Nigeria's Multi-Ethnicity: Blessing to Nollywood

Ime Bishop Umoh

(By OlaideOlaitan) – Nigeria is a multi-ethnic country. This status has brought the country different chaos at different times of its history but for the entertainment industry, the diversity of the ethnicity in the giant of Africa nation, is a colossal blessing.

The Nigerian movie industry is endowed with talents from all the geo-cultural regions of the country. The beauty of this assortment has not only made our entertainment industry unique but it has also made Nollywood movies more interesting than it’d have been if Nigeria had no cultural differences.

Sitting down to watch a Bishop Okon with his ‘Calabarness’ can make one temporarily forget the recession rocking the country. An ‘Akpos’ character often played by comedian, Ayo Makun could relieve stress. That is not to talk of the local Yoruba girl character (Jenifa), played by Funke Akindele in her Jenifa’s Diary. A doctor won’t lose his medical licence if he/she prescribes a dose of Jenifa’s Diary every evening, to a patient about to lose his/her life to depression.

Away from the prophylactic effect that the infusion of the different Nigerian cultures in Nollywood movies has on consumers, this same factor is also the reason why the industry can attain the height of being the third largest movie industry in the world. The value is also reflected on the nation’s account books. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) also confirmed that Nollywood is the second biggest employer in Nigeria.

According to a post on thecable.ng on the 24th of May 2016 “The industry currently accounts for N853.9 billion ($7.2 billion), or 1.42 percent of Nigeria’s GDP. It employs more than a million people directly or indirectly. It is being touted as the country’s second-biggest source of jobs after agriculture”.

All these exciting news can be said of the Nigerian film industry because of Nigeria’s multi-ethnicity amongst other factors. Well, it’s often said that ‘variety is the spice of life’, the variety in the cultural background of Nigerians could be that spice that has made Nollywood films more acceptable across the globe and thereby, making it grow in leaps and bounds.