cell phones, which kept flickering and occasionally ringing. </p>
<p>I wondered why there were no pre-show announcements asking the audience to turn off their phones. It’s possibly because these <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/11/theater/theaters-struggle-with-patrons-phone-use-during-shows.html">announcements don’t work</a> anyway. </p>
<p>Maybe, if it is to survive and thrive, African cinema must adapt to today’s audiences, digital devices and forms of distraction. The Nigerian video industry has already started producing short films and clips that are easier and cheaper to stream on phones. As Nollywood scholar Jonathan Haynes commented at a recent seminar, the “future is on Android”.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/113393/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Pier Paolo Frassinelli is the recipient of a University of Johannesburg University Research Council grant for a project titled "African cinemas: spaces, audiences and genres".</span></em></p>
Fespaco, Africa’s premier film festival, celebrated its 50th anniversary in Burkina Faso. For African cinema to survive, it must adapt to today’s audiences and forms of distraction.
Pier Paolo Frassinelli, Associate Professor, Communication Studies, University of Johannesburg
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/110804
2019-02-05T13:44:34Z
2019-02-05T13:44:34Z
Nigeria is punching below its weight despite massive soft power capacity
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/257027/original/file-20190204-193209-1vzkzz7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">French president Emmanuel Macron with Nollywood artists during a live show in Lagos, Nigeria.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA-EFE/Ludovic Marin </span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The increasing <a href="https://gulfnews.com/opinion/op-eds/americas-soft-power-is-robust-and-resilient-1.2170982">use of soft power</a> in foreign policy by great powers such as the US (prior to Donald Trump’s administration) and <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/chinas-big-bet-soft-power">China</a> has sparked interest among African policymakers and academics. <a href="https://scholar.google.co.za/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Nye%2C+Joseph.+2004.+Soft+power%3A+The+means+to+success+in+world+politics.+New+York%3A+Public+Affairs.&btnG=">Soft power</a> is the opposite of coercive capability or hard power, such as the use of economic and military might. Soft power involves trying to influence other countries using culture, values and policies. </p>
<p>South Africa is one of the African countries that has taken advantage of the opportunity that the use of soft power presents. It’s successfully hosted international summits and sporting events such as the 2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference and the 2010 World Cup football tournament. </p>
<p>I would <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02533952.2018.1492833">argue</a> that Nigeria, with its impressive soft power capabilities, has surprisingly lagged behind. </p>
<p>There are three key ways in which Nigeria exercises some degree of soft power. These are <a href="http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/product_info.php?products_id=806818">culture</a>, <a href="https://www.africa.com/brand-africa-100-africas-best-brands-2017-18/">business</a> and foreign policy programmes that send Nigerians abroad to help with <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-319-62202-6_12">peacekeeping</a> and skills training.</p>
<p>Despite having remarkable soft power resources, there’s no coordination of efforts to harness their potential. Compare this to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09744053.2016.1186868?journalCode=rafr20">China</a>, that has used its soft power assets to extend influence across the world. This has included building Confucius Institutes, exporting cheap products and offering development assistance. These have shaped the preferences of other states and consequently helped it to emerge a global power. </p>
<p>Abuja does not manage its soft power carefully. </p>
<p>Nigeria’s first problem is that it has a democracy deficit. The country doesn’t score well on major indices such as the <a href="https://www.eiu.com/topic/democracy-index">Democracy Index</a>, <a href="https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/freedom-world-2018">The Freedom House</a>, the <a href="http://s.mo.ibrahim.foundation/u/2018/11/27173840/2018-Index-Report.pdf?_ga=2.91277018.1989544098.1548941645-1329949972.1548941645">Mo Ibrahim Governance Index</a> and Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions <a href="https://www.transparency.org/cpi2018">Index</a> that all measure democratic governance.</p>
<p>This damages Nigeria’s democracy credentials and undermines its moral authority to promote effective governance across the continent. </p>
<h2>The influence of Nollywood</h2>
<p>One of the most potent promoters of Nigeria’s cultural soft power is arguably Nollywood. The country’ movie industry has displaced Hollywood and Bollywood as the most important movie industry <a href="http://cesran.org/attractions-and-limitations-of-nigerias-soft-power.html">on the continent</a>. It has also overshadowed local content across Africa and its diaspora. It’s now the world’s second largest producer of <a href="https://www.pwc.com/ng/en/assets/pdf/spolight-the-nigerian-film-industry.pdf">films after Bollywood</a>. </p>
<p>Its increasing appeal is demonstrated by <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/254095363_Global_Nollywood_The_Nigerian_Movie_Industry_and_Alternative_Global_Networks_in_Production_and_Distribution">its visibility</a> in the Americas, Europe, and the Caribbean. Among African viewers, the extent of Nollywood’s influence can be heard in mimicking the Nigerian accent, growth of Nigerian pidgin English, and Nigerian fashion. </p>
<p>Nigerian music has also made inroads. For example, Nigerian musicians have <a href="https://allafrica.com/view/group/main/main/id/00046669.html">dominated</a> the MTV Africa Music Awards since their inauguration in 2008. And many black British and American artists are of Nigerian origin. Some, such as <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jidenna-mn0003397779/biography">Jidenna</a> and <a href="http://www.musicaltheatrenews.com/artists/simon-webbe.html">Simon Webbe</a>, have used their fame to promote Nigerian culture, and to challenge negative stereotypes of their ancestral home.</p>
<p>Both Nollywood and the music industry provide the platforms to challenge the negative portrayal of Nigeria and its 180 million citizens as purveyors of corruption, drug-trafficking, terrorism, fraud, and internet scams. </p>
<p>But neither has been able to shift the dial in Nigeria’s favour. Take Nollywood, it has failed to exert the same sort of influence as Hollywood in the US which not only showcases the US’s economic and military might but also its cultural hegemony. This is in no small part a consequence of the <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/hollywood-cia-washington-dc-films-fbi-24-intervening-close-relationship-a7918191.html">US government’s significant support to the industry</a>. </p>
<p>Compare this with the <a href="https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/235490-nigerian-govt-gives-nollywood-extra-n420-million-grant.html">small grants</a> offered to Nollywood. These are clearly insignificant given the potential of the industry.</p>
<h2>Nigerian volunteers</h2>
<p>In the realm of foreign policy, Nigeria’s soft power is illustrated by its peacemaking and peacekeeping roles. This is most notable in countries such as <a href="http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-07/30/c_136483216.htm">Liberia</a>, <a href="https://www.degruyter.com/downloadpdf/j/mjss.2018.8.issue-4-1/mjss-2018-0079/mjss-2018-0079.pdf">Sierra Leone</a>, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-23369865">Mali</a> and Sudan’s <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nigeria-un-mali/nigeria-to-pull-many-peacekeepers-from-mali-darfur-idUSBRE96I0PA20130719">Darfur</a> region. This is addition to contributions to regional integration in West Africa and liberation struggles in southern Africa. </p>
<p>Nigeria’s Technical Aid Corps has served as an institutional platform to project the country’s soft power. Through this initiative, Nigeria sends volunteers to countries with a dearth of skills in fields such as architecture, engineering, law, medicine, and science. </p>
<p>Since its inception three decades ago, more than 4000 volunteers have been deployed to over 38 countries. Ongoing requests for these volunteers serve as proof that Nigeria’s skilled workers are in demand. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, the technical volunteer programme and Abuja’s overall foreign policy have failed to change anti-Nigerian sentiments fundamentally. This reflects a lack of coordinated efforts by the Nigerian government to subtly use the opportunity presented by the Technical Aid Corps. </p>
<h2>Seizing the opportunity</h2>
<p>Given these realities, Nigeria is, at best, a potential soft power state. While its soft power resources are greater than most other African states, its soft power influence leaves much to be desired.</p>
<p>To ameliorate this situation, Abuja should take advantage of the soft power resources at the country’s disposal. West Africa’s Gulliver has abundant human and material resources. Nollywood needs to reinvent itself to shape the perception of its African audiences about the country. Nigerian policymakers and academics, finally, must engage the sources and implications of Nigeria’s soft power.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/110804/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Oluwaseun Tella does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
One of the most potent promoters of Nigeria’s cultural soft power is arguably Nollywood.
Oluwaseun Tella, Director, The Future of Diplomacy at the Institute for the Future of Knowledge, University of Johannesburg
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/108832
2018-12-31T08:20:16Z
2018-12-31T08:20:16Z
What Netflix’s involvement in Nigeria’s massive film industry really means
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/251277/original/file-20181218-27770-1npki3n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Nigerian actress, Genevieve Nnaji in her film, 'Lionheart'.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Netflix</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Global streaming service Netflix set its eyes a few years ago on Nigeria’s film industry, better known as Nollywood. Distribution of Nigerian movies on Netflix <a href="https://www.telesurenglish.net/analysis/From-Nigeria-to-Netflix-African-Cinema-Goes-Global-20150421-0024.html">started</a> around 2015. At the time the American giant bought the rights of blockbusters such as Kunle Afolayan’s <em>October 1st</em>, Biyi Bandele’s <em>Fifty</em> and several others, after they had already been distributed in Nigerian cinemas. </p>
<p>During the Toronto International Film Festival 2018, Netflix <a href="https://variety.com/2018/film/news/toronto-netflix-nigerian-comedy-movie-lionheart-1202932393/">announced</a> the acquisition of worldwide exclusive distribution rights for Nollywood star Genevieve Nnaji’s debut film as director, the comedy <a href="https://www.tiff.net/films/lionheart/"><em>Lionheart</em></a>. The film marked the first Netflix original film from Nigeria. Many saw this as the beginning of a new era in the relationship between one of the world largest streaming platforms and Africa’s most prolific film industry.</p>
<p>But, is this actually true? Is Netflix going to transform Nollywood? And how significant will its impact on the Nigerian film industry be?</p>
<h2>Difficult questions</h2>
<p>These are not easy questions to answer. Nollywood’s economy and modes of production are unlike those of most other film industries. Over the past 20 years Nigerian films have circulated mostly on videotapes and Video Compact Discs (VCDs). </p>
<p>This distribution system made the industry widely popular across Africa and its diaspora. But it prevented Nollywood from consolidating its economy and raising the quality of film production. Piracy dramatically eroded distribution revenues and producers had trouble monetising the distribution of their films. Nollywood prioritised straight-to-video distribution because cinema theatres had almost disappeared in the country (as in most other parts of Africa) as a result of the catastrophic economic crisis that affected Nigeria in the 1980s. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/Bne4BX6ggIo","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>New multiplexes have emerged since the beginning of the 2000s. However, today there are only about 150 <a href="https://guardian.ng/saturday-magazine/cover/nigerian-cinema-still-a-long-walk-to-maturity/">widescreens</a> for a population of almost two hundred million people. The cinemas that exist are often too expensive for most of the population that used to buy and watch Nollywood films when they were distributed on tapes.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The trailer from ‘Lionheart’.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Within this context, many in the industry thought that streaming could be the best solution to the industry’s problems with distribution. However, a closer look to the history of what has been labelled the “Nigerian Netflix” (iROKO.tv, the leading streaming platform for Nigerian contents) shows that the reality is more complicated. </p>
<p>When the company decided to move its headquarters from Manhattan to Lagos it encountered <a href="https://academic.oup.com/afraf/article-abstract/116/465/671/3859165">countless difficulties</a>. They were mainly connected to the costs of infrastructure development in Nigeria and to the hostility of local distributors who <a href="https://books.google.fr/books/about/Nollywood_Central.html?id=a2cmDAAAQBAJ&redir_esc=y">controlled</a> Nollywood’s economy since its creation.</p>
<h2>Weak Internet</h2>
<p>Internet connection in Nigeria is still too weak and expensive to guarantee easy access to streaming platforms. As a result, Nollywood content distributed by iROKO.tv and Netflix circulates mostly in the diaspora. Netflix is aware of this problem and is <a href="https://qz.com/africa/811003/a-new-netflix-server-in-nigeria-will-deliver-faster-streaming-and-content-to-its-african-users/">investing</a> in infrastructures to secure a better connection for its Nigerian audiences. </p>
<p>But larger investments seem to be necessary to produce a significant impact on audiences’ behaviour. Accessing Nollywood films via piracy or local screening venues will continue to be, at least in my view, the key strategy adopted by the largest percentage of Nigerian viewers.</p>
<p>Netflix could have better chances in penetrating the country’s elite market, as richer people in Nigeria and across Africa have easier access to reliable power supply and internet. </p>
<p>This might be the reason why MultiChoice, the South African telecommunication giant controlling much of Nollywood distribution across Africa through its Africa Magic channels, has <a href="https://qz.com/africa/1326834/naspers-multichoice-wants-netflix-regulated-as-dstv-loses-subscribers/">reacted nervously</a> to Netflix’s increased interest in African markets. MultiChoice wants Netflix to be more closely regulated.</p>
<p>These two aren’t the only telecommunication “superpowers” in the field. France’s Canal Plus and the Chinese StarTimes have also made a few investments in Nollywood over the past few years. The competition among all these actors will probably have a positive impact for viewers across Nigeria and the continent. It could bring lower subscription fees for streaming and TV content packages. </p>
<p>There are also likely to be new investments in content production and infrastructures. And there’s larger continental and global exposure for Nollywood films in the offing.</p>
<h2>Foreign investments</h2>
<p>It remains to be seen how good these developments will be for Nollywood producers. Until now, foreign investments in Nollywood have mostly translated into “more of the same” content. Working conditions for crews and actors have remained the same – basically, low budgets and quick shooting schedules. </p>
<p>In fact, big investors seem to be mainly interested in Nollywood’s already established popularity with African audiences. Making Nollywood more palatable for international audiences doesn’t seem to feature. </p>
<p>This means that in most cases they are not ready to invest bigger money in production budgets. Rather, they invest in better structuring distribution networks to extract as much profit as possible from the Nigerian industry. </p>
<p>And most African audiences are indeed happy with how Nollywood is, even if they tend to complain regularly about the low quality and the repetition of film contents and aesthetics. The fact that Nollywood as it is keeps on attracting audiences makes investors reluctant to change the scale of their production budgets.</p>
<p>There are a few bigger productions, with higher production standards, that have emerged over the past few years in Nollywood. But they have hardly been the result of investments made by foreign firms like Netflix, Canal Plus or MultiChoice.</p>
<p>Nigerian producers are those who are mostly concerned about raising the quality of Nollywood films. They want to give better content to their audiences and reach global screens. In most cases, the people investing money in these kinds of projects have been independent producers or groups of investors related to the new business of multiplexes in Nigeria. </p>
<p>In my view, the question is: will these people benefit from Netflix, so as to continue investing in higher quality content? Or will Netflix and other international companies end up taking over the industry to make it only a bit more of the same?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/108832/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alessandro Jedlowski a reçu des financements de Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique Belge (FNR-FNRS). </span></em></p>
Big investors seem to be mainly interested in Nollywood’s already established popularity with African audiences.
Alessandro Jedlowski, Collaborateur scientifique FNRS, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/56952
2016-04-20T04:39:57Z
2016-04-20T04:39:57Z
The who and how of pirates threatening the Nollywood film industry
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/119100/original/image-20160418-1497-1g178yy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Nigeria's Nollywood ranks second to India’s Bollywood in terms of films produced each year.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Reuters</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>With an average production of 50 movies per week and about US$590 million <a href="http://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/may-2013/nigeria%E2%80%99s-film-industry-potential-gold-mine">revenue</a> annually, Nigeria’s film market is booming. Dubbed Nollywood, it has overcome the teething problems of the late 1980s and 1990s to become a leading producer of films. It ranks second to India’s <a href="https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/nollywood-second-largest-film-industry">Bollywood</a>. </p>
<p>That the Nigerian film industry is growing is not in doubt. What requires greater attention is the problem of piracy, which has become a menace that has eaten deep into the industry and may grind it to a halt. Although Nigeria has laws against piracy, it remains a thriving business partly due to poor implementation of copyright laws, a near-lack of prosecution of offenders, and corruption in governance agencies. </p>
<p>In July 2014, less than three weeks after the release of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Half-Yellow-Sun-Thandie-Newton/dp/B00KBRP03E">Half of a Yellow Sun</a>, a film adaptation of the award winning novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Lagos film vendors were found hawking pirated copies of the film around the metropolis.</p>
<p>In 2015, popular Nigerian actor and award winning producer, Kunle Afolayan, was notified that his classic film <a href="http://october1themovie.com/">October 1</a> had been pirated and was already being sold on Lagos streets at N500 ($3) per copy. The film had yet to recoup the $2 million invested in its production. </p>
<p>Afolayan then <a href="http://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2015/04/21/my-battle-with-pirates-kunle-afolayan/">threatened to leave</a> Nigeria if legitimate businesses would not be allowed to thrive due to the activities of pirates. These cases highlight the menacing effects of pirates within the Nigerian film industry, which loses an estimated <a href="http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/04/nigeria-loses-2bn-piracy-annually-utomi/">US$2 billion</a> to piracy every year. </p>
<h2>Piracy up close</h2>
<p>The Alaba International Market, founded in the 1970s, is located along the Lagos-Badagry expressway. It is by far the biggest electronics market in West Africa and thousands of people flock to it every day. They come from as far as Ghana, East Africa, Togo and Benin Republic. </p>
<p>The market has a mixture of individual customers and retailers who buy in bulk to resell across West Africa. They buy a wide range of items – including computers, televisions, broadcast equipment, household appliances, video games, generators, security equipment, CDs and DVDs. </p>
<p>It is here, in the belly of the beast, that I conducted a study of the informal networks of movie pirates. There are two categories of pirates, often working together. </p>
<p>First are registered retailers who displayed original (white face) copies of films for sale, but conceal the green face (pirated) copies in their shops. They claimed to be retailers of original Nigerian films, but use the original copies purchased legally to mass-produce “pirated” copies for sale to increase profit. </p>
<p>The second category comprised of “associates”. Officially they are appointed by the copyright owners to distribute their films. But owing to their strategic position in the distribution chain, they reportedly make secret business deals with dubbing companies. These companies dub copies without obtaining legal permission from the copyright owners. </p>
<h2>Insider connections and clandestine networks</h2>
<p>The involvement of these various stakeholders in the film industry makes fighting piracy a herculean task. In the market where I conducted my research, the presence of anti-piracy groups was no deterrent for the pirates. They still carried out their business by working with associates.</p>
<p>These so-called associates work with the copyright owners or with the dubbing companies contracted by the copyright owner to produce official DVDs. They are often salesgirls of marketers or executive producers. </p>
<p>This means that associates have access to original copies of new films before they are released. They sell these to the pirate-retailers, often masquerading as legitimate retailers. The pirates can therefore ensure early pirate production of original copies. They thereby hijack the market from copyright owners and make more money at their expense. </p>
<p>Pirated copies can flood the market on the same day the copyrighted films are released into the market or the day after.</p>
<p>Although it is more expensive to buy from their associates, pirates are often willing to pay the extra in order to guarantee more profit. </p>
<h2>A trail to the very top</h2>
<p>Like in any criminal operation there are those at the top who pull the strings and who make the real money. </p>
<p>In Nollywood, the marketing bosses are often in on the scam. These dodgy bosses are sometimes major financiers of films in the Nigerian film industry. The big money that they possess and the “underground structure” they maintain make them indispensable to copyright owners and in the marketing of films. </p>
<p>They wield a lot of power and use this power to gain total control of the market. By working with pirates to illegally distribute the very films which they finance, they are able to secure income from both legal and illegal streams. </p>
<h2>Bribing their way out of trouble</h2>
<p>The piracy business is sustained by informal networks. This extends to penetration of the security outfits saddled with the task of arresting pirates. A pirate told me that he has an informant who gives him information about planned actions by the law-enforcement agents. This includes warning them when there are plans to raid their shops.</p>
<p>Another pirate disclosed that they “bribe their way through” whenever they were arrested. Pirates remain confident of securing their release from anti-piracy agents whenever arrested.</p>
<p>This shows that corruption within anti-piracy agencies directly sustains movie piracy. This clement environment supports extortion and incentivises the pursuit of individual gain at the expense of the industry. </p>
<p>If there were a real threat of arrest and prosecution, these clandestine networks would be more likely to break down. This would allow intellectual property owners to have access to their legitimate gains. Until then, Nollywood may continue to grow – but at a cost.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/56952/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Oludayo Tade does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The world’s third-largest movie industry in Nigeria is in danger of collapse. It is not to do with patrons staying away from the films. It is caused by a menace right in the heart of the industry.
Oludayo Tade, Lecturer of Criminology, Deviance and Social Problems, University of Ibadan
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/47959
2015-09-28T04:43:25Z
2015-09-28T04:43:25Z
From Nollywood to New Nollywood: the story of Nigeria’s runaway success
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/96187/original/image-20150925-16069-a1dd3u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A cameraman films a scene for the Nollywood movie October 1, a police thriller directed by Kunle Afolayan, at a rural location in Ilaramokin village, southwest Nigeria.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Reuters/Akintunde Akinleye</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The video-film industry of Nigeria has been described as one of the greatest explosions of popular culture that Africa has ever seen. It is the first economically self-sustainable film industry in Africa.</p>
<p>Initially through the use of video technology, and now affordable digital technology, Nigeria produces more than 2000 films <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/07/nollywood-week-paris-nigeria">per year</a>. The industry, popularly called Nollywood, is currently ranked as the second-largest in the <a href="http://fortune.com/2015/06/24/nollywood-movie-industry/">world</a> in terms of output after India’s <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Bollywood">Bollywood</a>. </p>
<p>Nollywood’s popularity has spread across the African continent, to the African diaspora in Europe, North America and Australia. It has even gone as far as the Caribbean and Pacific Islands.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The trailer for Super Star, a recent Nollywood film.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Born out of adversity</h2>
<p>The first seeds for the emergence of the industry were planted in the late 1980s. Nigeria was experiencing difficulties as a result of political unrest and measures imposed by the <a href="http://www.imf.org/external/Pubs/FT/fandd/2008/12/okonjo.htm">International Monetary Fund</a> and World Bank.</p>
<p>This economic climate made film-making on celluloid prohibitively expensive, and created a fertile ground for other, more affordable methods to develop. Nigerian businessman <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2098948/">Kenneth Nnebue</a> is generally credited with producing the first major Nollywood film, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr7wDcyoIsE">Living in Bondage</a> (1992).</p>
<p>The film follows the tale of a man who joins a secret cult and murders his wife in a ritual sacrifice to gain wealth. It is set within the thematic and stylistic characteristics of superstition, witchcraft, religion, the quest for upward mobility and melodrama in Lagos’s urban landscape. </p>
<p>It explores corruption, love triangles and domestic disputes – all themes that have since been replicated in many Nollywood narratives. </p>
<h2>From VHS to digital</h2>
<p>Since the VHS industry of the 1990s, Nollywood has embraced digital technology. The industry captures the entrepreneurial spirit of Nigeria through the use of affordable and accessible technology. These are small-scale digital cameras, desktop editing software, and distribution primarily on DVD and video compact disc. These sell for around $2 per copy in Nigeria, and are watched at home, on street corners, in cineclubs or in video parlours. </p>
<p>While the term Nollywood is generally used to refer to the entire industry, it is important to note that it is not unified. There is a great deal of diversity and many different variations. Different genres exist, including horror, melodrama, comedy and action, as well as language divisions. It also includes films in English, Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa.</p>
<p>Despite its enormous output, financing remains low, with the average budget for a Nollywood film being around <a href="http://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/may-2013/nigeria%E2%80%99s-film-industry-potential-gold-mine">$20,000 to $75,000</a>. The industry is often criticised for low production values. It is characterised by rapid turnaround times, the lack of script development, bad lighting and sound, low-budget special effects and amateur editing.</p>
<p>Directors are mostly self-taught, and are often less important and lower down the Nollywood food chain than stars, producers and distributors. Distributors often act as producers.</p>
<p>Despite all of this, the popularity of Nollywood demands film aficionados, scholars, festivals and cinema programmers take it seriously. A growing body of Nollywood <a href="http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1667&context=gs_rp">scholarship</a> has emerged over the past 15 years.</p>
<h2>From budget to blockbuster</h2>
<p>A number of Nollywood directors have started to make higher quality films. These are sometimes referred to as “New Nollywood”, New Nigerian Cinema, or the New Wave. These films are seen more widely than standard Nollywood fare and are accessible to non-African audiences. New Nollywood includes the work of directors such as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/kafolayan">Kunle Afolayan</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1994773/">Obi Emelonye</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1922660/">Jeta Amata</a>, <a href="http://www.stephanieokereke.net/">Stephanie Okereke</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3123654/bio">Mahmood Ali-Balogun</a>.</p>
<p>The budgets for these films have also increased considerably, ranging from $250,000 to $750,000. The production cycles are also much longer. The <a href="http://www.nollywoodreinvented.com/">New Nollywood</a> films should therefore be recognised as very different from the low-budget video format films. </p>
<p>Red-carpet premieres attracting huge audiences now take place regularly across the world from Nigeria to other African cities and urban centres with a big African diaspora. Film festivals internationally have also picked up on its huge popularity. Special programmes with a <a href="http://www.nollywoodweek.com/">Nollywood focus</a> have taken place in Paris, London and New York, among others.</p>
<p>Nollywood can also be watched on pay-TV networks and free-to-air broadcasters across the continent and beyond. South Africa’s M-Net, which broadcasts across Africa, has channels dedicated to Nollywood. Intrepid distributors, mostly from the African diaspora, have created video-on-demand platforms for Nollywood. One example is the huge <a href="http://irokotv.com/">iROKOv</a>. This has increased accessibility to African diaspora audiences. </p>
<p>Even Netflix has acquired a number of Nigerian films, indicative of the platform’s realisation of Nollywood’s popularity and commercial potential across the world. </p>
<h2>The appeal of homegrown stories and characters</h2>
<p>But it is in Africa that Nollywood has had the greatest impact. For African audiences who have for decades been fed imported films, the development of a local, homegrown film industry is hugely significant and important.</p>
<p>Nollywood’s popularity has spread across the continent and Nollywood films are watched all over Africa, from Kenya and Tanzania to Cameroon, Guinea and Togo. They are sometimes dubbed or translated through live interpretation at public screenings.</p>
<p>The model has also been exported and adapted across the continent. Video-film industries have been emerging in many countries, including Riverwood in Kenya, Ugawood in Uganda and Bongowood in Tanzania. There are also similar industries in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Zambia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. </p>
<p>The most obvious explanation is that the films display familiar and recognisable cultural beliefs, lifestyles, traditions, societal and sociocultural structures, histories, settings and locations. Their themes and narratives tap into the fears, dreams and aspirations of audiences. </p>
<p>Nollywood seems set to expand, grow and diversify along with audience tastes, viewing habits and the industry’s technological advancements. This is evident in the hugely popular Tanzanian video-film industry, Bongowood. Tanzanian audiences initially watched imported Nollywood films, but from the early 2000s aspiring local filmmakers started to produce their own video-films. The popularity of local Bongo films now outweighs Nollywood films in the country.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/47959/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lizelle Bisschoff does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
From stories about cult and witchcraft to heartbreak and sorrow, Nigeria’s Nollywood has developed into Africa’s giant in filmmaking.
Lizelle Bisschoff, Research Fellow in Theatre, Film and Television Studies, University of Glasgow
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/29498
2014-08-06T13:40:15Z
2014-08-06T13:40:15Z
Africa’s go-getting cities offer an entrepreneurial launchpad
<p>Ask ten people what they think about Africa’s rising cities and you get ten different opinions. The only thing they will agree on is that traffic is awful. In truth, 52 cities with more than a million inhabitants are becoming a magnet for innovation which has echoes in the industrial revolution. </p>
<p>Take a look at sub-Saharan Africa, the region with the highest number of people involved in early-stage entrepreneurial activity. <a href="http://www.gemconsortium.org/docs/download/3106">According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor</a> 39.9% of Nigerian and Zambian adults are either starting a business or have run one for less than 3.5 years. M-Kopa, Ushahidi, Helvetic Solar Contractors, Headboy Industries, and Jobberman are just a few examples of start-ups you should watch out for in Africa’s urban centres. </p>
<p>One problem is that the figures to describe what is happening in the midst of this fast-paced urbanisation are often missing, disparate or sparse. But our experience in Nairobi, <a href="http://www.unep.org/pdf/poster_nairobi.pdf">whose population has surged</a> from 350,000 in 1963 to more than 3m at the last census in 2009, can help us tell the story of what the rise of these urban centres means for those living and working there.</p>
<h2>Coming home</h2>
<p>Western-educated returnees thrive in Africa’s cities and we have met people whose American education has kept opening doors. Savings brought back can give workers the means to buy a house, while their new-found expertise can give them a foot in the door at the biggest African companies. </p>
<p>One woman returnee we spoke to had found work at a major mobile operator and was then savvy enough to join executives who left to set up a venture using <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M-Pesa">M-Pesa, a mobile payment system</a> through which 25% of Kenya’s GNP flows. Her education and ability to get things done quickly got her promoted to become head of administration. Consider that <a href="http://www.phonearena.com/news/Mobile-penetration-in-Africa-is-now-at-80-and-growing-fast_id50014">mobile penetration in Africa is up to 80%</a> and growing fast, and it is easy to see this avenue for growth and opportunity repeated through the continent.</p>
<p>As <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Success-Africa-Insights-Continent-Rise/dp/1937134466">Jonathan Berman notes in Success in Africa</a>, both the corridors of government and corporate Africa buzz with graduates from the world’s top universities. </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/55074/original/bzvvq5br-1406587879.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/55074/original/bzvvq5br-1406587879.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/55074/original/bzvvq5br-1406587879.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/55074/original/bzvvq5br-1406587879.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/55074/original/bzvvq5br-1406587879.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/55074/original/bzvvq5br-1406587879.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/55074/original/bzvvq5br-1406587879.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Rising tide for house prices. Cape Town beach huts.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/flowcomm/8750830117/in/photolist-ekhhVk-ekopd5-ekhH8B-f8pXry-f8pUT1-f8q5jo-f8aHYK-f8aAh4-obhCP-obhES-fTnJj2-aDfYms-amj5WZ-fpsLox-tk7ux-ekCyV3-4xuoLS-96nFtd-96jJ5k-96nHXA-96nEQL-96jCkK-96jH74-axCS9V-axFz7E-axCTwa-QNPsc-eUvhUL-eUiAd6-eUiMA8-eUuNdm-eUiEGi-eUiCEH-eUiu7B-eUvdq7-eUuUKf-Ua8vn-axCSxk-47QkpZ-ay6hDQ-7FPBUF-ayencb-aybEia-sAB4L-obhHN-sAAUc-aDfyCW-aDfxNw-aDbztt-9zCh5S/">flowcomm</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In South Africa, an estimated <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-14/south-african-skilled-workers-return-on-global-economic-weakness.html">359,000 highly-skilled workers have returned in the past seven years</a>. They are able to overcome three of the biggest obstacles: access to property, capital, and global networks. Loans are notoriously expensive in Africa. A 20% interest rate is not an exception. Property prices, on the other hand, have skyrocketed in Africa’s cities. </p>
<p>So coming back with some savings gives returnees a head-start – and there is evidence that the <a href="http://gga.org/stories/editions/aif-15-off-the-mark/reverse-exodus">willingness to return is real</a>. Angel investors and venture capitalists are also rare creatures (though increasing in number). Here, returnees are able to connect to the diaspora and Western investors more easily. Their ability to build bridges between the different worlds is key. </p>
<p>In recent years, not just individuals but entire companies have relocated – coming with the same advantages. <a href="http://irokotv.com/">Look at iRoko</a>, a sort of Netflix for <a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/baobab/2014/07/nigerian-films-try-move-upmarket">Nollywood movies</a>, which moved from London to Lagos recently.</p>
<h2>Moving up</h2>
<p>Our research in Nairobi found plenty of examples of the age-old migration away from rural areas. One woman we met mirrored the experience of many by leaving a poor lakeside fishing family after her education came to a close with the end of primary school (which is free). Families need money, and so a Matatu minibus ride into the city saw her hunting for and finding domestic work. Employment stability isn’t great though and a sudden sacking soon followed, but crucially, opportunities are many. A new job followed, with new connections and more domestic work on top of that, and money flows back to the family. </p>
<p>In Ghana, the urban population <a href="http://migratingoutofpoverty.dfid.gov.uk/research/migrationandurbanisation/urbanisation_conference/abstracts">is predicted to grow to 63% by 2025</a> from 43.8% in 2000; and much of this is due to domestic work for women and girls. </p>
<p>Progress is not as smooth as it is for well-educated returnees but opportunities still exist. In <a href="http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/welcome-lagos/">Welcome to Lagos, a three-part mini-series</a> the BBC portraits their resourcefulness and determination. On the Olusosun rubbish dump, for example, Eric makes a living collecting plastic, bottles and metals. Saving up some money he records a song which is later heard on the radio. </p>
<p>As people move from agricultural work into urban jobs, productivity increases. A <a href="http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/africa/lions_on_the_move">recent McKinsey report estimates</a> that labour productivity growth in Africa added 2.7% to GDP growth in the period 2000-2008. It is a progress that is closely tied to the big urban centres.</p>
<h2>Progress</h2>
<p>And then there are the hustlers, often Nairobi-born and bred and always looking for the next chance to move a step up the ladder. They might sell cigarettes while they’re at school and move on to run a barber shop or repair cars to make ends meet. In short, the city breeds fast-thinking sales people. And when structural changes help nurture their talents, good things can happen.</p>
<p>We encountered one man whose hustling combined well with a friend who returned from the west with a computer science degree. They started to develop their own software and win contracts from local councils and small businesses, allowing them to start hiring and growing. </p>
<p>One thing that helped inspire that progress was <a href="https://www.kenyaembassy.com/pdfs/The%20Constitution%20of%20Kenya.pdf">a new constitution in 2010</a> which partially devolved power and control of budgets to counties, eliminated the red tape of centralised government and granting more autonomy over growth strategies. At the most basic level, this results in local government contracts and creates new business opportunities.</p>
<p>Africa’s urban centres may mean different things to different people, but they are at the <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/african-dawn-meet-the-entrepreneurs-transforming-their-continent-9112591.html">heart of Africa’s dynamism and progress</a>. Nairobi itself <a href="http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/africa/article4166857.ece">gets some negative press in the west</a>, but a <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/mfonobongnsehe/2014/02/04/30-most-promising-young-entrepreneurs-in-africa-2014/">new generation of entrepreneurs</a> has been created, which is forming a fundamental part of Africa’s growth. </p>
<p>Franz Mathis, a historian, argues that <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCcQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.oapen.org%2Fdownload%3Ftype%3Ddocument%26docid%3D449477&ei=nZHFU7DAGPG10QXHuoC4CA&usg=AFQjCNEF4CXkFIg1siyDXrx_yeGqXzwEvw&bvm=bv.70810081,d.d2k">urbanisation was a necessary condition for industrialisation</a>. Only in big cities did entrepreneurs gain access to capital, a qualified labour force, new technology and an infrastructure that allowed them to access a sizeable market. This is exactly what is happening in African cities today as the continent experiences <a href="http://forumblog.org/2014/05/top-10-cities-forum-africa-2014/">urbanisation at a faster rate than any other</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/29498/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Ask ten people what they think about Africa’s rising cities and you get ten different opinions. The only thing they will agree on is that traffic is awful. In truth, 52 cities with more than a million…
Florence Karaba, PhD Researcher, University of Bath
Christian Stadler, Professor of Strategic Management, Warwick Business School, Warwick Business School, University of Warwick
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/25527
2014-04-11T12:36:42Z
2014-04-11T12:36:42Z
Hooray for Nollywood? Nigeria isn’t the world’s second-biggest film industry after all
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/46140/original/g26v2j29-1397150524.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Glorious though Nigerian cinema may be, it's not being fairly compared</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ibisbill/3452748926/in/photolist-7gyCtg-7t6bJm-7djL6s-7dgMwp-aWdBRB-aWdA8x-aWdxZF-pPGEN-7t2jKF-7t6hCo-7t6hEW-7w6auY-6g7eXU-qjmeC-2EWQd6-3ysBBe-7gyG4g-aWdAEH-aWdCQn-8MfPDP-pHQ5R-7Kc4dJ-bRjFG-8pWh2n-9SHoZQ-a65KQa-7t2e6D-3tfZNt-uGhQV-uGhTm-k15oY-fwdwUc-pHQ5L-pPAUm-7eBNui-uGiah-gBsLNE-8NBkpx-5a34n4-8pWkWZ-8pvA57-8EgC1h-8EgCNb-8EdsZn-5iHyMQ-7eBNwv-kWYcyB-kWYc7K-kWXzWM-6xvrnW">Michael Rank</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>This week Nigeria received a storm of positive publicity as it officially became Africa’s largest economy, with <a href="http://nehandaradio.com/2014/04/04/move-south-africa-comes-nigeria/">one commentator declaring</a>: “Move over South Africa: here comes Nigeria!”</p>
<p>The entrepreneurial role played by the nation’s National Bureau of Statistics in carrying out the economy’s “rebasing” is intriguing. It echoes the <a href="http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30707#.U0bAQxZRafQ">miraculous crowning</a> of Nollywood as the world’s second-largest film industry in 2009, a feat that has framed the industry to the extent that it has almost become its tag-line. Even the headlines announcing the latest achievement recall the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/16/world/step-aside-la-and-bombay-for-nollywood.html">famous New York Times article</a>, “Step Aside LA and Bombay, for Nollywood”. </p>
<p>The event that kicked off the wave of international publicity was the 2009 publication of the <a href="http://www.uis.unesco.org/FactSheets/Documents/Infosheet_No1_cinema_EN.pdf">UNESCO report analysis</a> of the UIS International Survey on Feature Film Statistics. Journalists picked up two facts: that Nollywood was now the second-largest film industry in the world, and had achieved this feat from the bottom up, without the benefit of state assistance. </p>
<h2>The big boost</h2>
<p>The sudden increase in interest transformed the industry’s image. It was now an internationally recognised success story, which contributed to an <a href="http://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/news/full-activity-online-media-gaining-ground-while-nollywood-films-spur-growing-interest-w">upturn in investor interest and the growth of lucrative international markets</a>. But there are doubts about both the industry’s lofty position in the international rankings and the lack of state involvement in this “success story”. </p>
<p>I <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21681392.2014.885784#.U0bBshZRafQ">recently published</a> research that considered the UNESCO report’s methodology. Crucially, the organisation did not carry out any research itself. It asked each country’s national film classification body to complete a form based on their own surveys. The UNESCO statistics are thus entirely dependent on the figures provided by the national certification boards.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/46138/original/wdw79yhh-1397148795.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/46138/original/wdw79yhh-1397148795.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=537&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/46138/original/wdw79yhh-1397148795.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=537&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/46138/original/wdw79yhh-1397148795.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=537&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/46138/original/wdw79yhh-1397148795.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=674&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/46138/original/wdw79yhh-1397148795.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=674&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/46138/original/wdw79yhh-1397148795.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=674&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">UNESCO did not do its own research.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nollywoodforever/4941468802/in/photolist-aNQ2hV-hsMcp-sJdGV-imKff-8wEjvY-8L2t7x">Nollywood Forever</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>When it comes to defining what can be counted as a film, the key criterion used by every major film board other than the Nigerian National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) is distribution through cinema exhibition. By adding the proviso that the Nigerian statistics relate only to “video films”, the UNESCO report lost the main basis of comparability with the likes of India, the UK and US. </p>
<p>Cinema exhibition is a crucial threshold for including films in the statistics. Without it, any motion picture on any medium running for over 60 minutes is eligible. If we were to make a consistent comparison, straight-to-video films would have to be included for all countries and possibly made-for-television movies and films created for online distribution. In reality, most film boards either do not collect this information or do not collate it within the national output figures.</p>
<h2>The hand of Abuja</h2>
<p>Nollywood did not rise to prominence on the world stage despite government involvement, but rather because of its hyperactive involvement in film classification. The industry is the second-largest not by number of films made or released but by number classified. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MYZj2ngK0Vo?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">A taste of recent Nollywood.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>And this is just one example of how the NFVCB’s expansive approach to classification has produced a space so densely coded that comparisons produce misleading results. Prior to the UNESCO revelation, the board made the claim that Nollywood employs one million people and is therefore the second-largest employer in Nigeria. </p>
<p>The NFVCB <a href="http://www.economist.com/node/7226009">gave this figure and comparison</a> to The Economist in July 2006. The resulting article, “Nollywood Dreams” has been highly influential in donor attitudes to the industry, with the World Bank referencing the figures in justification for its $25 million <a href="http://gemsnigeria.com">GEMS intervention</a>. </p>
<p>The way that the board counted the employee numbers closely mirrors the story of the film output comparison. It gave classification codes to workers who had previously just been included in the category of “informal economy” without similarly lifting colleagues in other sectors out of it too by giving them equivalent codes.</p>
<p>The point here is not to deny the industry’s achievements or debunk the “Nollywood miracle”. The miracle is real: Nollywood is a precious example of a non-primary industry that exports throughout Africa and beyond. </p>
<p>What I am arguing is that industry narratives are an integral part of this success, and that the NFVCB has been productive in this regard, promoting those narratives with chutzpah. The industry does not measure up in the way often claimed. In spite of this the NFVCB has proved to be a star director, with Nollywood its Oscar-worthy hit.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/25527/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alexander Bud does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
This week Nigeria received a storm of positive publicity as it officially became Africa’s largest economy, with one commentator declaring: “Move over South Africa: here comes Nigeria!” The entrepreneurial…
Alexander Bud, PhD student, The University of Edinburgh
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