Nollywood

One interesting aspect of modern Nigeria is its large film culture, which is the third most valuable in the world behind India and the United States. Colloquially called Nollywood, film represents an important part of modern Nigerian culture and economy. Film has a long history in Nigeria, dating back to colonial times. The production of film greatly increased following oil booms in the 1970's, with lots of films being produced and shown in theaters. However, many of the movie theaters declined in the 80s, but there was a large boom in home video films. Marked by some by the 1992 film Living in Bondage, the home video market was huge, with thousands of films produced a year. Most of the films, however, were made on shoestring budgets and were of questionable quality. In more recent years, there has been a resurgence of larger productions in recent years, and the Nigerian film industry continues to thrive.

I find this aspect of Nigerian culture interesting for several reasons. For one, I think many Westerners would not think that an African nation has such a larger and thriving film industry, which speaks to Western conceptions of Africa. It reminds me of the man who told Achebe that Africa doesn't have any of the literature stuff, as he would probably be even more surprised to learn about a thriving film industry.

Some aspects of Nollywood, both the term and the industry itself, are somewhat controversial. I found some critics of the term, saying that it is a Westernized view of Nigeria's film industry. This can be especially misleading given how different the Nigerian and American film industries are, with differences such as the lack of a similar studio system in Nigeria. Also, Nigerian film has come to dominate most of African film production. However, many other countries such as Ghana have developed their own cinema cultures. I think Nollywood is an interesting and important part of modern Nigerian culture.