Nollywood, morality and Nigerian youths

A typical Nigerian of any tribe or religion does not believe in sex before marriage; the two dominant religions ¬– Islam and Christianity – are openly against such, and the instruction is stated explicitly in their holy books. That is also in line with the culture of Nigerians. As a result of constant portrayal of […]

A typical Nigerian of any tribe or religion does not believe in sex before marriage; the two dominant religions ¬– Islam and Christianity – are openly against such, and the instruction is stated explicitly in their holy books. That is also in line with the culture of Nigerians. As a result of constant portrayal of sex scenes by Nollywood movies, Nigerian youths are psychologically altered into believing that sex is a casual act that is necessary between two people of the opposite sex that find each other attractive.
Nollywood promotes adultery and immoral acts through portraying them in the movies they produce. For example, consider this scenario: the movie ‘Room 027’ (not yet released) features Collins Onochei and Chinelo Emechukwu in various steamy sex scenes, visibly stark naked. Collins Onochei, while talking to newsmen recently about the uproar the movie trailer is causing and how it is being compared to soft porn by concerned Nigerians, said: “’Room 027’ is nothing close to a soft porn movie. I have no interest in nudity, and I just did my job as an actor.” He defended his act and even referred to Nigerians as hypocrites for watching Spartacus, a popular American series filled with sex scenes.
It is quite obvious to any Nigerian that has watched the trailer of the movie ‘Room 027’ that it is an X-rated movie, at least by Nigerian standards. Is it then a surprise that Nollywood’s success has come at a dangerous price by corrupting the minds of Nigerian youths who mostly perceive the actors and actresses as role models and often try to imitate their acts? Sometimes it is hard to imagine that the script that often promotes sex and rape are written by people who are themselves parents!
It is therefore important that parents should pay attention to what kind of Nollywood movies their children are exposed to. Supervision of movie watching becomes necessary and sex education is also recommended for schools. Nollywood should try to depict the culture of the country. Whatever happened to movies like ‘Amina’, a Nollywood movie that analysed the traditions of the people of the North; or ‘Things Fall Apart’ a movie depicting traditions of the Igbo people, with lessons appropriate for any age.
It is as if there is no censorship regime in Nigeria, and that the Nigerian Film and Video Censorship Board (NFVCB) appears to be just a branch of Nollywood.
A movie industry that entertains as well as educates is what the Nigerian youth need.
Hadiza Aminu Goni, Department of Mass Communication, University of Maiduguri.