MOTION PICTURE AND THE NIGERIAN IMAGE

The Nigerian motion picture industry popularly called Nollywood is undoubtedly the third largest film culture and industry in the world, following closely behind USA’s Hollywood and India’s Bollywood. The largely direct-to-video industry; because there are very few producers who work in celluloid,1 has grown from obscurity to become an important phenomenon attracting not only worldwide acclaim but also bringing scholars, reporters, reviewers, journalists, investors and what have you to the country. Such people, who come to either investigate, invest, observe the industry or network with its people. An interesting thing about the industry is its resilience in the face of harsh economic indices, favouritism, nepotism, inadequate and sometimes non-existence infrastructure, the industry has grown and has consistently told the story2 of the Nigerian state, society and people.

Film is popular culture and as expected, it must exhibit, play upon, mirrorize, recreate, or retell the stories of the societies in which it subsists. The Nigerian film industry is no exception, it has been able to portray an image of the Nigerian society or in other terms the image of the Nigerian people and state, which as a matter of fact is the reason why the Nigerian motion picture industry has been a beehive of activities – research, investments, visits and so on. Over the years, the industry has promoted certain identities and images about the country which in a way has helped to boost the country’s reputation.
The Nigerian motion picture industry is an image maker for the Nigerian state. For one, Nollywood has been able to shoot up the socio-economic profile of the country especially during an era in which the nation was notorious for military coups and political instability. The production of films in the military epoch which explores the lives of Nigerians shows to the world that Nigerians are innovative, creative and balanced irrespective of the social upheavals in the country which also negated the bad image been generated in the international press about the nation. Second, the Nigerian motion picture industry has helped to change the perception of the rest of the world about Nigeria and indeed the whole of Africa through the films produced. Many people outside the continent and especially those who have not set their foot on it have come to understand that Nigerians and Africans do not live on trees or work about naked as had been speculated previously nor are we bloodthirsty and cruel but are just like other people of the world who could be bad, good, greedy, nice because people are people regardless of their nationality and location. Third, in the light of its optimization of digital technology, the industry has positioned Nigeria as a basket of talents because Nigerian motion picture is the only film culture in the world that has been able to build an industry based largely on digital video technology and this is a prestigious status in the third world cinema and even in world cinema. The capitalization of Nigerian filmmakers on digital technology has turned Nigeria into a bastion and a force to reckon with in global filmmaking, a scenario that has improved the image of the nation by creating an opportunity for Nigerian filmmakers to tell our own stories without fear, favour or prejudice. For so long films were made in Africa but not by Africans but by foreigners, Nigerian motion picture has reversed the situation bringing good acclaim and favourable recognition to Nigeria. There are a good number of international film events holding around the world and in Nigeria which recognizes Nollywood, its practitioners and the nation. Among which are AMAA (Africa Movie Academy Awards) whose second edition was held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state last April, Afro Hollywood Awards which would has been holding since 1996, the next edition is scheduled to hold this September in Lagos and it is designed to hosted in collaboration with the London Film Institute. There is also the Annual Lagos International Film Forum being hosted by ITPAN (Independent Television Producers’ Association of Nigeria), The Best of The Best Television (BOBTV), The Zuma Film Festival and so on. Events which are increasing the nation’s reputation as well as boost the morale of the masses. Nigerians are very passionate about it development. As the popular television show hostess and producer, Agatha Amata once noted on an episode of her very successful TV show ‘Inside Out’ which features a discourse on the Nigerian film industry she said and I quote3:
“I showed off to my friends in London during my last summer visit, we were watching a home video from Nigeria; they were astonished at the elaborateness of the architecture of the film’s set: the houses and the cars used; the sheer display of glamour. They said this cannot be real, it must be some studio, I laughed boasting about it and I told them that is how we live in Nigeria.”

The industry is regarded by many as an indicator of our nation’s growth and development, a signage of Nigeria’s advancement. The motion picture in no small regard has spread the nation’s good to the world and there is a global fever to be a part of it, notably from the United States, the United Kingdom and France.

Fourth, the industry has shown to the world that our nation is undeniably the giant of Africa.As a BBC World Report once mentioned the Nigerian film industry

“Has turned the lights on in Africa cinema”
Nollywood is what is on air in Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, Zambia and many countries in Africa. Jonathan Haynes elucidated in his paper “Nollywood: What is in a name?” Nigerian films are everywhere,
“Nollywood films are purchased and watched by Chinese in New York, Jamaicans identify with Nollywood stars on the streets of London, they are what is on air in Tanzania... and they are also the major offering of DSTV AfricaMagic Channel”

Invariably many want to copy the Nigeria example this is mainly because the industry has helped the nation to grow and it is the trailblazer in third world cinema.

Over the years, the industry has promoted certain identities and images which critics have frowned at, among these are-the image of a ritualistic society, the image of a violent society, the poor portrayal of the Nigerian women and a display of an highly ostentious and an oligarchic society. Imageries and ideas that have to a great extent become a norm, because profiteering has replaced art, as a critic stated in one of the national dailies recently,
“Nollywood is a disappointment (story caption), movies should be socio-cultural development tools if well crafted. Not so with our Nollywood movies, which carry boring storylines, portraying low intellectualism and technical unprofessionalism. The same artistes are featured in virtually every movie. Nollywood is a industry with a large size but with a minute relevant content” (Musa: Punch, Aug. 2006)
A good number of films produced in Nollywood are ritualistic, diabolique and frightening to say the least. A lot of stories are centred around a ritual that has to be performed, such often involving bloodshed and human sacrifice. ONE CHANCE (2006), ABUJA BIG GIRLS I,II AND III( 2005), THE BILLIONAIRES’ CLUB I AND II (2005), BLOOD MONEY(2004), DOMITILLA(2001) AND ALASE AYE I AND II (2006) are examples that come to mind. Film stories such as these have flourished since the early days of video film production in Nigeria taking impulse from the monster-hit “LIVING IN BONDAGE I AND II” (KENNETH NNEBUE, 1991 AND 1992). Although movies with this theme(s) or stories explores and exposes events that happens in the country on a regular basis, they also exaggerate and at best have turned many persons into cynics who believe that every other person is out to harm them and because films shape society and help orientate the people while also entertaining them, the films have subtlely encouraged people to engage in such amoral and vile activities because they encounter it in film after film that ritual money, consulting mediums and performing sacrifices is an alternative to solving their problems especially financial problems. Nonetheless, I cannot overtly heap the blame on the films because people would do what they want to do irrespective of whether the films and their stories catalyses this or not. Because Nigerian films are everywhere, some of the audiences watching Nollywood films all over the world has conceived of Nigeria as a nation and society of people that are very ritualistic; a ‘voo-doo-lised’ people who at will would use fellow human especially close associates and relations for rituals either for money or power.
Closely stringed with the image of a ritualized nation is the image of a violent and very brutal society, which the recent series of kidnaps by militants in the oil rich South-South and its subsequent bad publicity in the International media has not helped. There is a lot of domestic violent in many Nigeria films and this is displayed as a major attraction in the films, as Onyero Mbengeru retraced in a paper at a Nigeria Film Institute/UNESCO Workshop on the Nigerian motion picture in 1997

“There is a lot of violence…in the Nigerian video film”.

It is mundane to see close relatives maltreat and assault one another; sister pimps sisters, cousins kill their cousins, fathers and sons scheme each other for material gains, step wives and in-laws deal ruthlessly with their rivals’ children and daughters in-law. There is a rich display of brutality and wickedness in the Nigerian motion picture in fact some actors excel at playing the role of the wicked character such include Clarion Chukwura, Eucharia Anunobi and the undefeatable Patience Osokwo. Movies with good doses of violence include THE UNFAILING GRACE (2005), VIOLATED (1993), RATTLESNAKE I, II AND III (1991), ISSAKABA (2004). These films include sequence of violent action notably rape, child maltreatment, mishandling of minors, bloodshed, killings, arson, prostitution and a host of other vices. The uninteresting consequence of this is that it is showing the wrong example for the society to imbibe. Although sometimes the plot ends with the wicked being punished but the continued portrayal of films with themes that revolve around violent events, mistrusts, betrayal and the recent killings in the political arena in the country situates our beloved nation of very peace-loving folks who would not take up arms even when suffered and heated in the furnace of tyranny, as a people who are very violent and usually aggressive. Recently, I was co-host to a team of American counsellors who came from Abilene Christian University (ACU) Texas for a series of marriage seminars tagged: Purpose, Passion and Purity Conference 2005 hosted by RCCG Christ Church, Gbagada, Lagos and a NGO, The Educator Nigeria in June this year. They expressed their fears about coming to Nigeria. They shared that the reports about Nigeria from CNN, Nigerian films and the Internet did not encourage them to come but they chose to come defiling those reports; on their departure they had a different story to shared in fact they promised to come back next year with more people.
Another issue that speak evil of the Nigerian image is the way women are treated and portrayed in Nigerian films, even though the Americans have made sex an aspect of film aesthetics, the way women are showcased in Nollywood films leaves much to be desired. Onookome Okome commented on this in his paper- Onome: Ethnicity, Class, Gender published in the book: Nigerian Video Film edited by Jonathan Haynes (1997). Scantily scalded ladies with seductive make-up and appeal adorn the poster and jacket of many films. As a matter of fact such form the popular content of many films4. Often the films would feature single girls who do not keep a single relationship but for fancy and greed would keep a school of lovers who furnishes their every need and whims, these ladies live life to the fullness on the bill of their boyfriends who soon discover their charm or juju and the many other men and as a result withdraw their patronage one after another leaving the girls with nothing. These ladies are usually prostitutes in the guise of working class ladies or socialites, and they are left with nothing. Usually the girls are portrayed as cruel, weird, stubborn and fun.
I should state at this juncture that I am not oblivious of the fact that these things happens in society but the films are supposed to preach against it and not glamorize it as the cool, fun way to live. Also I have heard the testimony of people lucky to have escape the clutches of ritual death via the “Otokoto” but I believe that film is as much about correcting vices in society as it is about reporting and documenting it. The latter is a function that the industry has not yet perfected and it is in doing it that they industry would reflect an appropriate image of Nigeria and inspire an aura of a peaceful stable, health and a coherent society to live in.


END NOTES
1 Amaka Igwe-Isaac, Tunde Kelani are some of the Nigerian filmmakers who make films in
Celluloid as well as in digital video.

2 Nigerian films feature stories that deal with events that happen in Nigerian.

3 Agatha Amata is the producer of Inside Out, an interactive TV talk show which is
currently running on many TV stations around the country.

4 Films with morbid and lewd contents are not uncommon in the Nigerian film industry.