Communicating Change And Societal Values In Selected Nigerian Home Movies
Chapiter 1
Introduction in general
Depending on the context, the term “change” can signify a variety of things. Moving from one state to another, on the other hand, is a significant issue that continues coming up. Change in a society refers to a modification of the social structure of the society; it may take the form of adjustments to the environment, social institutions, social norms, or social interactions. Therefore, the term “change” can apply to any major shift in cultural norms, behavior patterns, or values across time. Today’s globe is undergoing such rapid economic, social, political, and even physical change. However, the debate is on whether the change is for the better or worse. The proliferation of new communication channels, particularly the media, which has widened access to information, has accelerated this transformation. Individuals, communities, and cultures now think, feel, act, and interact differently as a result of this.
Despite the new communication technologies’ apparent goals, there is a lot of anxiety and unrealistic hope about the negative effects that would inevitably follow. This is the case because processing which information is genuinely required could be threatened by an overload of information. Film has evolved into a pervasive and constant presence in our lives that has a significant impact on how we manufacture meaning in our daily lives. According to Botta (1999: 26), the Social Comparison Theory asserts that “people will [at some point in their lives] compare themselves and significant others to people and images whom they perceive to represent realistic goals to attain.”
1.1. History of the Study
In recent years, the family ideas, beliefs, and culture have been influenced by what is seen outside the home and the movies, which occasionally contradict what is known to be true. Over time, audiences have been influenced by pictures portrayed in films. A person’s character, personality, and identity are all influenced by a variety of factors, and with unfettered access to everything through movies, identities are being distorted. However, these negative effects of movies do not negate the fact that some movies reflect positive themes, portray reality, and support the triumph of good over evil, which over time have the potential to influence the viewer’s worldview in a positive way. The identity of the viewer is affected by film pictures nowadays in both positive and negative ways, with the impact on our society’s youth being higher. According to Payne (2008:31), “Film and television have, for a long time, been feared for their ability to transmit socially objectionable messages.” Audiences of cinema content are exposed to a large amount of information because it is easier to obtain and produces outcomes more quickly. Their identities are influenced and shaped by this. The good news is that not all of it is harmful, and if properly controlled and projected, this content can be used to further our society’s development.
Our values, opinions, and outlook on life are formed as a result of the information we are exposed to in our environment. Today’s viewers, especially young ones, emulate the personalities of the artists they look up to and view as role models. This demonstrates that if they are exposed to too much
Some aspect of their newly developed personality will be predicated on this medium in relation to such movie content.
Films have emerged as a powerful force in contemporary society, particularly in emerging nations like Nigeria. The messages that viewers are exposed to are distributed both domestically and internationally and reflect the culture and ideas of the society that produced them. The film depicts a complex of linked perspectives and ideals that have different effects on a society and its institutions. For instance, in Nigeria, certain currents of popular culture may come from (or diverge into) a subculture that represents viewpoints that the mainstream of popular culture is either unfamiliar with or rejects. Nigeria’s diverse ethnic groups have shaped the country’s culture; the range of traditions, dialects, and customs among all of Nigeria’s ethnic groups contributes significantly to the country’s cultural diversity. There has recently been a general outcry regarding the “imported” popular culture that is gradually engulfing all facets of Nigerian society, with maximum influence on the Nigerian movie industry- which is believed to propagate to the world the Nigerian culture and values. This innovative popular culture of the nation has been driven by the nation’s cultural diversity and is fundamentally classified as good morals, obedience, humility, respect for elders, etc. Because it is perceived as a distraction from the morally upright, well-behaved, sensitive, and responsible Nigerian, the invasion of these alien methods over our “traditional way of life” has become a matter of anxiety. Nigerians frequently hold the opinion that home movies portray Nigerian culture in a negative light. Because of this, Frank Aig-Imoukahuede affirms in Opubor (1995:47)
A large number of people have condemned the country’s television for airing things that contradict or degrade the quality of life and undercut the people’s values and conventions. Many Nigerians have voiced complaints about the poisonous content of films aired on screens in Nigeria. Films that project oneself and depict Nigerian reality are what are required.
However, this does not imply that previously produced films do not represent life, as we can scarcely state that these movies were created in a vacuum, though they occasionally may be. In fact, modern films being produced incorporate contemporary real life stories, history, and events.
exaggerated. Nigerian movies currently depict a wide range of themes that have an impact on us, including politics, history, culture, and morals.
In addition to telling tales of our past and present, Nigerian video films represent the manner of life of Nigerians. creating socially conscious Nigerian films as a result. The culture of the audience is portrayed in the films made by people from a similar cultural background to the audience. Village scenes, political and traditional justice systems, land tenure, hairstyles, tattoos, drumming, singing, dancing, indigenous foods and drinks, as well as religious beliefs, all come together to tell the story of Nigeria’s history and its diversity and unity. For instance, Living in Bondage, the first Nigerian video film, presented the sociocultural characteristics and propensities of the typical Igbo trader, who will do anything to make a successful economic breakthrough. So, in addition to helping to restore these cultural values, Nigerian video films also significantly contribute to Nigeria’s sociopolitical impact in Africa and, consequently, the West. It is important to mention that Nollywood has experienced a number of general and developmental trends in its two decades of existence.
Values are the proper decisions to make or the right results to achieve; they represent a person’s sense of right and wrong or what “ought” to be. As values define what should be regarded as good or evil, they frequently affect attitudes and behavior. They are in charge of why people do the things they do and the sequence in which they decide to do them, and they assist in resolving basic human challenges for existence. Professor Moemeka encapsulated values in his piece titled:
Following are some examples of “Communalism As A Fundamental Dimension Of Culture”: (i) The Supremacy of
the Community (ii) Respect for the Elderly or Older Persons (iii) The Sanctity of Authority (iv)
Religion as a Way of Life vs. The Usefulness of the Individual. In addition to Moemeka’s mentions, it may be inferred that love of one’s country and warmth in interpersonal relationships are examples of the serial values. The construction of people’s scales of values is based on how they perceive the universe. As a result, a people’s views can be explained in light of its cosmology. Through an examination of a chosen film, several societal values will be made clear.
There is no doubting that we have certain values that are important to us, and that these values changed when Western values invaded, which were and still are mostly disseminated through the medium of movies. The inevitable question that follows is, “Do these harmful influences of home movies result in cultural and behavioral change?”‖
Opubor et al. (1995:1) provide the following response to this question: “Of all the media of communication, the motion picture has perhaps the most universal appeal and impact; a film can rise above the constraints of language, and cultural barriers through the use of its visual images, music, and sound effects, and can succeed in conveying much the same message to audience of heterogeneous background.” The fact that movies are seen so widely indicates that cinema can cross cultural boundaries. For instance, films from India and China are popular in Nigeria.
despite the fact that they are scarcely understood by the majority of the populace, are consumed. On the other hand, Nigerian movies in Yoruba, Ibo, pidgin, etc. are consumed not just within the confines of Africa but in portions of the Western world and such viewers can generally understand and describe the subject matter of such movies.
Themes from the films are also recognized by the audience. It wouldn’t be incorrect to state that positive effects, when portrayed, would result in positive changes if it were true, as has been demonstrated, that these negative influences cause cultural and behavioral change. Since Nollywood movies have been accused of propagating negative vices, this study aims to analyze the positive societal values, cultural, political, and social value content of Nollywood films in order to better understand how Nollywood has impacted and changed Nigeria.
It is impossible to undervalue the influence of culture, politics, society, and economy on viewers.
Statement of the Research Problem, Section 1.2
According to critics, Nigerian films often depict terrible life styles that viewers imitate, which causes them to exhibit similar attitudes, behaviors, and values. In light of the earlier films that were made, this argument seems persuasive. Yet, given the
Despite the industry’s excellent growth in thematic expressions and production, the assertion is now in doubt. This study will use an analysis of current Nigerian films to demonstrate that the statement is no longer valid.
1.3. Purpose and Goals of the Study.
The purpose of this research project is to prove that Nollywood films convey positive ideals in all facets of society and hence have a beneficial impact on their audience.
Research will look for;
1. To illustrate the different good themes that Nollywood films portray
2. to dispel the myth that Nollywood movies solely depict things that are detrimental to people’s values and standards of behavior and degrade the quality of life.
3. to demonstrate how Nollywood may be made better as a tool for the country’s transformational communication.
1.4. Research Issues
1. What promising trends are hinted at by Nollywood films?
2. Do Nollywood films solely feature content that undermines the standards of living and the values and norms of the populace?
3. How can Nollywood be made more effective as a tool for communication that changes lives?
1.5. The Study’s Purpose
Many current Nollywood films today are filled with admirable principles that would encourage optimism in our behavior. But in order to analyze the social, historical, and political concerns facing our society, three films will be used in this study.
1.6. Reasons for the Study
The general belief in many circles is that Nollywood films promote illegal behavior in viewers, especially young people, in a variety of ways, including violence, sex, robbery, organized crime, prostitution, murder, occultism, treachery, and infidelity. However, for some, Nollywood films have a positive impact on a small number of cultural aspects, such as the triumph of good over evil and love, and can be used as a tool for talent development, entertainment, and communication. The results of this study will demonstrate that Nollywood films contain projections that cause viewers’ attitudes to alter in the way that is intended. The study looked at and examined Nollywood films’ portrayals of societal ideals.
1.7. Research Techniques
This section covers the technique used in this study and the factors that influenced my method selection. The study is a qualitative investigation into the many societal ideals that are portrayed in Nollywood motion pictures. This is in an effort to highlight Nollywood’s enormous contributions to the
the expansion of both Africa’s and our country’s economies. This selection of research methodology is ideal since it produces data from a qualitative study, which aims to comprehend an event deeply rather than superficially by describing a huge sample of the population.
about. A problem can be solved systematically using research technique. It is a science that studies how research should be conducted and the methods researchers use to describe, explain, and forecast events (Chinnathambi, et al., 2013).
1.7.1. choosing the research technique or tool
The research method is an important component since it affects the responses that are received, which in turn confirm the answers being sorted. The descriptive method of research was employed for the purposes of this study. In an effort to describe the descriptive type of study, Creswell (1994) stated that it is to gather knowledge about the current existent
condition. Here, describing is prioritized over evaluating and interpreting. The basic goal of descriptive research is to precisely describe a particular scenario as it was at the time the study was conducted. The descriptive technique is quicker and less expensive financially. Although the judgment in this case is largely subjective, it is flexible in that additional research may be done while the study is ongoing.
The descriptive research approach will be used in this study to evaluate the many societal ideals portrayed in Nollywood films, determine how they have a good effect on viewers, and determine how this positive effect might translate into national development. I choose this approach taking into account the goal of researching the subject (movies) and the literature that is already available. The descriptive method’s adaptability is really helpful to me. Verbal information rather than numerical values is produced using a qualitative technique (Polgar & Thomas, 1995:9). That is to say, qualitative research offers thorough and well-supported descriptions and explanations in addition to unexpected results for developing new theories. Contrary to quantitative data collection methods, which employ statistical analysis, qualitative data collection techniques are exclusively concerned with comprehending the phenomena occurring in their natural manifestations. It is important to keep in mind that qualitative tools produce a more accurate impression of the research environment than statistical analysis and numerical data used in quantitative methods may. Primary and secondary data will be acquired for this research, respectively.
The main information will come from an examination of a few films. whereas secondary information on the other
on the other hand, will be acquired via written works that are pertinent to the topic that have been published.
1.7.2. a discussion of films
Three Nigerian films with a variety of political, social, and historical subjects were examined to see how they represented society ideals. Different values were determined for each film and were given a critical evaluation.
1.7.3. Internet and Library Resources
Without the usage of materials from the library and the internet, it might be very challenging to complete a communication research of this kind. This study will be substantially enhanced by the varied literatures collected from various sources, which will also allow for a better grasp of the theories employed and the analysis performed.
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