Nollywood, Religion and Development in Nigeria
Abstract
The Nigerian film industry, popularly called Nollywood has been a source of pride since it officially took off in 1992 with the production of the first direct-to-video film, Living in Bondage. Religion, on the other hand, has become a topic of growing interest among scholars worldwide. However, in Nigeria, while Nollywood is peddling exaggerated stereotypes and one-sided accounts of its traditional religion and culture, thereby promoting the get rich quick life, many religious leaders intensify that same way of life by making the members believe that one can go to bed a pauper and wake up wealthy just by praying and sowing seeds. This article sought to interrogate the effects and consequences of Nollywood and Religion on Nigerian development. This article examined the neo-colonial mindset that makes Nollywood writers, producers and religious leaders magnify the ills in our society while glorifying the western life. Indeed, religion and Nollywood with the many followers, listeners and viewers can influence Nigeria and the diaspora positively in more ways than one. Through the multidisciplinary approach to historical interpretation, this article identified ways to regulate and promote development in Nigeria through religion and Nollywood.
Downloads
References
Adebayo, D. (2012). The Paradox of High Growth and High Poverty in Nigeria. Retrieved from Spines Blog Spot, available at https://thespinesblogspot.com/2012/paradox-of-high-growth-high-poverty.
Alagoa, E. J., & Derefaka, A. A. (2002). The Land and People of Rivers State: Eastern Niger Delta. Onyoma Research Research Publications.
Bame, K. N. (1991). Profiles in African traditional popular culture: Consensus and conflict: dance, drama, festival [s], and funerals. Clear-Type Press.
Belz, M. (2012, Feb 29). Targeted Christians. Retrieved from World Magazine, available at https://world.wng.org/2012/02/targeted_christians.
Cook, D. (2012). Boko Haram Escalates Attacks on Christians in Northern Nigeria. CTC Sentinel, 5(4).
Falola, T. (1998). Violence in Nigeria: The crisis of religious politics and secular ideologies. Rochester: University of Rochester Press.
Haruna, A. (2019, Jul 29). How Boko Haram killed 60 during funeral procession in Borno. Retrieved from Premium Times, available https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/343611-how-boko-haram-killed-60-during-funeral-procession-in-borno.html.
Haynes, J. (1995). Nigerian cinema: structural adjustments. Research in African Literatures, 26(3), 97-119.
Haynes, J., & Okome, O. (1998). Evolving popular media: Nigerian video films. Research in African literatures, 29(3), 106-128.
Husseini, S. H. & Sunday, O. A. (2019). From Nigeria Film Industry to Nollywood: Land-Marking the Growth of the New Wave Cinema. In Musa, B. A. (Eds), Nollywood in Glocal Perspective (p. 25-43). Palgrave Macmillan.
Kyeyune, S. (2012). Shaping the Society Christianity and Culture: Special Reference to African Culture of Baganda (Volume 2). Bloomington, IN: Author House
Mangut, J. & Wuam, T. (eds.) (2012). Colonialism and the Transition to Modernity in Africa. Ibadan: Sam-Adex Printers.
Mbiti, J. S. (1969). African Religions and Philosophy. London: Heinemann.
Moudio, R. (2013, May). Nigeria’s film industry: a potential gold mine? Retrieved from African Renewal Magazine, available from https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/may-2013/nigeria’s-film-industry-potential-gold-mine.
Odion, F. O. (2018). The Paradox of Nollywood: The Structural Intricacies and Cultural Significance of the World’s Fastest-Growing Film Industry. Flinders University.
Oh, E. (2014, Oct). Nigeria’s Film Industry: Nollywood Looks to Expand Globally. United States International Trade Commission (USITC). Available at https://www.usitc.gov/publications/332/erick_oh_nigerias_film_industry.pdf.
Ojoajogwu, O. N. (2014). Religion as a catalyst of nation-building in Nigeria. Net Journal of Social Sciences, 2 (2), 71-76.
Olarinwoye, A.W. (2013). The images of women in Yoruba folktales. International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 3(4), 138-149.
Olupona, J, K, (2014). African Religions: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press.
Omanufeme, S. (2016). Runaway Success: Nigeria’s film industry is taking off. Finance and Development, 53 (2), 31-32.
Onwuka, A. (2017, Oct 31). Nollywood is demonizing the Nigerian culture. Retrieved from Punch Nigeria, available at https://punchng.com/nollywood-is-demonising-the-nigerian-culture/.
PwC. (2017, Jul). Spotlight: The Nigerian Film Industry. Retrieved from PwC, available at https://www.pwc.com/ng/en/assets/pdf/spolight-the-nigerian-film-industry.pdf.
Quadri, Y. A. (2016). Religion in contemporary Nigeria. London: Adonis and Abbey Publishers.
Rodney, W. (1983). How Europe underdeveloped Africa and Neocolonialism: The Last Stage of Imperialism. London: Bogle-L'Ouverture Publications.
Sahara Reporters. (2014, Jun, 24). Nollywood Adds Two Million Jobs to Nigerian Economy In 20 Years. Retrieved from Sahara, available from http://saharareporters.com/2014/06/24/nollywood-adds-two-million-jobs-nigerian-economy-20-years.
Schnell, B. (2017). Stop comparing Nollywood to Hollywood: reorienting western understanding of Nigerian cinema. Eugene, OR: University of Oregon.
Shaka, F. O. (2003). Hinigeria's emergent video film industry. Black Renaissance/Renaissance Noire, 5(2), 51-66.
Shorter, A. (1973). African Culture and the Christian Church. London: Geoffrey Chapman.
Tamuno, T. N. (1991). Peace and Violence in Nigeria. Lagos: Federal Government Press.
Ugiomoh, F. A. O. et al. (eds.) (2017). Religion and the Bounds of Culture. Port Harcourt: Rock Publishers.
Uya, O. E. (2005). African Diaspora and the Black Experience in New World Slavery. Calabar: Clear Lines Publications.
Copyright (c) 2020 Prisca A Gobo, PhD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
