THE EFFECTS OF HOME VIDEO AND MOVIES INDUSTRY ON THE SOCIO-MORAL BEHAVIOURS AND CRIME PREVENTION IN NIGERIA
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1. 1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
One of the most popular pastimes in modern Africa is the video film. It has become a newfound love for the African mind. This is largely due to its accessibility to a large audience, which includes
children and adolescents when compared to an older form of media
production, such as film. According to Larkin (2002:14), “African video films” refer to the rise of filmmaking in Nigeria that is shot entirely on video but is still referred to as “films” locally. These films are not the art cinema that is more commonly seen at African film festivals, but they are truly popular, which means that not only do they command a large African audience, but their production and financing are entirely dependent on how well they perform in the market. With the rise of video
Many people (Africans and non-Africans) are becoming concerned about our home movies and films: how and what the actors and actresses are acting. Modern man lives in the shadow of an ever-present threat of self-annihilation; “advances in technology have provided mankind with at least that much. The much desired
Technology has evolved into something akin to the Frankenstein monster.
Monster”. (Wollstonecraft 1931:10) (Wollstonecraft 1931:10) This is truer than anywhere else.
It is more apparent than in the mass media that it has concerned
persons with many questions. According to Felid (1991:10), the media is very powerful in molding and shaping popular opinion because a single message is transmitted simultaneously to millions of people. Their effects are immediate, dramatic, and personal. The concerns expressed by
When one considers the monumental transformations that information technology has wrought in the world in the second half of the twentieth century, the field is not unfounded. It is currently assumed that information technology replicates itself every three years. It influences as it grows. Mba E; General Director; National Film and Video
In his speech to the Youth Achievers Conference, Censor Board
On March 31st, 2006, Abuja also highlighted the tremendous
The influence of mass media, particularly film, on the
any country’s social and economic development, particularly ours
Nigeria is a beloved country. He states, “There is no doubt that we are in the information age and facing globalization challenges, and that most countries now recognize that if the society It must embrace globalization and transform into a knowledge or information society if it is to develop. And that today, more than at any other time in human history, people not only know what is going on around the world and more familiar to other cultures through multi-media such as news, radio, music, film and internet, they often demand it as their “democratic right. (Mba 2002:23-3). The video film and electromagnetic tape films are easily produced on a shoestring budget. Aside from the low cost of this type of media production, the masses in much of Africa, particularly Nigerians, are easily reached. As a result, home video films have grown in popularity among Africans. It’s also interesting because it’s become a veritable expression of African modernity.
year, employs 300,000 people, and generates well over N5 billion in revenue: with a growth rate of 60%, the industry is bursting at the seams.
These groundbreaking achievements of video film as opposed to the sluggishness of celluloid film as forms of media production in Africa indicate the need for an urgent revision of the continent’s filmmaking concept.
Only the most irrational liberal would deny that, just as movies can help bring about positive changes in beliefs, lifestyles, and behavior, they can also cause negative changes. Today, the government, parents, and even consumers in Nigeria have spoken out against the negative content of our films, with the vast majority of them containing ritual scenes, graphic-groups, and the like.
Our beloved institutions are being abused.
“I can’t count up to ten movies that portray Nigeria and its institutions as professional or something one should look up to,” Mba (2002:23-3) says in his speeches to the youths in Abuja.
However, looking at the situation today, it is heartbreaking, as the African giant remains a wishful thinking and nice dream of some sort of paradise that has yet to be realized. In this light, one can see that the plight of the home video and movie industries is due to the contradictions in our religious and social structures. The reality of the video industry is a situation that necessitates further investigation. The hue and cry is not all for nothing.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Despite the fact that the Nigerian Home Video Industry has only been around for a few years, it has become a household name. It has a large and engaged audience and covers every aspect of Nigerian society. Its impact on culture, religion, and morality has caused considerable concern. Conservatives are concerned about the possible consequences of the incursion into traditional values such as culture and morality. Some calm these fears by saying that, “it is only entertainment, it is just to help people relax and take time off the medium of their chores. There is nothing to be concerned about.
They claim it does not raise any relevant moral issues. However, the reality of the video Industry has presented us with a situation that necessitates an immediate response. How did the video film phenomenon known as “Home video,” “Nollywood,” and “Naijawood,” among other terms, emerge in Nigerian media culture? What kind of reception do Nigerian video films receive in other countries? And why do they give the films such favorable treatment? These are the issues that the researcher wishes to investigate.
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of this study is to look into the impact of the home video industry in Nigeria from the standpoint of sociomoral implications. The main task is to determine whether or not the productions of this industry in Nigeria have any socioeconomic or moral significance. The following are specific to this purpose:
i. To look into the recent concern expressed by some Nigerians about the industry.
ii. Determine the artists’ and producers’ reactions to the reasons for the concerns.
iii. To examine the public’s attitudes toward home video movies as consumers and observers.
iv. To investigate the socio-moral behavior and cultural implications of the new culture of video watching in Nigerians’ lives.
v. To make contributions by proposing some objective criteria for evaluating the Home Video Industry in general.
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This work will be used as part of library research for future research on this topic.
This work’s information will be useful not only to the general public, but also to future generations.
The work will be extremely useful to future researchers working on a similar topic or subject, either by criticizing or developing it to a high standard.
It will be a valuable addition to the library’s extensive collection of literature on the subject.
1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This work will focus on the entire activities of the Nigerian home video industry, the socio-moral impact on Nigerian citizens, and the response of the church and other social structures.
1.6 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
In order to get to the heart of this work, the researcher takes a multifaceted approach.
To gather information, the researcher used both primary and secondary sources. Secondary source materials included books, journal articles, encyclopedias, dictionaries, magazines, unpublished project works, and so on. The questionnaire schedule was created as the primary method of gathering oral information from respondents. Structured and unstructured questionnaire items were created in order to elicit information from these respondents. Respondents were required to be at least twenty years old.
The researcher used descriptive and analytical approaches to interpret the data collected.
1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS
The key terms used in this work must be defined because, according to Aristotle and Cicero, “inio disputandi, est definitio – nominis” (that is a discussion to be intelligible; it must begin with definition of terms).
Pornographic movies:
Shields (2004:197) defines it as the depiction of human sexuality in print or on screen in ways that elicit sexual desire and/or sexual fantasy in the reader or viewer. Because of the way sexual attraction works, the female of the species is usually presented in varying degrees of undress, but there is a growing trend towards parallel focus on the mate. Pornography, like drugs or gambling, is highly addictive and can become the Master of those who use it.
it. It is common knowledge that reading or viewing pornographic materials can lead to prostitution, which is an immoral act.
Morality:
Morality is a common term in our modern society. No society can exist without morals, according to Harry in Agha (2003:41). And that their morals are those standards of behavior that any reasonable person would approve of. Morality, according to Peschke (1975:76), is:
That actions are judged as good or evil based on how well they contribute to the realization of values such as happiness, self-perception, or temporal progress.
The morally good is rather relative to another value, which is considered superior, and whose promotion or impairment is the measure of moral goodness.
Hornby defines voodooism as a religion that is practiced.
It is especially prevalent in Hattie and involves magic and witchcraft. Today’s Nigerian films are mostly about voodoo.
Religious triumphalism is also defined by Hornby as (disapproving) behavior that celebrates a victory or success in a way that is too proud and intended to irritate the people you have defeated. The Christianity that emerges on screen is unrealistic, a “crossless” Christianity in which the gospel victories are shrouded in eschatological terms. The name Jesus, when invoked, is like a magical word.
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