I have chosen to start out this blog with a look at Nigerian Cinema. This is not because I am Nigerian or have a particular blind allegiance to one place or another (okay, well maybe a little lol -- you gotta support your people!) but because it is genuinely inspiring to see an artistic and intellectual movement take shape and grow. No, I am not talking about Nollywood here. I am talking about Nigerian cinema -- art house, independent, quality-driven storytelling that noticeably differs from mass marketed films. These films focus on "social and political themes rather than any commercial interests" (as Wikipedia stated about African cinema) and present clearer pictures of the message they are trying to relay. In fact, some would say Nigerian cinema exists in juxtaposition to the Nollywood that we are used to which, unfortunately, can be characterized by overacting, suspect sound quality, mimicry of Western culture and never ending chapters to mediocre movies (Parts 1 - 10).
To be fair, not all of Nollywood is bad. There is value in Nigerians telling Nigerian stories and controlling the means of production and distribution. In addition, it gives a contemporary glimpse into African life that other Africans can relate to and identify with as opposed to outsiders coming in to tell our stories through their biased perspectives and viewpoints. However, Nigerian cinema offers something different, something genuine, something....well, cinematic. It delves deeper than the surface and does what drama is supposed to do: question, challenge, honestly reflect society onto itself. The images are crisper because it is understood that seeing is indeed believing. The sound quality is sharper and the plots are more refined, properly accenting the beat of each narrative. The stories overall are universally human yet distinctly African. Nothing more, nothing less. That there even exists a community of this sort emerging out of Africa's largest nation suggests there is new hope for the African in a world that doesn't hear its voice, neither on the continent or in the diaspora. It is my belief that in this new year, this new decade and this new millennium, the world, yes THE WORLD, will come to see and appreciate the genius that Nigerian creative minds have to offer.
It is important that such films are being made and indeed necessary. The people occupying the Niger Area have been struggling to find a cohesive national identity since the creation of the state we now know as Nigeria. Independent artists and progressive thinkers can help to forge - or forfeit - this effort through critical analysis of our conditions while still celebrating our culture. Art is meant to push society and facilitate growth, whether that is comfortable or not. Following the examples of preceding African storytellers that rode this wave of consciousness - Ousmane Sembene of Senegal, Haile Gerima of Ethiopia, Safi Faye also of Senegal amongst others - I believe the emergence of Nigerian cinema and independent thinking in the arts in general will push Nigeria, and Africans at large, into a deeper sense of self-awareness and human connectivity, something that is sorely needed in a time of identity crisis and lost generations.
Please take a look at the trailers below to better understand what I am talking about. These films are yet to be released or have had limited releases in Nigeria and elsewhere. What do you think about the hopes for the genre? Is there an audience for it? If so, how do we contribute to its sustenance? Na waoh, just to have this conversation gets me inspired! Alas, whether it is late or it is early, it is our time.
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