Culture: Understanding The Place of Film in Promoting and Preserving The African Culture
Culture: Understanding The Place of Film in Promoting and Preserving The African Culture
Culture: Understanding The Place of Film in Promoting and Preserving The African Culture
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Dr. Arinze-UmobiSomtoo.O. 2Onyinye Princess Chiweta-Oduah
1.Lecturer, Department of Theatre and Film Studies, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria,
ABSTRACT: Nollywood films have presently been made available by content providers to different
individuals both home and in the diaspora due to the availability of various new media platforms supported by
technology. Due to globalization and the exponential rate at which those in the developing world are embracing
western cultures, concerns have been raised as to the future of African cultural heritage. Consequently, this
study examined the role of Nollywood films in promoting and preserving the African culture. The Focus Group
Discussion (FGD) qualitative method was adopted involving 16 discussants. Findings revealed that to some
extent, the Nollywood films are used to promote African culture but they do not fully depict the original African
culture due to cultural hybridization. Furthermore, findings showed that most films are haphazardly produced
neglecting the original African contents. However, it was concluded that as much as these films are originally
targeted towards promoting and portraying African cultures, they defeat the whole essence by marrying different
cultures. The study thus recommended that priority should be given to local contents as this will make the
African culture appear indispensable and important. Conclusively, the study also recommended that filmmakers
must conduct thorough research and read extensively about the African culture if they must get it right.
I. INTRODUCTION
Culture is believed to be a way of life of a people who are bound by certain believes, customs, norms, and
values. According to Spencer-Oatey„Culture is a fuzzy set of basic assumptions and values, orientations to life,
beliefs, policies,procedures and behavioural conventions that are shared by a group of people, and that
influence(but do not determine) each member‟s behaviour and his/her interpretations of the „meaning‟ ofother
people‟s behaviour.‟[1] In the same vein, Jakayinkaas cited in Excelstates that from wider perspective, culture
includes the total repertoire of human action which are socially transmitted from generation to generation.[2]
Similarly, Obiajuluaptly elucidates:[3]
A peoples‟ way of life. It is about their beliefs and practices, their ideas on solving their
problems of existence, how they go about doing the same thing. Culture is about a people‟s
concept of right and wrong, their customs and traditions. It is about the social components
of their relations. Culture derives its sociological importance and strength from the mere
fact that it is shared by a collective group of people having it and, of course, a conceptual
Table I: A tabular summary of the analysis of the Theme of “Nollywood Films being used to promote
African Culture”
Table II: A tabular summary of the analysis of the Theme of “Nollywood’s extent of African cultural
portrayal”
Table III: A tabular summary of the analysis of the Theme of “Ways of promoting, communicating and
preserving African culture through Nigerian Films”
African cultures.
VI. CONCLUSION
The fundamental reason behind this study was to examine the place of film (Nollywood Films) as an
indispensable medium of communication in promoting the African culture. The study realized that in as much as
the Nigerian films to some extent are used to showcase, promote African cultures, they have to an alarming
extent misplaced their identities and the African heritage due to hybridization of cultures and over reliance on
western cultures/contents. In addition, the study realized that lack of knowledge about the African culture and
inadequate research into the real African cultures have led to misrepresentations and haphazard presentations of
the “supposed” African culture, thereby, resulting to marriage of different cultures. This, however, has led to the
gradual erosion of the African culture.
Further, the findings of the study reasonably validate the postulations of the cultural imperialism theory
which posits that western nations dominate the media around the world which inevitably has adverse effects on
the third world cultures by western culture impositions, which regrettably, leads to culture erosion and the
bastardization of native cultures. The theme of cultural hybridization and over reliance on foreign cultures,
resonate with the assumptions of this theory.
VII. RECOMMENDATIONS
With regards to the various findings of the study, the following recommendations were made by the
researchers:
REFERENCES
[1.] Spencer-Oatey, H. (2008) Culturally Speaking. Culture, Communication and PolitenessTheory. 2nd
edition. London: Continuum.
[2.] Excel, A. E. O. (2018). Seminar Paper On: The Effects of Western Civilization On African Culture; A
Case Study Of Nigeria (Doctoral Dissertation, Department Of Political Science, Achievers University,
Owo).
[3.] Obiajulu, A.O. (2003). “Structural components of Nigerian peoples and culture” In G.C. Unachukwu,
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[5.] Tomlinson, J. (2012). Cultural imperialism. The Wiley‐ Blackwell Encyclopedia of Globalization.
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[9.] Excel, A. E. O. (2018). Seminar Paper On: The Effects of Western Civilization On African Culture; A
Case Study Of Nigeria (Doctoral Dissertation, Department Of Political Science, Achievers University,
Owo).
[10. ]Van der Puye, F. (1998). Media and the Preservation of Culture in Africa. Cultural Survival
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