Influence Of Nigerian Home Video Films On Criminality

Influence Of Nigerian Home Video Films On Criminality

Chapiter 1

Introduction

Background of the Study, paragraph 1.1

Nigerian films, often known as Nollywood films, are created by the Nigerian film industry using a variety of formats, including video cassette, video compact disc (VCD), and more recently, digital video disc (DVD). These Nigerian films are also broadcast on some channels, including “Africa Magic,” “Nollywood,” “Magic Africa,” etc., on DSTV, “Cine Africa,” “MYTV,” as well as other cable networks that people subscribe to. The audience watches these films on television, which is one of the various forms of media.

In the study of society, it is apparent that the media is one of the socializational agents. This indicates that the media has the power to positively or negatively impact people’s attitudes, personalities, lifestyles, and cultures. Since more and more people in society have access to television as a result of technology, it is crucial to understand what kinds of movies are being created for viewing.

Daramola (2005) asserts that “the mainstream media are particularly potent socializing agents. Newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and movies make up the majority of the mass media. They are impersonal sources that speak to sizable, diverse, and scattered audiences. Although it is debatable what exactly their function in socialization is, they have a significant impact on how news and entertainment are spread. Therefore, a number of studies have linked the mass media, particularly television, to having a significant impact on how children, adolescents, and even adults socialize.

People, most notably children and teens, learn various aggressive and violent activities whether consciously or unconsciously as they repeatedly watch these movies, and the majority of the time they end up exhibiting such acts in their neighborhood, at school, and in other social settings. They are more prone to engage in criminal behaviors including bullying, kicking, raping, and other delinquent actions as a result of watching violent movies. (Oslow, 2003)

Themes in these films include the evils of polygamy, extramarital affairs, elopement, various rituals, cultism, betrayal, marriage, witchcraft, incest, clashes between Western and traditional cultures, landlords and tenants, teenage pregnancies, drug trafficking, campus life, tribal conflicts, religious conflicts, organized crime, murder, etc. (Akpabio, 2003:138-139).

Other films, like those made by Mount Zion Ministries, which aim to propagate the gospel and highlight the evils that occur even in churches, contain subjects that are exclusively based on Christianity and the bad things that happen in churches and among pastors. Examples include “Blood on the altar”, “One careless night”, “Busy but guilty”, etc. A lot of other films might be instructive and depict aspects of Nigerian culture, while others might take the shape of documentaries that trace the development of certain aspects of Nigerian culture over time. The 2010 documentary “Towards a metaphysics” is an illustration of this genre. But sadly, violence—which includes cultism, murder, rape, violent fights, etc.—and romance—which includes sex, nudity, vulgarity, the use of strong language, etc.—are the two themes that are most frequently seen in Nigerian films. Rituals and the usage of conventional medicine are two further recurring themes.

In our modern society, the majority of these themes are obviously negative, which makes them harmful to audience members’ personality and behavior development. This is especially true for young people and children, who are still in the primary and secondary stages of their socialization and learning processes and are therefore susceptible to picking up or adopting attitudes and behaviors from what they see in the movies.

The foundation of the Nigerian cinema business has been the portrayal of negative themes, likely as a result of the profits obtained from the public’s ongoing support as well as the interest the audience members have in pornography, nudity, violence, and similar topics. The business was charged of overemphasizing unfavorable themes. The National Film and Video Censors Board, the industry’s governing body, demanded that production adhere to ethical standards while depicting violence, crimes, sex, pornography, vulgarity, obscenity, and other sensitive topics in movies (NFVBC, 2000:107–111).

Most Nigerian films nowadays have gotten progressively worse over time, especially those that feature sex, pornography, and vulgarity. A comparison of older movies like “Outcast 1 & 2” and “Night Out (Girls for sale),” which were made in 1999 and 2000, with more recent ones like “Dirty Secret” and “Men in Love,” which were made in 2010 and 2011, has demonstrated from experience that the level of portrayal of nudity, pornography, and sex has gotten worse than before, and actors and actresses are now more at ease with being nude, while acting.

Some viewers will undoubtedly get more interested in pornography as a result of this, and some may even develop an addiction. In addition to raising the number of reports of rape, this will also lead to an increase in adolescent pregnancies, abortions, and the abandonment of undesired children, which will raise the number of children who need to be cared for in motherless baby homes.

Another problem is the ongoing creation and release of these films, which proves that despite the nature of the majority of these films, consumers still support them by purchasing them for private watching or for rental in video stores.

Because it directly affects them, it is crucial to learn what the audience members think about the nature of some of the themes portrayed in home videos as well as what their attitudes toward such movies are when attempting to understand how home videos can pose as malign to our contemporary society.

1.2 Definition of the Issue

Children, teenagers, and young adults would unquestionably be found to make up the majority of moviegoers in Nigeria if an examination or study were to be conducted on this topic. Due to the obligations they must undertake to go to work, make a living, and design a home, older people will make up the minority. The youth gradually lose interest in watching movies as they mature and grow into adults because they start to give some activities more priority than others and also start to feel more responsible (Daramola, 2005).

According to a research by Liebert and Poulson (1972), which Hess at al (1988) quoted, children in Canada start watching television before they turn three. A child will have spent more time in front of the television by the time they are eighteen than in any other place, including school. Children in the USA watch more than three hours of television every day.

According to Schaefer and Lamm’s (1997) study, watching television takes up the greatest time among young people, second only to sleeping. In particular in the big centres, the same trend is present in modern-day Nigeria. Every day, it’s fairly usual to see kids viewing videos and movies.

Since viewers of Nigerian films are also members of society and the media, particularly television, has the power to shape how people behave, the negative impacts of these videos will also indirectly have an impact on society as a whole. That is to say, if people change their behavior as a result of watching these films, it could have an indirect impact on society by causing issues such as an increase in rape reports, abortion, the overcrowding of homes for motherless babies caused by unwanted babies, violence, higher crime rates, and juvenile delinquency, among other issues.

In order to determine the extent of the malevolence of Nigerian films in modern culture, this study will examine the nature and subject matter of these films as well as the reasons why audiences continue to watch them in spite of their pernicious content.

1.3 The Study’s Objectives

The main goal of this study is to determine how Nigerian films have affected society as a whole.

The following are the study’s particular goals:-

to determine whether negative elements are overemphasized in Nigerian cinema.

to determine the drawbacks or negative consequences of watching movies from Nigeria.

to learn how indirectly Nigerian films may influence society.

To make recommendations for methods to stop or lessen the harm or malice that Nigerian movies have produced in our modern society.

1.4 Research Prompts

In this study, we’ll look for solutions to issues like:

Are negative elements in Nigerian movies overemphasized?

What drawbacks or adverse effects are related to watching movies from Nigeria?

What unintended consequences might Nigerian movies have on society?

1.4 Research Propositions

1st Hypothesis

Ho: There is no conclusive connection between criminality and Nigerian video films.

Hi:There is a strong correlation between criminality and Nigerian video films.

2. Hypothesis

Watching Nigerian films has no drawbacks or bad impacts, according to Ho.

Hi: There are drawbacks or unfavorable affects of viewing Nigerian movies.

1.6 Importance of the Research

It is clear that Nollywood has a significant negative impact on Nigeria’s violent crime rate. The fact that none of the filmmakers openly advocate for the suppression of the harmful inclinations depicted in these movies is concerning. The films that employ violence to convey their messages fall short because movie makers fail to make any powerful statements against social evils. The implication is that these movies likely to exacerbate violent acts in society rather than reduce them. 1999: Folarin.

The essay examines the perniciousness of Nigerian films in our modern society. The study does not contest the fact that television, a form of media, is also very helpful to learning and development processes and, in fact, helps people socialize by enabling them to fit into society more easily due to the amount of information conveyed to the audience through well-coordinated motion pictures with various contents and storylines.

Home films are a powerful tool for communication that have the potential to mislead viewers, particularly children who are still developing and are at a sensitive time of life. Furthermore, because young people learn more readily from what they see or see than from what they hear, such an impression could pose a serious issue for the entire society.

This study should be used as a resource for students and other researchers who will be conducting research on related studies, nevertheless, as every research activity is supposed to add to the body of knowledge.

Additionally, Nigerian filmmakers will profit from the information provided here as a benchmark for assessing the severity of their flaws and contrasting them with their strengths, which could serve as a roadmap to improving their flaws for the sake of their work and society at large.

The importance of this study is also justified by the fact that it will significantly advance knowledge of the harmful effects of home videos or the malevolent nature of some home videos toward our modern society, which will motivate filmmakers to enhance the caliber and content of their works.

Additionally, parents will learn about the detrimental impacts of movies and how they can affect both the immediate and long-term conduct of their children. This would lead them to look for ways to monitor their kids’ watching behavior and make them aware of the movies they watch and the themes they contain. As a result, this would lessen the bad effects and level of evil created by watching movies in our modern culture.

Film producers will then attempt to abide by National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) laws by differentiating the age ratings for different movies, while the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation will also attempt to review and censor the films before they are released. On the other hand, parents will make sure that kids only watch the movies that are appropriate for their various ages.

To sum up, this study is important since it aims to analyze the negative movie themes and their consequences on individuals and society as a whole, as well as to identify and suggest potential remedies to stop the problem by tracing its roots. The study looks for ways to lessen and regulate the issue even though it could be impossible to totally eradicate it.

1.7 Study Scope and Limitations

this investigation on how Nigerian home video films affect criminality.

Study Limitations

1. Financial constraints: A researcher’s ability to gather data (through the internet, a questionnaire, and interviews) and locate pertinent materials, literature, or information is often hindered by a lack of funding.

2. Time limitation – The researcher will conduct this study in addition to other academic assignments at the same time. As a result, less time will be spent on the research project.