CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background Of The Study

Without a question, the Nigerian home video sector has become a phenomenon in the country. Home movies, also known as Nollywood, have grown commonplace in social settings (Haynes, & Okome, O. 2000). Many broadcast stations are now airing them as part of their entertainment lineup, preserving their potential for socializing effects and aiding the sector’s growth. In elucidating the industry’s development approach, Uduakobong(2013) said that themes and concentration, among other things, enable Nigerian video to prosper. The presentation of topics and subject matter in Nigerian home movies, on the other hand, has been the most contentious of the sector’s problems. The films are plainly a glorification of violence, covert hooliganism, and a high degree of ritualism, according to the critics. This includes not just organized faiths’ and cults’ worship exercises and sacraments, but also rites of passage, atonement and purification rites, vows of allegiance, gory dedication ceremonies, and a variety of other ritualistic acts. According to Akpabio (2012), Nigerian home videos depict a dramatic story involving a fight between good and evil, which generally includes supernatural elements as well as the plots, schemes, and machinations of people who want to acquire fortune and live a luxurious lifestyle. Even when the home video films are intended to teach a lesson, the heinousness of the plot and characters, as represented in unusual visuals, makes it difficult to do so.

The tale is so intricately woven that the events are primarily ritualistic in nature. Plots about some people becoming affluent by deviant means and others reinforcing themselves through fetish interaction continued to hold sway (Kumwenda, 2008).

Unfortunately, even in modern culture, most home recordings flourish on the now-familiar terrain of ritualized behaviors presentation. These are horrific depictions of ghosts or human beings whose normal activities have been disrupted. The use of rituals and grotesque characters to create situations in which luxury and wealth transport the performers from everyday life to a realm of fantasy is a recurring theme in these films (Okeckukwu, 2016). Despite the fact that this path to the fictitious realm of prosperity is typically littered with heinous acts and personalities, it is their existence and practice that brings “success” to the story. In truth, success is frequently temporary, and it may be more akin to an aberration of reality than the creation of a new permanent reality. The significance of these behaviors in home videos cannot be stressed, as Nigerian teenagers are constantly looking for ways to escape their difficulties. As a result, the focus of this research is on determining the impact of excessive ritual elements in Nigerian home movies.

Statement Of The Problem

The decline in celluloid filmmaking and the increase in the availability of video technology and hardware have resulted in a thriving Nigerian home-video market. The entry of the Igbo people from Nigeria’s south-eastern area into the sector in the early 1990s had an impact on the industry’s structure (Nwogu, 2007). As a result, the rate at which “films” (as they are commonly known in Nigeria) are produced, particularly by the Igbos, far outweighs their utility in the advancement of the public good. The use of sacrifice rituals to create situations in which luxury and riches transport the players from everyday reality to a realm of fantasy is a recurring theme in these films (Okon, 2015). The sacrifices that must be made in order to complete the rite. This triumph, on the other hand, typically turns out to be transitory, a blip on the radar rather than a new reality (Kumwenda, 2008). The films’ purported moral goal is to depict a type of wicked behavior in order to prevent others from engaging in it. The shape and manner in which the persons in the recorded “rituals” are portrayed: wonderfully prosperous and successful, the video-films enhance the efficiency of rituals more than anything else (Akpabio 2012). The selective scapegoatism of failure, which leaves most of them not only unpunished but even “rewarded,” strengthens the belief and maybe pushes the desire to perform and complete such rituals as a quick and easy way to riches, rather than acting as a deterrent.

Objective Of The Study

The main goal of this research is to look into the impact of overly religious themes in Nigerian home films. The following are the precise goals:

i. Determine if excessive ceremonial motifs in Nigerian home movies have an impact on viewers’ perceptions of wealth creation.

ii. Determine whether the presence of excessive ritual themes in Nigerian home videos affects viewers’ interest in ritual activities.

iii. Determine whether there is a link between excessive ritual themes in Nigerian home movies and an increase in Nigerian ritual behaviors.

Research Hypothesis

During the course of this research, the following hypothetical propositions will be validated.

H01: In Nigerian home movies, excessive ceremonial elements had little effect on viewers’ perceptions of wealth generation.

H02: In Nigerian home videos, excessive ritual themes have no effect on viewers’ interest in ritual activities.

H03: There is no link between excessive ritual themes in Nigerian home videos and an increase in Nigerian ritual practices.

Significance Of The Study

In recent years, the depiction of ritual practices in most Nigerian home movies has increased, and the implications, particularly for children, cannot be overlooked. As a result, the implications of excessive ritual themes in Nigerian films will be critically examined in this study. As a result of the study, the Nigerian government would recognize the necessity to plan on screening and controlling what the movie business is exhibiting through television shows in order to protect the society’s cultural, social, and moral behavior. Similarly, the study will draw the attention of important communication bodies in the country to the necessity for controlled home video production and consumption, necessitating the prohibition of certain films that are incompatible with our culture, tradition, and morals. It will also be used as a literature review by future scholars. This means that other students interested in conducting research in this field will be able to access this work as available literature that may be critically reviewed. Invariably, the study’s findings make a significant contribution to the body of scholarly knowledge on the influence of excessive ritual motifs in Nigerian home movies.

Scope Of The Study

The impact of excessive ceremonial elements in Nigerian home movies is investigated in this study. To fully realize the desired outcome, the research will focus on the impact of excessive ritual themes in Nigerian home videos on viewers’ perceptions of wealth creation, the impact of excessive ritual themes in Nigerian home videos on viewers’ interest in ritual activities, and the link between excessive ritual themes in Nigerian home videos and an increase in ritual practices in Nigeria. As a result, the study would be limited to Benin, Edo State.

 Limitation Of The Study

The researcher ran into some minor roadblocks while conducting the research, as with any human endeavor. Insufficient funds hamper the researcher’s efficiency in locating relevant materials, literature, or information, as well as in the data collection process, which is why the researcher chose a small sample size. Furthermore, the researcher was working on this study while also doing other academic work. As a result, the time spent on research will be cut in half.

Definition Of Terms

Prerecorded videocassettes or videodiscs offered for home viewing are known as home video.

Ritualism is defined as the frequent observation or practice of ritual, especially when it is excessive or performed without regard for its purpose.

Reference

Akpabio is a Nigerian politician (2012). A Reconsideration of African Traditional Religion in Nigerian Video Films.

J. Haynes and O. Okome, “Evolving Popular Media: Nigerian Video Films,” in J. Haynes, Nigerian Video Films, 2000.

Kumwenda, Kumwenda, Kumwenda, Kumw From rituals to films: A case study of Igbo culture’s visual rhetoric in Nollywood films

L.I. Nwogu, L.I. Nwogu, L.I. Nwo (2007). Cultural Promotion and Image Representation in Nigerian Films Department of Theatre and Performing Arts, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria, M.A. Dissertation

Okeckukwu, Okeckukwu, Okeckukwu, Ok (2016). The Impact of Nollywood’s Portrayal of Witchcraft/Voodoo on Nigerian Development

G.B. Okon, G.B. Okon, G.B. Okon (2015). A Portharcourt City Survey Examines Viewers’ Reactions to Excessive Ritual Themes in Nigerian Home Videos.

Uduakobong, Uduakobong, Uduakobong, Udu To revitalize Nollywood, a ministerial oath was taken.

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