Nollywood, Alaba Markerters, and New Nollywood

(By Andrew Rice) - “Most of [Nollywood] movies … are awful, marred by slapdash production, melodramatic acting and ludicrous plots. [Kunle] Afolayan, who is 37, is one of a group of upstart directors trying to transcend those rote formulas and low expectations. His breakthrough film, the 2009 thriller “The Figurine,” was an aesthetic leap: ... it announced the arrival of a swaggering talent keen to upset an immature industry. Unlike most Nollywood fare, “The Figurine” was released in actual theaters, not on cheap discs, playing to packed houses next to Hollywood features. “Many observers,” Jonathan Haynes, a scholar of Nollywood, recently wrote, “have been waiting a long time for this kind of filmmaking, which can take its place in the international arena proudly and on equal terms.” …

The economic realities of African filmmaking conspire against an improvement in quality. The consumer base is huge — there are more than a billion Africans, [200] million of them in Nigeria alone. But access to those buyers is controlled by the clannish merchants who congregate on the outskirts of Lagos at the Alaba International Market, the distribution hub of the African movie business. …

Nollywood’s bawdy humor — or fright or fantasy — appeals to a public seeking escape from depressing living conditions. The industry itself was born out of economic desperation during the early 1990s, a period of military dictatorship, low prices for Nigeria’s oil and Western-mandated “structural adjustment” of its economy. Actors and cameramen were out of work because of budget cuts at the national television station. Movie theaters were closed because no one wanted to venture into the dangerous streets at night.

Ajofia Nnewi: Ana Were Were

"Sitting on a Man": Aba Women's War and Igbo Women's Strategy

Aba Women, early 20th century

"A group of Igbo women in 1929 rose up as a unitary women would and with one voice and a single-mindedness of purpose waged war against the oppressive measures put in place by the conquering British colonial government. Through the three arms of the administration ... the British administration's District Officer (D. O.), the Church (the clergy) and the School (teachers) and the Court (judges), incessantly taxed the poor. This resulted in the de facto removal of the husbands from their homes to work in the cash-crop farms to support the British economy. Back in Europe, it was the era of industrial revolution and, in effect, Igbo men slaved on their lands as laborers working for their masters and paid taxes from whatever little they earned, leaving them weak, spent and with not enough to take care of their families. Under the circumstances, they were often unable to perform their conjugal obligations with their spouses in their matrimonial homes. On the fateful day in 1929, the Igbo women of Aba marched on government hill and stoned the District Officer. He was forced to call reinforcements, and when they came they too were again stoned by the women. The enraged women would not back down or leave government hill until their demands were met. The people called it the Igbo Women's 'War' but the British called it the Igbo Women's 'Riot.'
          What was unclear at the time was that what took place between the women and the ruling colonial power was a strategy, albeit on a small scale, which many an Igbo woman would usually employ to bend a recalcitrant husband for dereliction of duties and obligations to wife and family. They call it 'sitting on a man.' Therefore, the Aba women at war with the British had employed the Igbo women's radical strategy of 'sitting on a man' when aggrieved. Such a recalcitrant woman would 'sit' on her abusive husband's homestead, refusing to cooperate with food preparation, sex and emotional company until her husband promised to change his ways. Sometimes, it was a group of wives that 'sat' on their offending men."

Ada Uzoamaka Azodo, 2019, 18-19

"Di-Feminism: Valorizing the Indigenous Igbo Concept of 'Agunwanyi,'" in African Feminisms in the Global Arena: Novel Perspectives on Gender, Class, Ethnicity, and Race, ed. Ada Uzoamaka Azodo

Nollywood Actors Fans Will Forever Love

(By Adunni Amodeni) - Ten Talented Nollywood Actors We Will Never Stop Loving

Some Nollywood stars who quit acting in the 90s made our childhood days memorable and lit, while some are still around entertaining their loyal fans. Their roles in classic movies helped set the pace for the industry we’ve come to love dearly today.

These great actors have been involved in one scandal or another and some have managed to remain scandal free. Amidst their endless dramas, their fans still can’t bear not seeing them on their TV screens. They also look out for their movies either on DVD or in the cinemas.

Legit.ng has come up with a list of Nollywood actors we will never stop loving:

LADIES:

 1. Genevieve Nnaji:

The world can never get enough of talented Nollywood actress, Genevieve Nnaji. The 39-year-old diva is also a movie producer, director, screenwriter and former model. She reportedly welcomed her first child at the age of 16 and did not let that affect her studies or movie career. Having joined the industry in her teenage years, the delectable actress has featured in countless movies both local and international.

Reporting Nollywood from Australia

(By Carol Rääbus) - Nollywood is huge — and there's never been a better time to check it out

           How many Nigerian films or TV shows have you watched?

Chances are, if most of what you watch is what's available in cinemas and on Australian broadcast TV, you haven't seen any — despite the fact Nigeria is the second largest producer of film in the world after Hollywood.

But that could be about to change as Nollywood — as the Nigerian film industry is colloquially known — films hit our small screens as streaming services tune in to the appetite for more diverse stories.

While films have been made in Nigeria for as long as people have been making films, the term Nollywood started to be used in the early 2000s as Nigeria began to really ramp-up its film production.

In the early 2000s, Nollywood made a name for itself with quickly made films with often low-production values, which were distributed on burned DVDs to be more affordable and accessible than the country's few movie theatres.

These days Nollywood is still pumping out an impressive volume of films with more than 1,000 titles released each year, and is also producing films with high production values and strong storylines that have captured Netflix's attention.

Academics Research Corruption Using Nollywood

(By Yomi Kazeem) - The Nollywood Movie Experiment to Research Nigerians’ Anti-corruption Behavior

The popularity of Nigeria’s Nollywood movie industry—the world’s second largest by volume—was covertly deployed for a social cause five years ago.

Researchers from Princeton University, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) collaborated to commission a feature film to test local habits on reporting corruption. The research for the movie, which was funded by the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and an anonymous donor, was approved by the Princeton Institutional Review Board.

Given the popularity of the local movie industry and the prevalence of corruption in Nigeria, the researchers looked to study how Nigerians report corruption using the high-profile actors to model behavior.

            Nigeria’s corruption problems are well-documented with a landmark survey two years capturing the scale of corruption especially among public officers. Despite his well-publicized anti-corruption stance and message in office, Nigeria’s president Buhari has struggled to definitely address the problem with his administration suffering corruption-related scandals of its own.

Female Kings Among the Yoruba

(By Sulaiman Salaw-udeen) – The Many Female “Kings” of Ekiti

Yoruba tradition precludes princesses from becoming kings, but many of them have been installed regents or stop-gap kings in many towns and cities across Southwest Nigeria.

Like the conventional monarchs, they often come decked in traditional Agbada, Buba and Sokoto and wear round-headed caps festooned in attractive designs. They wield the familiar royal horsetail and are normally graced with obeisance by humble and adoring subjects who call them ‘Kabiyesi’, a Yoruba word for ‘Unquestionable’.

But their often rotund faces and other feminine features do always set them apart from the male world which their looks and their relations with male chiefs gave them away as. They are females and are fleeting occupiers of the exalted throne of a traditional ruler or Oba across towns and communities in Ekiti. They carry the common title of regents.

Anambra, Politics, and Tragedy of Three Brothers

Andy (L) and Chris Uba

(By Comfort Obi) - Anambra: The Tragedy Of Uba Brothers

          In Anambra state, the ego of a political dynasty has just been punctured. Its members have self-destructed. And got dismantled during a political battle comparable to that of the Biblical Goliath and David.

          You must have heard of the three Uba brothers -Ugochukwu, Andy and Chris – from Anambra state. Ugochukwu is the eldest, and Chris, the last. Of the same parents, the brothers are politicians, and, each accomplished in his own right. They have name       recognition. They are very rich. Two of them, Andy and Chris, are billionaires. They have limitless contacts, and powerful friends.

          The first son of the family, Ugochukwu, has a doctorate degree. He did not buy it. He read, and acquired it. So, he is not one of those many illiterates, or half illiterates, who shamelessly prefix their names with Dr.

          When in 1999, Nigeria embraced democracy again, Ugochukwu won a senatorial seat. So, in the Nigerian way, he is free to answer Senator (Dr) Ugochukwu Uba. And, if any traditional ruler conferred him with any of the many chieftaincy titles on offer in Igboland, he is also free to answer Senator (Dr) Chief Ugochukwu Uba. Nigerians, we love titles.

          As a Senator, he was not a bench-warmer. A number of Senators are. Their colleagues dc their jobs. Many times, they are asleep in the Chambers. When awake, they are dumb. And only chorus “Ayes” or “A/ays” depending on where the tide moves their colleagues. But not Uba senior.

          Unfortunately, his was a-one-term tenure. As if the Uba brothers had appropriated that seat as their father’s farmland, Andy vied for the same seat, under same party. He replaced his brother. Many stories still abound as to why Andy did not allow his brother a second tenure. But following is the most popular.

Nollywood Takes Over Hollywood, Celebrates Feat

L-R: Ose Oyamendan (2nd L), Kemi Adetiba, and Banky W

(By Oluwagbemiga Asuelimen) - The Weekend Nollywood took over Hollywood

          When you live in Los Angeles, you often feel you have seen everything. You have most likely gone through an earthquake or two. You have seen men become women and women become men. You have seen stars rise and fall. You have eaten food you can not even pronounce. You have been on a roller coaster through life and, sometimes, you do not know what is real and what is make belief.

Last week, the city saw what it had not seen before, not in this light. Nigeria was in town.

“We’re gonna rock this town the way it’s not been rocked in a long time,” beamed Nigerian-American filmmaker Ose Oyamendan as he strolled in his Ankara shirt under the mild afternoon sun into a meeting with the big wigs at The Egyptian Theatre on Tuesday afternoon.

A few hours later, the online version of the prestigious Los Angeles Times spilled the beans on the unsuspecting city when it announced, “Watch Out Hollywood, Nollywood is coming to town”. This is the closest you get to a cultural coup. Nigeria, long bashed in the media for scandals, corruption and fraud, was getting a public rebranding, thanks to the Nollywood In Hollywood event.

          The headline lit up social media. Kemi Adetiba, the queen of Nigeria’s box office whose film, KING OF BOYS, was selected for screening posted a blurb of the newspaper headline on her Instagram page with a simple line, “Hey mommy… Hey daddy… Guess who just got featured in the @latimes”. Good news must travel fast. Within an hour, the news had been viewed or shared over a million times on social media. It would expand to over ten million in the next few days.

Of Marriage and Freedom to Choose a Surname

(By Motunrayo Agusto) - A few days ago, I had an amazing conversation with a 60-year-old man about why I’m married but not changing my surname. It was just the beginning of a broader and longer conversation about women in our society. I haven’t met many people, across any generation, who seek to understand views that are different from theirs and particularly, who open their minds to understanding a woman’s right to choose. I thoroughly enjoyed talking to this lovely man who I’d refer to as Mr. F going forward.

Mr. F started by asking me “Why?”

I explained, “changing my name is not a natural inclination of mine. It’s not something I have ever really considered doing or aspired to do. It’s just not my truth.”

What I didn’t tell him is that, at age 16, I didn’t even want to get married. I wanted to be President and my good friend Mr. A, who is from the Niger Delta region, was going to be my running mate because that would reflect Federal Character. Clearly, I didn’t fully understand how it works LOL! Plus, let’s not get into the ironic course of my young adulthood. Anyway, that was the future I envisioned. That was my truth.

           There are probably women everywhere who have looked forward to getting married since they were 16, and fantasised about being called Mrs. XYZ. They might value the cohesion of their families sharing one surname or maybe just don’t think of this as a necessary topic of discussion because the norm is the norm. Whatever their reasons, this is their right and it is their truth. Women do and should always have the right to choose. That’s why I define feminism as a woman’s right to choose.

My Aunty: The Bosslady Goddess

(By Jennifer Awirigwe) - “My aunty, a goddess.

In her late twenties, she became a big shot at her workplace, a multinational.
Her salary, very delicious.

She was living the life. A baby girl. Almost 30, she was unmarried.

You know the culture…losers who should be occupied brainstorming on what to soak their garri with, peasants who should be massaging the butt of their kids ‘dem don flog tire’ for school due to school fees.

These idiots were busy holding gossip show on top her matter.

But my aunty, she no see you.
She was slaying her singleness.

Of Veils, Veiling Practices, and Muslim Women

"The veil, which since the nineteenth century has symbolized for the West the inferiority of Muslim cultures, remains a powerful symbol both for the West and for Muslim societies. While for Westerners its meaning has been static and unchanging, in Muslim cultures the veil's function and social significance have varied tremendously, particularly during times of rapid social change. Veiling is a lived experience full of contradictions and multiple meanings. While it has clearly been a mechanism in the service of patriarchy, a means of regulating and controlling women's lives, women have used the same social institution to free themselves from the bond of patriarchy. Muslim women, like all other women, are social actors, employing, reforming, and changing existing social institutions, often creatively, to their own ends. The static colonial image of the oppressed veiled Muslim women thus often contrasts sharply with the lived experience of veiling. To deny this is also to deny Muslim women their agency."

Homa Hoodfar, 2001, 421

"The Veil in Their Minds and on Our Heads: Veiling Practices and Muslim Women" in 

Women, Gender, Religion: A Reader, ed. Elizabeth A. Castelli

"Nma," "Chidinma": Igbo Names Spelt Incorrectly

(By Azuka Onwuka) - Why Nma, Chidinma, Uzodinma are not Igbo Names
It is common to see people who write their names as Nma, Chidinma, Agbonma, Uzodinma, Nmesoma, etc. In fact, if you spell your name as “Chidimma,” someone would promptly edit it to read “Chidinma.” But these are not Igbo spellings and cannot be called Igbo names.
          Why?
          It is not possible for “n” and “m” to follow each other in Igbo language, no matter the dialect. It can never happen. The use of “nm” together shatters the structure of the Igbo language, making a mockery of its phonology and phonetics.
          The ridiculous argument such people make is that “nma” means beauty, while “mma” means knife. But like Chief Zebrudaya would say: “Fa fa fa foul!”
          Whatever its meaning, “mma” must be spelt as “mma.” The only way to differentiate one from the other is by tone-marking. The same thing applies to “akwa” which can be tone-marked to mean four different things: ákwá (cry), àkwà (bed), àkwá (egg), and ákwà (cloth).
          Here are the variants of mma:
beauty = mmã
knife/machete = mmà
mother = mmá (adapted from “mama” just as “mpa” is adapted from “papa”).

"Iyalaya Anybody": Street Lingos and Pop Culture

(By Pius Adesanmi) - In its pristine cultural background in the Yoruba world, “iyalaya” is an obscenity hurled at your opponent in a brawl to display contempt for his or her maternal lineage. It is usually accompanied by the insulting palm and five-finger flash we call “waka” in the face of your opponent. The consequence, as you all know, is often a bloody nose and an unscheduled trip to the hospital. However, as cultures evolve across generations, new meanings emerge and old words or expressions and are sent on new errands by the human imagination. ...
          The mere mention of “iyalaya anybody” brings to mind the Nigerian musician, Olamide, and his famous spat with music industry icon, Don Jazzy. No Nigerian needs to be reminded the details of this spat which shook the African entertainment industry to its roots and set Twitter and Facebook on fire for weeks. With the whole world watching, Olamide had shot out at the audience, “iyalaya anybody”, while dissing Don Jazzy.

Of Women: Giving a Lot and Receiving so Little

   

"'Muta ... Muta. Wake up! he called.' ...
     'Please get up and find me something to eat.'
     'Can't you get yourself something to eat? Is that why you wake me up at this time of the night--to find you something to eat?' ...
     'If only you had taken the trouble to look ... you would have found some food in the pot on the cooker. But you wouldn't, would you? You have a willing slave who would do that and had always done...'
     'Am I your wife or your slave in this house?' ...
     Life is so unfair to women, she thought bitterly. They give so much and receive so little. And whatever they give is taken for granted and more is demanded of them. Women are forever confronted with their duties as daughters, sisters, wives, and mothers. These roles are in themselves noble, valuable and thoroughly natural. But they have come to be interpreted as forms of slavery in most places, and women have over the years accepted this interpretation. And so, women have to slave from girlhood to old age--giving, serving, rearing, nurturing and slaving--with hardly any help from the opposite sex. What about men? They are forever taking, grabbing, mauling, swallowing. ...
     The relationship between a man and a women, she rationalized, must be one of symbiosis--woman giving and receiving, man receiving and giving. The giving must be reciprocal as well as the taking. Awa ought to learn to give."

Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, 1996, 20-24

"The Departure," in Rituals and Departures