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NOLLYWOOD, CINEMA CULTURE AND TOURISM POTENTIAL OF THE MOVIE BUSINESS IN NIGERIA 2015, p.13-41

John Iwuh, Ph.D.

DYNAMICS OF CULTURE

AND TOURISM IN AFRICA Perspectives on Africa’s Development In the 21 st Century

Edited by

Kenneth C. Nwoko, Ph.D & Omon M. Osiki, PhD

Published by

Babcock University Press Illishan-Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria

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NOLLYWOOD, CINEMA CULTURE AND TOURISM POTENTIAL OF THE MOVIE BUSINESS IN NIGERIA John Iwuh, Ph.D. Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria. Introduction

Cinema as a public viewing experience brought with it a type of leisure and pastime, which became a “culture” among the western populace where moving picture was developed. That culture is strongly connected with the special apparatus for its projection such that public cinema culture has continued centuries after the development of the television and portable picture viewing devices for the homes. With colonialism, Nigeria immediately adopted this culture with steady development of cinema houses, screening pictures up to the 1980s when it lost its profitability. With Nollywood, the interest in movies rekindled but in the Home Video fashion, thus, losing the glamour, the socio-economic and tourism potential of public cinema culture. Silver Bird Cinemas saw the negative effects of st a nation without a cinema culture in the 21 century and began a re- launch of the culture as an aspect of tourism with opportunities in cinema business. This study examines the loss and the reintroduction of public cinema viewing culture by elite standard and its impact on motion picture industry in Nigeria.

The creation of any product is given value when all parameters for the marketing of such a product are given the required consumption space. Film as a recorded format for instance enjoys various consumption channels, such as Video cassette

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14 John Iwuh

players, CD/DVD players for domestic viewing, cloud viewing using computers, and finally in public places as cinema houses. Film in Nigeria is one such product that has witnessed acceptance at individual level since its resurgence through home video, but it is yet to regain the group or collective viewing consciousness, which was active until the 1980s. Group viewing consciousness refers to the self- conscious desire to join other people in a film entertainment. It is a leisure carried out by an individual, a couple, a family or group of friends in a public place known as cinema house. By this group experience factor, film viewing compares to festival or sport, with its own unique social group and learning benefits. Despite the fact that technology has developed facilities for home viewing, the cinema is designed for group or public viewing and no domestic viewing set up is yet to equal that of the cinema. In this case, film is just another platform for the expression of theatre.Nollywood! is the synonym for movies made in Nigeria. The

name sprang up in the early 1990 with a revolutionary force when Nigerians in the motion picture business discovered that their stories did not necessarily have to be recorded on celluloid grade in order to qualify as film. This development excited the public, and interest in the homemade stories grew. Lovers of movies in Nigeria quickly and proudly identified with the format because they could see themselves in it. Since then in Nigeria, film, a business long reserved for producers with huge budget for widescreen, became demystified. Criticism trailed the initial efforts almost immediately, especially in the areas of premature story, cinematography, and postproduction standard, while the multi-part approach did not meet the approval of critics. However, the new filmmakers were not deterred. This was hardly surprising since the mainstay of the emerging industry was

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Nollywood, Cinema Culture and Tourism Potential Movie Business 15

the enthusiastic public, which accorded Nollywood films special uniqueness and with pride, did not care to compare it with foreign films. For all they cared, the home videos could be the same with television drama. The difference was the cherished freedom to choose and play. A consumer could reach a video rental shop to pick up a copy of any film at will without programming himself or herself to one television station or the other. Before long, critical minds could not help but look up the ladder of progress as Nollywood began to receive international recognition. New names gradually emerged in the movie making art, not only to replace the old veterans like Hubert Ogunde, Ola Balogun, and Eddie Ugboma, but also to pursue the cinematic art with the spirit for international competition.

While investment in Nollywood grows with voracious patronage, the cinema going culture is yet to return in the lives of Nigerians. One of the reasons militating against the cinema culture is the immediate release of films into CDs for home viewing. This practice has adversely affected the fast return of the cinema viewing culture in major cities in Nigeria where countable cinema houses existed. Another reason for slow return of the cinema culture is the digitalization of the film art, and the direct opportunity to record ready films directly onto discs. This practice has misled filmmakers in Nigeria to ignore the temptation of immediate release of films into CDs without mandatory public viewing for at least months. This rush has reduced the potential gross earnings of the industry and the possible personal rewards of these films to their producers. The industry is yet to develop a united marketing policy to govern the control and the outflow of its films. The call for a definitive marketing approach has become exigent given the economic imperative, 1 particularly as Krings and Okome observe that

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16 John Iwuh

Nollywood penetration and consumption have assumed a “transnational dimension”, thereby ferrying the cultures of the people of Nigeria to global knowledge and appreciation.

Film provides one of the easiest and strongest tools for the propagation of culture. Culture may be diverse but man as a unit of the society is the carrier of culture and in him abides the understanding

2 and tools for culture accommodation and expression. Jerry Diller reveals that grappling with “cultural competence” is the solution to achieving cultural harmony. Thus, accepting the pitfalls of cultural diversity with brotherly understanding is the key to harnessing the gains of culture for “cross-cultural service delivery”. Diller’s advice and cultural principles stand as a perfect recipe for a culturally diverse country like Nigeria. Without doubt, Nollywood film as a consumable item has pursued a mega-cultural service delivery, providing cultural information tailored to specific population from a micro-level since it speaks to an individual, a group and subsequently, a nation, and beyond its boundaries.

With Reference to Silver Bird Cinemas and a few others, one might argue that the cinema houses or exhibition centres, which were forced to close up in the 1980s due to hash economic conditions, are just gradually beginning to develop again. However, they lost so much ground because a substantial number of the aforementioned cinema houses of the 1980s were bought over by Pentecostal churches. By the 1980s, economic hardship had set in, cottage industries found it hard to cope, and Pentecostalism and its opium came in vogue to become more attractive than the desire to reengineer ailing industries. The church, as the new industry and money machine, began to acquire the spaces of these small and privately owned businesses, and also succeeded in maintaining hold over them ever since. For example, but for 7up Company, a soft

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Nollywood, Cinema Culture and Tourism Potential Movie Business 17

drink manufacturing giant company sustaining the industrial presence of Ikosi road around Oregun, Ikeja, a particular church has acquired what used to be the buildings for banks and construction service companies.

However, Nollywood has become a new window of opportunity in the last twenty years through which the bold and audacious creative minds have redirected their hopes for economic glory instead of the government establishments. Thus, in writing the history of Nollywood

3 [Nigerian film, industry and practice], Shaibu Husseini observes that not every piece of work would continue to retell the story of all those who started it. That suggests that more efforts should be geared toward upholding the tradition than name mentioning at every forum. If the efforts and focus of the Yoruba filmmakers are considered, particularly Hubert Ogunde, and some prominent Nigerian filmmakers in English like Edie Ugboma, Ola Balogun and the rest of the pioneers, then it would appear as if Nollywood filmmakers have chosen to answer the call of capitalist and socio-cultural influences than remaining overtly African in order to receive international attention. This, of course, could be an angle in the two schools of 4 thought in African cinema. In other words, observing African traditional values and promoting moral caution would not be the priority of today’s Nigerian filmmaker. For instance, today’s films have become more presumptuous in the area of lovemaking. Some of these films include titles like Room 27 (2013) where unfaithful husbands get outplayed by their wives, and Bold Five Babes (2013), where women with supernatural powers seduce men, sleep with them and convert them to telephone devices. These movies contain sex and nudity. Actors want the adventure of flaunting a good degree of their body anatomies, especially the female gender. For them, it is not necessarily the license to portray

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18 John Iwuh

reality and attract younger audience, but also to create controversy and call attention to themselves as their white counterparts do. In these Nollywood movies with modernist influence, little consideration is given to the different cultural backgrounds between Nigeria and the western world. To them, Nollywood is just an opportunity to give back to the world the admiration of the western lifestyles, which young Africans have long cherished as the expression of modern civilization. This appears as if the only way these artists and educated elite can claim to embrace modernity is simply mimicking western lifestyle in the most African way.

Culture and its Platforms

The definition of culture will continue to recur whenever history, tradition, religion, art, or technologies, which affect the way of life of a group is discussed. History takes people back to their origin, tradition is how people have sustained their worldview, and art is how they have expressed them, while technology supports the skills that fashions the tools for expression of arts and culture. Religion on the other hand has always been the compass for the moderation of morals guiding the activities in human society. As the Nigerian Cultural 5 Policy defines it:

Culture is the totality of the way of life evolved by a people in their attempts to meet the challenges of living in their environment, which give order and meaning to their social, political, economic, aesthetic and religious norms and modes of organization thus distinguishing a people from their neighbours.

The cultural policy document shows that the components of culture are so diverse that there is hardly any aspect of a people’s achievement resulting from their creative endowment, which could be dissociated from culture. Thus, “culture” is synonymous with

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Nollywood, Cinema Culture and Tourism Potential Movie Business 19

6 “development”, if critical attention is given to it. It is the basis of discipline, social and psychological makeup, which in turn drives their self-esteem as a people, and commands economic reward for industry. Mohammed, a former minister of culture may have spoken eloquently about Nollywood as a major sector of the culture ministry when he observed that culture contributes significantly to job and wealth creation, and poverty alleviation if the resources are effectively mobilized. He also believes that proper harnessing of the cultural 7 sector can be a credible alternative to crude oil. But there are many platforms for the propagation of culture, and these platforms have not received the required attentions by the government. In summary , cultural stakeholders agree that:

There is dire need to reposition tourism and culture as a key sector for economic growth and development and to re-orientate the citizenry to build and orderly, responsible and disciplined society where core values of respect for elders, humility, hard-work, honesty, patriotism, 8 democratic principles and ideals are upheld.

Without doubt, Nollywood has accomplished this great task given the broad themes of its many titles. Human attitude essentially is what determines culture and the people’s degree of behavioural response with the dynamics of culture for the wellbeing of its people. Clearly, “culture in all its ramifications is essentially man- made. It is a socially acquired phenomenon, which is intrinsically value laden,

9 adaptive and highly sensitive to the environment, which it evolves.” This simple statement can be illustrated with an endemic act which one culture condones and a similar act, which another culture finds objectionable. For instance, a Nigerian of discerning mind would experience nothing but culture shock on crossing border into another country, e.g. Ghana, to notice a

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20 John Iwuh

staggering difference between the habits of both peoples. It may not be obvious that some “unconscious” acts could easily portray a nation in bad light. An attitude that becomes a habit progresses to become a people’s way of life. Thus, a “culture” does not always refer to a people’s art; it could also include habits that project peoples’ negative conducts to an epidemic proportion. For example, it is a common sight across cities in Nigeria to see people drink a bottle of water or soft drink and quickly drop the empty bottles on the roadside, or sometimes, fling them out through the window of a moving vehicle. Such a horrifying sight, as ignominious as it is, evokes little or no revulsion in the common senses of most Nigerians. No wonder then the National Institute for Cultural Orientation was established in order to create the awareness to existing unhealthy and unethical practices, and redirect the consciousness of Nigerians to their impacts on daily national life and productivity.

The cultural sector comprises the several parastatals bearing the emblems of art, culture and tourism. The Nigerian Cultural Policy of

1998 lists the following as the parastatals under the culture ministry: National Commission for Museums and Monuments, National Council for Arts and Culture, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, National Gallery for Arts, National Institute for Cultural Orientation, National Troupe and National Theatre of Nigeria, National Film Corporation, and National Copyright Commission. One common factor is the poor budgetary allocation to the ministry in charge of culture. From the above, it is clear that the expanse and weight of the culture ministry is enormous. However, the government has viewed with myopic lenses the degree of funding required to meet the objectives of the various parastatals under culture.

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Nollywood, Cinema Culture and Tourism Potential Movie Business 21

Culture managers have been blamed for improper development and propagation of culture and tourism but indeed, words can hardly describe the pains of Nigerian culture vultures each time a critic or a culture sector worker bemoans the neglect prevalent in that sector of the economy, particularly inadequate funding. In 2001, “the Water Ministry (sic) got N54 billion as annual appropriation, the entire Culture Ministry (sic), with ten parastatals got a meager one 10 billion”. The view of successive governments to starve the ministry of funds is predicated on the belief that the culture ministry is nothing but a drain to the national purse rather than generate revenue. By this comparison, government merely compares the culture and the creative enterprise to the oil sector. Culture experts have decried this deliberate shortsightedness on the part of government without much improvement. However, the $200m entertainment industry fund is a major recognition toward reversing the long years of neglect. Given the impact of film on culture and tourism promotion, it would not be out of place for the government to build one standard cinema hall in every local government. After all, these localities are most affected by lack of infrastructure. In the absence of film exhibition facilities being available to the local populace, it would be impossible to promote a healthy cinema culture.

Cinema Culture and the Film Business in Nigeria

Since the 1980s, and perhaps, up to 2004 when Silverbird Cinemas engaged in cinema business, Nigerians may have been the most cinema-starved people in the world. This is viewed from the background that before 1980 there were over forty cinema houses in Lagos State alone, a history that dates back to the colonial era. In fact, cinema had become a major means of entertainment, and Lagosians 11 already had a vibrant cinema culture by 1960. Post-

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22 John Iwuh

independence youths of ’70s and ’80s in Lagos would remember cinema houses in Lagos Island, Yaba, Ebute Meta, Oshodi, Mushin, Agege, Ajegunle and Surulere. Popular and unforgettable among these cinema houses were Rex, Regal and Royal Cinemas. The following also come to mind: Capitol, Odeon, Central, Rex, Rialto, Casino, Roxy, Idera, Plaza, Sheila, Oregon, Sheila, Rainbow, Glover and Corona cinemas. Cinemas culture as a veritable pastime, was given a populist national recognition with the addition of two cinema halls at the completion of the National Arts Theatre, Iganmu as a testimony to the vibrant cinema culture in Lagos. No doubt, cinema also added to the attraction of urban Lagos. As population increased, demand for cinema entertainment increased and available cinema houses were put

12 under pressure. During this period, Indian and Chinese movies were shown among the low-income class since they were cheaper and attracted appreciable viewership. To restore this old tradition therefore, would need huge investment in the sector. As it is, it would appear that the current investment in cinemas is yet to target these once flourishing cinema locations.

Cinema has one attraction; it is a leisure product that is consumed with ease. It is also one of the easiest means of education, information, and cultural exchange available apart from reading. It was and still remains an invaluable avenue for many who are not as educated to read books, and yet want to learn about people from other cultures. This attribute made it possible for youths of the ’70s to be familiar with American, Indian and Chinese names, cultures and religions. Although American names like James Bond, Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts remain ever familiar for their consistency, Chinese names like Bruce Lee, Wang Yu and Jackie Chan were popular heroes of the Chinese movie while the practice of Kung Fu martial art had many training centres in Nigeria.

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Nollywood, Cinema Culture and Tourism Potential Movie Business 23

Dhamendra, Amitab Bachchan and Shashi Kapur were popular heroes of the Indian film brand. This was virtual tourism, and the cinema was the only avenue for this form of tourist experience without leaving Nigeria. Today, Nollywood has created that balance not only for Nigerians who have limited idea of Nigeria but for people of other countries.

Thus, the advantages of cinema culture are numerous to the individual, family and nation. There are at least four possible gains as follows:1!. It leads to faster assimilation of a story: Unlike the print, the cinema is an entertainment bundle that presents in less than two hours, what would take a reader days or weeks to exhaust. Films are delivered in simple dialogues and beautiful scenery; every action is seen in real time and conflict building and resolution are carried out via entertaining acts. This makes information and education empowerment very easy through the film.

2. Encourages family harmony: The family unit is one that requires planned leisure to enhance bonding. The behavioural sciences have shown that collective exercises like picnics, holidaying, and cinema outings greatly improve family harmony. Evidently, “during the recession, the creative economy continued to thrive, as people depended on cinema and museums, music, videos and TV shows and

13 video games to get some psychological support”.

3. Easier and faster direct learning and action: Cinema contributes a great deal to learning. Before video/VCD/DVD players became affordable items to Nigerians, cinemas were means through which youths learned new fashion, slangs, certain exercises and sporting skills especially martial arts. Cinema engages social change, and like

14 applied theatre, group participation endorses common ethos.

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24 John Iwuh

4. Interest group socialization and networking: People with common interests share video materials of common interest either for knowledge or pleasure. Film enthusiasts from different parts of the world often engaged in exchange of films via mails until the era of video downloading. For this reasons, reviving the cinema culture through active investment is a task that should be embraced to succeed.

Recent corporate investors in Nollywood infrastructure found it incredulous that a country the size of Nigeria, with a thriving film industry remains underserviced with public viewing centres per million people of its population. Accordingly:

It is unbelievable that a country of more than 170 million people currently has less than 60 modern screens in multiplexes located in five cities, namely Abuja -15, Lagos – 17, Port Harcourt – 14, Enugu

– 5, Uyo – 5. This when compared with India, is one of the lowest in the film market, with India having over 13,000 screens translating to 15 12 screens per million people.

Thus, economically and socially, Nigeria misses all the advantages of cinema exhibition. It also goes to say that if the movie industry in Nigeria were to depend on public cinema exhibition, it would have gone moribund soon after it started. Crucial to corporate interest is that:

Nigerian film industry has literally upstaged the global movie world through its innovation, imaginativeness and prolific performance, resulting in revenue receipts of about $300m to $800million per annum in revenue earnings in recent years with over 2,000 titles in 16 Nigeria’s three major languages since 2008.

The implication is that the revenue would triple if investors take full advantage of the full potentials in distribution and exhibition. This

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Nollywood, Cinema Culture and Tourism Potential Movie Business 25

assumption is predicated on the premise that the Nigerian Export Import Bank, NEXIM, maintains its support for Nollywood in the areas of distribution infrastructure/platforms and the establishment of new digital production studio to the value of “N778.5m, with 17 applications for over N26b still being processed”. However, it is hoped that considerable allocation would be given to the establishment of cinema venues, especially toward the rural population and low- income areas of the cities.

Through the efforts of Silverbird Cinemas, and the efforts of NEXIM, film culture is gradually returning to Nigeria, but the consciousness is still rather elitist. It is observed that most of the Silverbird cinemas and their ultra modern viewing screens are located at the highbrow areas of the city not only to attract premium charge but also a “decent” audience. The selective focus left out the residents of suburban cities, an area which the Indians found lucrative. The Indians in the ’70s and ’80s took advantage of the high suburban population to exhibit films at low fees but attracted high turnout. With the absence of cinemas at the suburbs and proximity to low-income residents, which really hold the population, the tradition of home viewing became deeply rooted among Nigerians so much that only a concerted effort is required to change the present mindset.

Nollywood, Virtual Tourism and Culture Assimilation

Tourism refers to visits or visitations. It has long remained within the purview of “pleasure” since it is a personal decision to see, learn and share the creativity or natural endowment of other cultures. The term tourism of course has widened; it can no longer be restricted to physical visitation and site seeing. With the Internet, websites now host personalities and conferences, and have become the highest repositories of information in audio and video formats with

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26 John Iwuh

interactive designs, where people visit at will for everything other than pleasure. It has become a virtual tool for different kinds of social organization.

Tourism interests include all aspects of the gifts of nature, landforms and water resources, including places of historic importance, which have been developed into local and international attractions. Tourism is determined by economic, social and cultural factors, but majorly expressed through skills in art, music and social organization, an interest that has led to the phrase “cultural tourism”, which itself is broad. The energy dissipated through cultural advocacy is premised on the capacity of the culture sector to attract patronage through the improved utilization of the products of the creative industry, especially as may be driven by improved domestic and international tourism which results in the actualization of the much-touted capacity of the culture/tourism sector to generate alternative revenue for the 18 nation as Ben-Iheanacho observed.

Even though tourism is designed for pleasure, tourist activity is not a time wasting and aimless adventure; it is a search for intense experience beyond the familiar. Cultural tourism then, is about difference, newness, and rarity in a cultural product exotically packaged to attract someone culturally different from ours. The “cultural space” of any nation embraces the tangible and intangible creative endowments of its cultural sector. If a tourist does not have the promise of a strong intrinsic or aesthetic experience, it would be a wasted effort to expend the energy and resources involved in a cross- border venture in search of cultural experience. Therefore, the yearnings of tourism experience are sustained by the foreigner’s perception of particular cultural practices, as exotic, being different 19 from what they (the tourists) are used to.

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Nollywood, Cinema Culture and Tourism Potential Movie Business 27

Nigeria has performed relatively well in cultural tourism in recent times. When viewed from tourist arrivals, the UNWTO ranks the

th growth of Nigeria’s cultural sector 13 fastest growing among other developing nations. Among the sites with strong internet presence for international access are the Obudu Cattle Ranch in Cross River State and her TINAPA Resort. Before their emergence, performance had for generations contributed a great deal to tourism through cultural engagements and state festivals. Festivals are expressions of Nigeria’s cultural heritage, exposing the peoples’ way of life through displays and indigenous creativity. Through these performances, costumes, and embellished artifacts like decorative ornaments made from local solid minerals are used to give meaning to performative activities. Popular among these festivals traversing the length and breadth of Nigeria are: The Abuja Carnival, Calabar Carnival, Osun Oshogbo Festival, Argungu Fishing Festival, Eyo Masquerade, Ojude Oba Festival and many more. While visitors must visit these performances in their cultural settings, films have been able to capture them and many other artistic creations for export. Thus, from that point, virtual tourism takes over for many who cannot visit Nigeria to experience these events in their natural settings.

Film has led to exchange and collaboration of ideas without necessarily maintaining physical contact. Topics that attract and repel exist in films, such that trigger reactions to changing demographics,

20 owing to fear and pain brought about by “cultural competence”. This phrase can be explained as the extreme self- consciousness toward our origins, environments and actions, especially negative actions by people different from us, as exemplified in ethnicity, racism or prejudice.

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28 John Iwuh

I think the ability of film to reach other parts of the world and educate its viewers about the cultures hitherto unknown to them, or vice versa, makes it a virtual tourist. Through the internet, and other outlets, Nigerian films are consumed; Nollywood therefore, contributes to cultural exports and arrivals in various ways. So far, Nollywood films in most part:

Provide foreigners the platform to discuss the Nigerian state, its people and creativity. !

Create consciousness and the desire to visit the country and the sites where these products are created. !

Improve the image of the country, correct wrongly held perceptions, and thus, rebrand and vice versa. !

Encourage cultural exchange; open up opportunities for collaborations with other countries for creative, technical or economic benefits. For instance, the fast development of movie industry has led to several of such collaborations between Nollywood stakeholders and their counterparts in the United States, South Africa and other countries. !

Have performed well from the economic point of view, being an industry that started from nothing to one that has been grossing well over $300m by 2005. !

Have provided many Nollywood stars the platform to become the faces or ambassadors of many companies and their products, thereby increasing their earning power. Top Nollywood actors earn between N45m to N80m annually between films and corporate endorsements. Some of them like Kate Henshaw, Genevieve Nnaji, Omotola Jalade- Ekeinde and Uche Jumbo are within this bracket. Before Nollywood and the internet, no Nigerian actor had such presence and wealth. !

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Nollywood, Cinema Culture and Tourism Potential Movie Business 29

There is no better way to illustrate virtual tourism than Krings and Okome’s Global Nollywood (2013) where critics from across the world discussed the trans-nationality of the Nigerian film industry. 21 From the point of view of “transportability” or as a “visual

22 culture”, Nollywood films have traversed the world of Europe, Americas and the Middle East with brazing force, conquering the African continent, and capturing the interest of the black diaspora. As 23 Krings and Okome observe, “Nollywood stirs the imagination, provoking its viewers to compare their own daily lives with what is presented on-screen... it has served as a model of film production and inspired the growth of local film industry in east and southern Africa. Thus, other African countries have discovered that they did not have to wait anymore for the big screen to project their forms of tradition even if these cultures are “frightening and contemptuous”, but, in a manner that takes along unavoidable aspects of modernity.” In all, Nollywood has not only projected its culture, but has created affinity between similar cultures in diaspora. One might say in effect, that it has tackled a wide range of misunderstood aspects of Nigerian traditions with cultural pride and self-esteem. For instance, the notions of beauty between the fat and slim figures as converse interests between African and Western values have been boldly projected and accepted.

Nollywood has become the unit of Nigeria’s artistic melting pot from filmic ‘auteuristic’ perspective. It projects both personal and subjective sensibilities, exploring both structured and improvisational creativeness to evolve, advance and impose an acceptable standard of film taste of high economic value through a sub-format in filmmaking tradition. Nollywood’s great leap with its own characteristic exploration of Nigerian cultural diversity sandwiched through the international arena to upset the hierarchy of

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30 John Iwuh

global film rating. Many Nollywood recent films such as Kunle Afolayan’s Figurine constantly rearticulate with vivid narratives, the Nigerian culture of superstition with recurring motifs from the mythical depth of a meta-culture. Through Nollywood, The

24 Figurine once again takes from the abundant Yoruba folkloric tradition of narratives with a daring departure to score an international credit.

Virtual tourism through film has its pros and cons. For traveling across boundaries, various levels of affectation results emotionally, socially and psychologically. Culturally affective responses refer to those issues, which the diaspora identifies with in such a way as to evoke the filial energy of the spectator in search of cultural root, participation and re-attachment. With reference to Animasaun’s

25 NoStra Theory from psychosocial perspective in particular, it is safe to agree that physical appearance of some African movie stars evoke such energies. There is no doubt that majority of spectators are not intellectually empowered to query performance beyond entertainment value, thus, the wherewithal of the actor regarding level of wealth or penury, physical endowment; glamour or drab disposition, propels such provocations on such viewers.

Nollywood and Anti-Commercial Tendencies

Nollywood filmmakers must see beyond break-even points. This is because the producer’s gains span through months, and sometimes years after the release of a movie. Too many reasons account for this; one of them is thematic preoccupation for timeless appeal. While the theme of loves may be tempting for screenwriters, the political gyre of a nation never takes the back stage. This is where Nollywood artistes need stocktaking between pennyworth volume and international box office titles. Thus:

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Nollywood, Cinema Culture and Tourism Potential Movie Business 31

While the industry has grown exponentially in the last ten years and soared above Hollywood in terms of number of films produced, it is far behind Western countries in terms of box office revenue, as most of the movies are straight-to-DVD or CD – depending on quality – 26 and sold for US$1-2.

At the heart of film business for a private investor is the profit motive. Often, such an investor goes for themes and titles that would attract the audience. At a time in east and southern Africa, revolutionary spirit was high. In East Africa, it was the Mau-Mau movement against white supremacists while in South Africa; it was movement against apartheid. As unfriendly as revolutions could be for the authorities, the films were usually box office hits because that was what the audience desired to see. That is, the courage of those who have confronted the

27 white supremacists against their pains. Haynes recalls Jean-Pierre Bekolo’s films about Congo’s Patrice Lumumba and Burkina Faso’s Thomas Sankara, which revealed that revolutionary ideals were at the yearnings of the country’s youth population. On the other hand, Nigerians have focused more on commercial interest in the areas of religious hypocrisy, exotic lifestyles bothering around fame and fortune and their influence on relationships and domestic upsets than vicious attacks on politics or politically motivated religious tensions. The reason according to Haynes is probably because of “the country’s 28 29 confessional tensions”. This view supports Okome’s position that “the Nigerian filmmaker fights shy of his political self, thereby renouncing the medium’s potency as a vehicle for national growth and cohesion”. When they do, the issues are familiar but distanced from contemporary realities because often, the audience is denied of the desired psychological fulfillment. He recalls with specific

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32 John Iwuh

examples, Ola Balogun’s Ija Ominira (1977) and Cry Freedom (1981). In particular, Okome observes:

Although Cry Freedom is directly and even didactically political, it is unspecific in the deployment of its political landscape, so that the fight to oust colonialism, its major theme, is not situated within a recognisable Nigerian struggle for economic and political emancipation. To this end, it has not made a recognizable impression on the local population, who in any case were looking for more action 30 and battle scenes in a war movie.

These films are in direct contrast to Soyinka’s Blues for a Prodigal (1984), which did not shield its attack on the government of the day for being extremely profligate while “sectionalism was rampant, corruption became the order of the day, nepotism took centre stage and the acquisition of political power became a matter of regional...”

31 preference. The reason for the copious quote is that the political landscape has not changed just as the filmmakers have continued to turn a blind eye even though patronage has remained strong for Nollywood films. It is not as if the screenwriters are less perturbed about the unfair political climate; rather, “economic ambition” is the 32 reason for the “political apathy.”

Clearly, Nigerian filmmakers have avoided politically tensed stories for those that tend to portray moral abuses. It is perhaps, in order to escape censorship or avoid outright ban. Thus, fictitious landscapes deeply masked in premature symbolic allusions dominate Nollywood movies, which attempt political expression to otherwise serious contemporary political occurrences. However, where Nigerian filmmakers abroad have shown courage to do so, the local authority machinery has scuttled it. One case combining both issues is the Chimamanda Adichie’s Half of Yellow Sun (2014), which was held by the Nigerian Censor’s Board for about three months before

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Nollywood, Cinema Culture and Tourism Potential Movie Business 33

it was given clearance for viewing in Nigeria. In the end, only a few amorous scenes were removed. The truth is that governmental agencies have remained cautious about the issues of the Nigerian Civil War, and using agency like the Nigerian Films & Video Censor’s Board, it has been effective in maintaining watch and stemming any boldness to indict any political office holder dead or alive, particularly with regards to genocide using such a powerful tool as film. It is yet to be seen if Bridget John’s Adora (2013), which won the African Oscars in the USA would be subjected to such intense censorship when it is due for screening in Nigeria.

The sum total of Okome’s twenty-year-old view which still remains relevant is that unless Nigerian political films are written and directed with clearly recognizable images like Soyinka’s Blues ... Ladi Ladebo’s Vendor , Ugboma’s Rise and Fall of Dr Oyenusi (1976), The Mask (1979), Oil Boom (1980), Bolus 80 (1982), and Death of a Black President (1983), Nigerian films purported to be political cannot be said to be making any concrete political statement capable of addressing any issue of oppression, marginalization, corruption or general maladministration. These were very popular films in the 1980s, particularly among university students who saw these films as complimenting their objections and vociferous reactions to the profligacy of the governments of the time.

Recent developments have shown that Nollywood screenwriters are beginning to scan broadly, in order to abandon the limited and narrow vision of the thematic content of the stories of our movies. Adopting marketing strategies that understand consumption patterns will also generate the kind of interest required to attract the attention of consortiums, and with it, mega funding will come to erase the long- standing impediment to better quality films. However, there are other ways Nollywood screenwriters can

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34 John Iwuh

widen the thematic scope with unusual local content to improve on the genre and quality of films for better cinema culture. For instance, other than the beautiful faces of young executives of white-collar job category struggling with predictable romances, a more rustic view of how local enterprises based in the rural areas can become admirable life-changing choices. This attempt started well with Afolayan’s

33 Phone Swap using the tailoring business. Others are yet to see the contribution of such skills that abound in the countryside.

The cultural enterprises here referred include weaving, carving and bronze casting. There are many ways that modernity has killed rural talents in dancing, singing and craft making. These rural mainstays are being impeded by “bush burning, logging, road and industrial constructions, emigration, rural and urban drift, western education,

34 language barrier, technology and contemporary views.” Oamen notes that pottery, mat and cloth weaving, and ironwork have become rare sights as modern day employers of labour. These exploiters of traditional craft and other cultural materials have been relegated to the background. They now depend largely on the goodwill of their wards and relatives engaged in white-collar jobs for sustenance. Films have portrayed ugly scenarios where families have abandoned simple but humble means of livelihood to rely on their siblings who have broken through into the highly priced cartel of global sex economy for sustenance as exemplified by films like Glamour Girls 1 & 2 (1994 & 1996).

Screenwriters should pay less attention to the flamboyant love of city life and inheritance or what Paul Ugor calls “the commoditization of desire” despite the fact that such films have made serious revelations of immense magnitude. For instance, Glamour Girls 2:

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Nollywood, Cinema Culture and Tourism Potential Movie Business 35

Actually uncovers the invisible and dark undersides of a seemingly pleasant worldwide subculture in which young women have become crucial pawns in an emerging economy of desire... it not only unveiled the complex systems of forces associated with the new specter of sexual exploitation of innocent women that had begun to take shape in the late twentieth century, but also unraveled the rude realities of violence, trauma, exploitation, dehumanization, remorselessness, and even racism associated with this new phenomenon and demonstrated how all of these dynamics intersect with a new but asymmetrical global economic and social order that intensifies privileges and hope in one place (North) and chronic scarcity and hopelessness in another 35 (the South).

Nollywood needs to break out of this circle and become more adventurous if it must attract capacity crowd for the expanding cinema houses, continue to dominate the African filmography space and break through the international box offices of Europe and America.

Conclusion

The biggest impediment to Nigeria’s cultural tourism development is her inability to harness her cultural heritage in their naturally endowed sites (Osun Oshogbo, Argungu Fishing Festival etc). There are little or no strategic investments by most state governments in Nigeria to exploit these gifts in modern terms as has been done by Cross River State government through TINAPA, or the initiative to expand existing traditional festivals, which it pioneered through the Calabar Carnival. In line with that, only Lagos State government has followed suit with EKOFEST , while Delta State also has an ambitious plan for its cultural sector. Out of 36 states, the effort of

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36 John Iwuh

the Ogun State government must be appreciated for installing an elevator to propel visitors to the top of Olumo rock. It may be argued without doubt that the experience of manually climbing the rock is part of the expected experience. However, at the national level, there seems to be some reluctance or perhaps fear to give our traditional festivals and cultural sites a modern outlook. First, there is really no reason why relaxation resorts in Nigeria should not have at least one international cinema hall to cater for visitors who patronize such resort centres.

With film, Nigeria has made inroad and great incursion into the minds of the international audience, and could be said to be one of the most visible tools empowering the Nigerian artists in the performing arts and its technology. Film is a strong tool for virtual tourism and the industry presents endless opportunities for administrators of creative industries. A lot of investment is required in the area of cinema exhibition facilities for the benefit of the populace and the industry. The cultural organs of the government should adopt a more inventive method to open up and market the hidden attractions of the creative industry using the rich historical experiences surrounding the peculiar founding of a museum and its content or other tourism sectors. For instance, creativity in the age of technology, the complex architectural structure, the rich and the scientific arrangement of the exotic collection of its diverse artifacts is prompting the British Museum to be modernized in a video game titled Mindcraft , which has been sold

th to 20 Century Fox for $2.5b. This is one step ahead in museum, culture and tourism management. What this means is that the collection of the British Museum can be surfed virtually after a purchase of each unit of the game. The idea is to pre-sell the museum to those who do not have the opportunity to visit it, while challenging their appetite to visit the complex

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Nollywood, Cinema Culture and Tourism Potential Movie Business 37

physically in the future to match the virtual experience with reality. There is no doubt that some of the artifacts in the British Museum that will feature in the video game are of African origin. Without doubt, Nigerian arts, especially those of the Binis, which were forcefully taken away, will feature in the British initiative. However, the story for the British may reflect nothing but exploits, and unrivalled gallantry of the team sent by Her Imperial Majesty, the Queen of England.

The museum of every country is unique; the British have only set the example. Nigeria and indeed other African countries can follow. Nollywood as an industry that comprises small-scale entrepreneurs has been self-made with little credit to government. Other culture players in the tourism industry have not been that lucky. Until the government apparatus in charge of culture administration in Nigeria ceases to see culture from the limited perspective of traditional music and dance, it will be difficult to release the kind of fund required to consolidate on the structures necessary to embrace the yawning opportunities in the creative industry for the benefit of world-class tourism.

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38 John Iwuh

Endnotes

1 Mathias Krings and Onookome Okome, (2013) “Nollywood and its Diaspora: An Introduction”, in Mathias Krings and Onookome Okome eds, Global Nollywood: The Transnational Dimensions of an African Video Film Industry (Bloomington: Indiana University Press), p. 1. 2 Jerry V. Diller, (2004) Cultural Diversity: A Primer for the Human Services. (Belmont, CA: Book/Cole), pp. 23-26. 3 Shuibu Husseini, (2010) Moviedom...Nollywood Narratives: Clips on the

Pioneers , (Lagos: African Film Academy).

4 Femi O. Shaka, (2004) Modernity and the African Cinema: A Study in Colonialist Discourse, Postcoloniality, and Modern African Identity 5 (New Jersey: African World Press), p.39.!The Nigerian Cultural

6 Ahmed Yerima, (2011) “Culture and Development”, in Olu Obafemi and Ahmed Yerima, eds, Cultural Studies: Theories, 7 Concepts and Practice. (Bukuru: National Institute), pp. 30-36. ! Abubakar, S. Mohammed, (2011)“Forward”, in Olu Obafemi and Barclays Ayakoroma, eds, Perspectives on Cultural Administration in Nigeria , (Ibadan: Kraft Books), pp. 8-11.

8 9 Ibid, p. 10. !Emmanuel S. Dandaura, (2011) “Introduction”, in Olu

Obafemi

and Barclays Ayakoroma, eds, Perspectives on Cultural Administration in Nigeria (Ibadan: Kraft Books), p. 15.

10 Olu Obafemi, (2011)"Nigerian Culture: An Overview", in Olu Obafemi and Barclays Ayakoroma, eds, Perspectives on Cultural Administration in Nigeria (Ibadan: Kraft Books), p. 32.

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11 Augustine-Ufua Ehahora,(1998) Film Maker and Film Making in Nigeria: Problems and Prospects (Lagos: African Media Preview), p. 101.

12 Ayodeji Olukoju,(1994) "Population Pressure, Housing and Sanitation in Metropolitan Lagos: c.1900-1939", in Kunle Lawal, ed , Urban Transition in Africa: Aspects of Urbanization and Change in Lagos. Pp.34-49. (Lagos: Pumak), p. 35.

Nollywood, Cinema Culture and Tourism Potential Movie Business 39

13 Roberts Orya, (2013)“That they may be One: Towards a Greater Synergy Between Nexim and the Creative Industry”, July 14, http://www.premiumtimesng.com , (accessed October 1, 2014). 14 Steve, O. Abah, (2010)"Theatre and Social Change: The Transformational Strategies of Participatory Theatre in Arica", in Samu S. Dandaura and Abdulrasheed Adeoye, eds , Culture, Identity and Leadership in Nigeria , (Ibadan: Kraft), p. 189. 15 Roberts Orya, http://www.premiumtimesng.com , (accessed 16 17 October 1, 2014).! Ibid.! Ibid.

18 Elizabeth O. Ben-Iheanacho, (2011) "Cultural Tourism and the Nigerian Economy: Synergy for Improved Creative Industry Products Consumption", in Olu Obafemi and Barclays Ayakoroma, eds , Perspectives on Cultural Administration in Nigeria , (Ibadan: Kraft Books), p. 37. 19 Ibid, p. 38. 20 Jerry V. Diller, P. 23-26. 21 Jyoti Misty and Jordache A. Ellapen, (2013)"Nollywoods Transportability: The Politics and Economics of Video Films as Cultural Products", in Mathias Krings and Onookome Okome, eds, Global Nollywood: The Transnational Dimensions of an African Video Film Industry . (Bloomington: Indiana University Press), p. 46.

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22 Brian Larking, (2008) Signal and Noise: Media, Infrastructure,

and Urban Culture in Nigeria, (Durham, N.C.: Duke University 23 Press), p. 173. Note: as used in Misty and Ellapen 2013, 46).! Mathias Krings and Onookome Okome, (2013) “Nollywood and its Diaspora: An Introduction”, in Mathias Krings and Onookome Okome, eds, Global Nollywood: The Transnational Dimensions of an African Video Film Industry , (Bloomington: Indiana University Press), p. 2- 3.

24 Adeshina Afolayan, (2014) Auteuring Nollywood: Critical Perspectives on the Figurine, (Ibadan: University Press, 2014). Reference is intensely linked to Folabi Jimoh’s view on the “torn” or split image or

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40 John Iwuh

personality (pp.74-104), and Ayo Adeduntan’s discourse on the interplay between realism and the supernational (pp.105-117), which Chukwuma dismisses to be anti-reality, because the film contradicts modernist constructivist reasoning from its animist perspective. Okoye observes that “the film takes us to the life of things inanimate and the tendency of these inanimate beings to form as well as influence the way we comprehend and experience our material world” (p125 of 118-134).

25 Kayode Animasaun, (2011) NOSRA Theory on Gazetting and

Analysis of Nollywood Movies, (Ibadan: Kraft Books). pp. 105-118.

26 “Adora Wins African Oscars in USA”, September 19, 2014. http:// www.vanguardngr.com , (accessed October 2, 2014).

27 Jonathan Haynes,(1995) "Film in Francophone West Africa: A Sketch", in Onookome Okome and Jonathan Haynes, eds, Cinema and Social Change in West Africa (Jos: Nigerian Film Corporation), p. 116.

28 29 Ibid, p. 77.! Onookome Okome, (1995) "Cinema and Social Change in Nigeria: The Political Imperative", in Onookome Okome and Jonathan Haynes, eds, Cinema and Social Change in West Africa . 30 31 32 (Ibadan: Concept Books), p.122.! Ibid, p.124.! Ibid, p.130.! Jyoti Misty and Jordache A. Ellapen, (2013)"Nollywoods Transportability: The Politics and Economics of Video Films as Cultural Products", in Mathias Krings and Onookome Okome, eds, Global Nollywood: The Transnational Dimensions of an African Video Film 33 Industry. (Bloomington: Indiana University Press). p.65.! John Iwuh, (2013)"Quality Assurance: Confronting the Odds in Nollywood Films", in Nigerian Theatre Journal , vol.13, no. 1, Maiduguri: SONTA, p.39.

34 David O. Oamen, (2013)"Prospects and Impediments of Benin Cultural Products Marketing", in Marketing Contemporary Nigerian Theatre and Cultural Entertainment , Maiduguri: SONTA, p.162.

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Nollywood, Cinema Culture and Tourism Potential Movie Business 41

35 Paul Ugor, (2013) "Nollywood and Postcolonial Predicaments: Transnationalism, Gender, and the Commoditization of Desire in Glamour Girls", in Mathias Krings and Onookome Okome eds, Global Nollywood: The Transnational Dimensions of an African Video Film Industry , (Bloomington: Indian University Press), p.169.

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