What struck me in this class was the discussion of Nollywood, Nigeria’s growing film industry. The challenges and struggles with which those producing films in Nigeria are faced are astounding, loss of electricity, lack of resources, and crews who can hardly be counted upon to show up on time. Yet still, the average film is shot in less than two weeks, and will sell about 50,000 video copies. Nollywood is said to be coming up in an, albeit distant, third in the rankings of the world’s largest film industries, behind India’s Bollywood, and of course Hollywood. Though it is doubtful that Nollywood will ever grow to the level of its predecessors, it plays an important role in global film culture. Nollywood is successfully serving African diasporas across the globe. For groups that are far from home, like in London, it is important that they have the option to engage in media and entertainment that rings true to their own culture. Certainly, Nollywood films have amateur production value but as described in our reading, they “capture a local flavor that a foreign film crew never could, and their popularity depends on viewers recognizing elements of their own lives in the action onscreen.” This is extremely important to members of scattered diasporas who may have little chance to connect to their own cultures in such foreign environments. Nollywood films may serve, as Bollywood films do, as tools for educating a generation of the African diaspora that is born in a new environment about their cultural heritage. As the world becomes more multicultural, it is important that there are media alternatives to the American giants available for consumption.
