Nollywood: In Promotion of Pan-Africanism

Source: Switsalone

(MarkLives)--Pan-Africanism is defined by “the idea or advocacy of a political alliance or union of all the African nations” — an idea that has been discussed, debated and promoted throughout the entire continent for many decades. In the 21st century, media platforms in Africa have become an important player to unify the underlying voice of ubuntu and cultivate a landscape of independent, yet intertwined, African culture.

One important player in the promotion of an interconnected African spirit is the highly successful Nigerian film industry — which averages an annual turnover of US$250m.

The reach of Nollywood and its core ideals of Pan-Africanism has hit home here in South Africa, with MultiChoice offering a diverse network of channels that source their entertainment from Nollywood. What with other African countries also channeling airtime that is imported from the red carpet of Nigeria, the shared culture of the continent is being driven via the distribution, content, variety, celebrities, brands and hype that it accumulates.

Films and personalities

We need to look no further than the storylines of some of the most popular films that have been produced in Nollywood to understand their role in 21st century Pan-Africanism.

In 2014, Nollywood saw its highest-grossing movie debut on the big screens. “30 days in Atlanta” grossed over US$680 000 in the local box office (important to note that this is equivalent to over 137 000 000 Naira in exchange). The story follows the path of travel to the US, which is a place of “different” cultural grounding to that of Nigeria. This portrayal of “living the sweet life” is a shared aspirational value in many African metropolises, but also brings back the pride of being able to follow your passions and accomplish your goals in an Africa that is making its mark in the developing world.

“Mr. & Mrs.” (2012) tells the story of a struggling marriage between two passionate individuals, drawing in elements of traditional African culture and a westernised domestic situation.

“October 1” (2014) is a dark psychological thriller depicting a Nigeria in British colonial rule and on the verge of independence. The film’s exuberance and impressive cinematography techniques, as well as a transparent storyline, helps to redefine the first world’s view of Nigerian films and boost the spirit of Pan-Africanism in a local and continental context.

Nollywood’s premise in the upliftment of 21st century Pan-Africanism wouldn’t make an impact if not for the nation’s ambassadors of film — the actors and actresses. These valuable commodities of the local industry hoist the national flag of pride over Nigeria and exhibit the talent of acting — which has been compared to the calibre of Hollywood’s.

A few personalities have really made an impact upon the local scene and have become “A-list” celebrities throughout the continent.

Desmond Elliot, a revered Nollywood actor, has starred in over 200 films, won “Best Supporting Actor” at the Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Award in 2014 — and is also an active politician presiding over the Surulere constituency (a residential suburb in Lagos). Genevieve Nnaji is a Nollywood actress, singer and model. Winning the “Best Actress in a Leading Role” at the African Movie Academy Awards in 2005, as well as founding the clothing line St. Genevieve which donates its proceeds to orphans, has made her somewhat of an idol to many Africans.

The modern, branded personalities inadvertently promote the essence of Pan-Africanism through their roles as “African heroes”.

Brands in the industry

The fundamental contrast of Nollywood, compared to Hollywood or Bollywood, lies in the budget, which can be described as being of a “shoe-string” nature, and timing — the average low budget production lasts only 10 days. The branding that contributes to the elements of Pan-Africanism in Nollywood lies within the power of distribution and, more specifically, with companies such as the Silverbird Group and blogs such as www.bellanaija.com.

The Siverbird Group plays its part in distributing much of Nollywood’s premier productions to its own-branded cinemas in Nigeria and Ghana. Considered to be the middleman of the industry, the company plays a crucial role in the viewership of African film content and, in addition, facilitates the “coming togetherness” of African filmgoers. This mentality may spark pride in the shared ideals of nationalistic Africans, who can now go to watch homegrown movies instead of box-office handouts from premier companies in Hollywood.

iROKOtv is best described as the Netflix of Nigeria, boasting lists of on-demand movies from Nigeria, as well as content from other African countries. The advent of this online platform is a revolutionary step in giving internet-bound Africans access to the continent’s most-popular film-based entertainment. This is a reflection of how certain elements of the greater Nigerian film industry are catching up to South African standards and indirectly ensuring a sustainable partnership with African film as whole.

Africa Magic, a network owned by MultiChoice, proudly lives by its tagline: “African programming made by Africans”. The exports of Nollywood have found a solid home in many of the network’s channel offerings, which are available in a host of African countries. This has only helped to further disperse the reach of Nigeria’s film prowess into African homes.

In SA, Africa Magic serves as a looking glass into the cultures and traditions of Nollywood and the greater African film industry, thus encouraging a viewership derived from local African markets and extending the graces of Pan-Africanism onto homegrown soil.

Pan-Africanism is being promoted by what is currently happening in Nollywood. The continuation of African film production is inspiring a continent to become more interconnected and localised. This enables the shared spirit of Pan-Africanism to flow between borders and into the entirety of one African voice.

This information was provided by Springleap’s Trend Spotting platform.
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Remon Geyser (@remongeyser) is a burger fanatic, wine connoisseur and eSports enthusiast (yes, a fancy term for playing computer games). He is also the Research Lead for Springleap, heading up a new global creative research division whilst obscurely attempting a PhD. Springleap provides instant creative expert feedback to rock marketing ROI. Remon contributes the new weekly “Talk Africa” column, covering Pan-African trends, on MarkLives.com.