A REEDUCATION OF NOLLYWOOD CONTENT
It is a bit funny that for a generation who grew up devouring contents from TV soap operas and home movies in the late 90s – early 2000s, the repulse for the new Nollywood content seems unexpected.
So, what happened, how did they lose their local fans? why do Nollywood movies receive so much criticism online?
When you put up a throwback post on old Nollywood content, they get more engagement compared to the new waves of movies produced in Nigeria. Why is that? Do we call it nostalgia or do we conclude that these movies were made at a time when the audience was religiously committed to them because they found the plot more relatable and original? The new age of Nollywood movies is selling especially abroad because foreigners are open to accepting international film submission at festivals and award shows for consideration. It almost seems like these movies are made to cater to the international audience more than the ones at home. Movies are released at a festive season of the year when the marketers can tap into the festivity mood and audience’s pockets. The marketing strategy has improved over the decades so as the movie budget, however, why hasn’t the same improvement affected the movie content? Why do people leave the cinemas complaining about how incoherent or unrelatable these movie plots are? How did we get here?
Just this past week, my mum and I were at our dining table reminiscing over the era of TV soap operas back in the early 2000s. one, in particular, stood out in our conversation – Super Story – it was an unforgettable part of my childhood and it was ultimately one of the reasons why I developed my love for TV culture. It was the best part of my Thursday’s evenings, I did not care if there were commercials in the middle of a cliff-hanger I would sit in our living room, wait for the commercials to run through and continue with each episode. It was not like the stories were original or something, it was the ability of the producers to hook the audience with this unique way of storytelling. They realized that viewers will only come back if the stories were relatable if they somehow saw themselves been reflected on screen. And they made it work for them for so many years until the rise of satellite TV erased cable TV. I do not know if it is because of how they are marketed or because they are only shown on channels that an average Nigerian cannot afford (unless they subscribe to the premium content). I do not know if Super Story still exists but I do know there are thousands of TV soaps that have been created since the advent of the satellite TV and none of them can boast of extreme recognition as Super Story did. Until Jenifa’s Diary came on. Jenifa’s Diary became popular for so many reasons but I reckon it gain massive recognition when it was made available to websites for streaming/downloading. The producers understood their target audience, they knew their audience do not invest on shows on TV cables as much as they used to back in the day, so they made it accessible not on TV channels but also on streaming platforms. It was because of this reason that JENIFA’S DIARY became popular. It became something everyone was talking about, and so you also wanted to watch as well. Soon enough there were sales of discs and its popularity spiked to the level where the show received nominations during Award season. The feeling was unanimous, it was a well-rounded decision. When we saw Funke Akindele walking up to that stage to receive the award, you knew why she was there. You knew the show she was nominated for; even if you had not watched a single episode of Jenifer’s Diary you must have heard the viral grammatical blunders from fans all across social media or on your streets.
I have a love-and-hate relationship for Nollywood content, I do root for them so much but I wish they had grown farther than where they are. It is not that there has not been an improvement in some areas of filmmaking in Nigeria; areas like props & cinematography have quite evolved from what they used to be. The issue is still in the plots. Writers of old Nollywood captivated the audience with their stories, maybe I am biased but recently I saw a Yoruba movie titled ‘’O le ku’’ that was produced in the 90s and I marveled at how culturally and aesthetically significant the movie still is in 2020. This was a film that captured the lifestyle of university students in the 90s unabashedly with no judgment or repulse. The romantic core of the film is still relatable even for my generation and the ‘’indomie generation’’ behind ours. The societal issues that were highlighted in the film such as girl-child education, abusive relationship between parents and children, the pressure to get married to appease your family, and so on. The film is a classic. If you have not seen it, you should.
The new Nollywood content somehow finds a way to irritate Nigerians. The reviews do not come out unanimously positive; most movies just leave you aloof after spending two hours watching them. Of course, there are few others that remain the people’s champion because they were movies that did not try so hard to appease to a worldwide audience through complicated plots. They simply went through the easiest route – they told relatable stories – and they stuck to the hearts of thousands of Nigerians who just wanted to be entertained or probably learn a one or few things. Examples are The Wedding Party 1 (TWP 2 was unnecessary), Isoken, King of Boys, Living in Bondage.
It is a bit funny that for a generation who grew up devouring contents from TV soap operas and home movies in the late 90s – early 2000s, the repulse for the new Nollywood content seems unexpected. So, what happened, how did they lose their local fans? Why do Nollywood movies receive so much criticism online? I spoke with one of my friends from an online writing class I joined on WhatsApp who happens to be a Nollywood enthusiast. We had a chat about his love-and-hate relationship with new Nollywood content and what movie is his favourite so far.
This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Susannah: Nollywood content has evolved over the years; do you still invest your time with the new Nollywood content?
Ibrahim: Yes, I do.
Susannah: Oh really? What was the last Nigerian movie you saw?
Ibrahim: Ajuwaya. It was released in 2017 though.
Susannah: This is the first time I am hearing of it. What’s it about?
Ibrahim: IT is about NYSC corp members who were sent to a village and they arrived during the period in which a snake famous in the village crawls around at nights.
Susannah: Wait...seriously? That was a film? Was it good?
Ibrahim: Yes, it sounds weird but I liked the storyline and the whole village set
Susannah: Wow. I will have to take your word for it. Moving on, based on the progress filmmaking has made over the years all around the world would you say Nollywood has made progress too?
Ibrahim: They've made tremendous progress no doubt
Susannah: Can you elaborate?
Ibrahim: The quality of the movies, some of the storylines actually do add up and we've learnt to embrace certain things about our culture. There's a progression in how movies are outstanding. I remember watching a movie that was set in the 90s and the production was perfect. I'll say generally the cinematography, lighting, scriptwriting has improved.
Susannah: What about the parts you still think they are lagging behind on? What are they?
Ibrahim: I feel some producers don't take the time to read through the scripts for loopholes. So, they rush production just to market it quickly. We still need to be able to use Nollywood to tell the story of Nigeria and her people. Most times, we want to produce movies that don't even relate to our society at all.
Susannah: Yes! Exactly!! I talk a lot about misrepresentation and how Nollywood doesn’t portray us properly instead they paint Nigerian characters half-formed. They spend time explaining too much to the foreign audience.
Ibrahim: It's like we are telling their story instead of ours.
Susannah: Exactly! And that sucks
Ibrahim: Our own cultural background is totally different. I like Bling Lagosians because they were able to create a balance and portray how Nigerian elites behave; Nollywood is our own industry and we should be able to tell our stories but we often get it wrong
Susannah: The story was well built up and so when it came to the climax, the audience was with them on the journey. That movie was almost perfect for me except for those hideous outfits Sharon Ooja’s character was wearing in that film. Yuck!
Ibrahim: I really did not get why they dressed her up like that
Susannah: I think they were going for an artistic edgy look, but it ended up being really funny on camera. The directors do that a lot with these movies.
Ibrahim: With all the hype Merry Men got I don't rate that movie
Susannah: I’ve never seen it
Ibrahim: It wasn't Nigerian and it was total bullshit.
Susannah: I just knew it would be awful
Ibrahim: I waited till the hype died down on social media. I saw the first part and the second part at once. I could not relate to it at all.
Susannah: I cannot watch any movie AY is,
Ibrahim: LMAO
Susannah: He is not an actor
Ibrahim: Merry Men was pathetic to me. The humour was not hitting hard as they thought it would.
Susannah: Speaking of hype, just because a movie makes money doesn’t mean it will be really good. And comedy, when not done right, is just bad entertainment
Ibrahim: Most people are after the money
Susannah: Exactly
Ibrahim: But it's an important part of Nollywood actually
Susannah: Yes, I agree.
Susannah: But old Nollywood movies were genuinely funny. Most of them. The humour wasn’t forced and that was because most of those actors were really funny, to begin with. I think I read somewhere that Nek Owoh doesn’t even read from the scripts, he just ad-libs most of his lines. Osoufia in London will forever remain a comedy Classic
Ibrahim: I still wish they can at least do a movie with those old favourite characters we all loved back then but with a good narrative
Susannah: Me too
Ibrahim: It's not about knowing the script but understanding their characters
Susannah: Exactly
Ibrahim: TV series are not as accessible to Nigerians as the industry thinks they are.
Susannah: They should be available on cable and on streaming platforms. That way both sides of the audience can access them. A few of them are catching up to this idea though and are putting their episodes where it is accessible like Skinny Girl in Transit that is literally on YouTube.
Ibrahim: Rok tv gives access to movies but I don't know about TV series. I like Skinny Girl in Transit but if after this last season they continue they'll soon lose peoples interest except the writer is good
Ibrahim: I am waiting for a friend to give me recommendations
Susannah: Funny enough, I haven’t seen the recent season. If you find one, holler at me. Perhaps we will find someone when this article is published. Who knows?
Do you feel the same way or differently about this issue? Let me know in the comment section below. I am genuinely interested in your views about this conversation. You have to tell me some Nollywood movies worth watching.
See you next Sunday!