DOCTORAL THESIS The representation of women in Nollywood films an investigation of its impact on audiences in Malawi Chimbuto, Joseph George Salijeni Award date: 2016 General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal ? Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 29. Sep. 2021 THE REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN NOLLYWOOD FILMS: AN INVESTIGATION OF ITS IMPACT ON AUDIENCES IN MALAWI by Joseph George Salijeni Chimbuto [BA, MA] A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of PhD Department of Media, Culture and Languages University of Roehampton 2015 ABSTRACT Since its emergence two decades ago, the Nollywood film industry is fast becoming social, cultural and economic phenomenon among Malawian audiences. Every year, Nollywood actors visit Malawi and some Malawi print media have columns dedicated to Nollywood. According to unofficial statistics carried out by this study, nine out of every ten film enthusiasts in Malawi’s rural areas are Nollywood fanatics, and at least seven out of ten people in the urban areas frequently watch Nollywood films. The films are more popular than both Hollywood and Bollywood films. It could be argued that this popularity is due to the reason that the films are cheaper to buy. Another reason is that the proliferation of free-to-air satellite dishes has made these films easily accessible for the Malawian audience. Notwithstanding these perspectives, this study reveals that unprecedented appeal to Nigerian made films is first and foremost a result of cultural identity. The study, carried out among nine communities across Malawi represented by focus groups, demonstrates that viewers enjoy watching the cultural portrayals manifested in the films by the characters which, they feel, are similar to their own real life and experiences. Taking into account the widespread patronage of Nollywood films, it is safe to assume that these films are making an impact on the local audiences. Based on focus group discussions and analysis of the six case study films by 83 participants in selected areas across Malawi between 2012 and 2013, the study findings indicate that there is a problem of power relations in Malawian society based on gender and ii sex. Men have the upperhand in decision making, access to resources and education opportunities. The study reveals that emergence of the films in Malawi is offering another perspective of gender and social relations: the films’ portrayal of women shows that it is possible for them to have equal opportunities and power relations as their male counterparts. As the case study films were representative of Nollywood films owing to the fact that they represented women/gender and gender relations similary, this study therefore suggests that the films have a potential to bring about social change in Malawian communities. Through the responses of participating audiences that encompassed both men and women, the study reveals that the cinematic portrayals, especially those of female characters, have the potential to change the social perception of women and womanhood. The study uses continentalisation ( as adapted in Omoniyi, 2014b) as a conceptual framework in interpreting and analysing audiences’ responses to female representations in Nollywood films. The study observes that both Nigerian (as depicted by the film characters) and Malawian audiences share common cultural aspects that are predominantly African. The study regards Nollywood as a vehicle of intra-continental cultural flow. For this reason, the study makes an attempt to explore the extent to which Nollywood could be effective in facilitating gender notions that are identical across African societies. The study claims that despite variations in certain elements, culturally, there are more commonalities than differences among Africans. Malawian audiences and in iii particular, female audiences could get an inspiration from the portrayals that would advance their cause in society. Arguably, the portrayals of militancy and some heroism in some female characters could go a long way to inspire the female audiences and instill confidence in them. Thus, exposure to the films for a long period could improve Malawians’ perception of women or womanhood. This thesis therefore argues that Nollywood is a vehicle for the flow of these engendered notions of power relations across the continent. Thus, these engendered notions should be identified as African approaches to gender, and with their emphasis on balanced power relations between male and female members of communities, they have the ability to/ they have a potential to deconstruct social gendered female stereotypes. This study therefore claims that Nollywood films in general offer positive, empowering representation of African women. Nollywood studies are a rather young research field, and the representation of women in those films has been poorly-studied area so far, with gender relations being largely ignored by scholars. The fact that this is the first study done on the reception of Nollywood in Malawi makes it arguably a unique and valuable contribution to knowledge. Keywords: Nollywood, female representation, continentalisation, Pan-Africanism, audiences, gender relations iv v TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ........................................................................................................................ ii Table of contents ......................................................................................................... vi Dedication ................................................................................................................. xiv Acknowledgements .................................................................................................... xv PART I CHAPTER ONE 1.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 2 Problem Statement ................................................................................................................... 2 Research Questions .................................................................................................................. 5 Aim and Objectives ................................................................................................................. 7 Significance of the Study ......................................................................................................... 8 Relevance of the Study ............................................................................................................ 9 Films and Potential for Social Change................................................................................... 11 Contested Concept of African Gender ................................................................................... 12 The Methodological Approach…………………………………………………...16 Organisation of the Focus Group Discussions ....................................................................... 16 Synopsis of the Case Study Films .......................................................................................... 17 vi Organisation of the thesis………………………………………………………….26 CHAPTER TWO 2.0 CONTEXTUAL BACKGROUND SECTION ONE Background to the Nigerian Film Industry ............................................................................ 34 Nigeria’s Socio-Economic and Political Context .................................................................. 34 Gender Issues ......................................................................................................................... 38 Regional Integration .............................................................................................................. 40 The History of the film industry in Nigeria ........................................................................... 41 SECTION TWO The Nollywood Film Industry and its Development ............................................................. 45 The Question of Genre in Nollywood Films .......................................................................... 51 The Relevance of Nollywood to Popular Culture .................................................................. 58 SECTION THREE Development of Film Culture in Malawi ............................................................................... 60 Malawi’s Political, Cultural and Socio-Economic Context ................................................... 60 Gender Relations.................................................................................................................... 64 Regional Integration .............................................................................................................. 66 Background to Cinema/ Film Watching in Malawi ............................................................... 66 Television