Nigerian artists and creatives, in general, have taken an innovative step, to no longer tell their stories as positively as they used to. Rather, tell their stories truthfully, which indeed, hopefully will take the glow of the single portrayal both in the music and movie industry. Fela Anikulapo Kuti wisely said, “The Nigeria music is not just a big sound; rather, a sound of community.’’ The Nigerian movie industry is also known as Nollywood, and the music industry as Afrobeat Specialist. These are the most recognized creative twins in Nigeria.
In 2021, I was fortunate to host and participate in webinars with delegates across the world, as a writer, and a global citizen who studied Human Anatomy at the Federal University of Technology Akure. I asked Gaurav Vyas, a fellow Indian delegate. “Have you watched any Nigerian movies or movies produced by a Nigerian set outside Nigeria?’’ He replied, “I love your country’s movies, especially the dwarf twins, and particularly their gesture.’’ I didn’t understand the response. I paused and asked what he meant by the dwarf twins. After another pause, he sent a YouTube video link. I was drastically stunned to see that an Indian loved the famous Aki and Pawpaw. It had not occurred to me that an Asian could love Nollywood production despite technical odds. Realization encapsulated and revitalized my thinking about the Nigerian creative industry. Indeed, non-Nigerians love Nollywood because of the lustrous truth the movie tells, and how it ultimately resonates by informing, educating, and entertaining its viewers.
Lance Imasuen, a Nollywood filmmaker and director said, “Basically, most Nollywood films seem to be very presentational, didactic, and we are very particular about moralistic films. There are hardly any Nollywood films that just set out to entertain, without an inherent, strong social message to pass.” This is a very uniquely self-evident truth. Nollywood isn’t necessarily interested in movie genres like Science Fiction, and Fantasy; the creation of unrealistic, but appetizingly and amusingly fascinating worlds. But in realistic movies such as the movies that explicitly portray the injustices of female circumcision and marginalization; movies that sermonize the detestation of promiscuity or cheating in marriages; movies that primarily inform that marriage is not a language of ownership but rather, a language of partnership; movies that portray the reduction of social injustices, family drama, and market or commercial enmity instead of healthy and kind competition. All of these are not positive stories, but true and lived-experienced stories.
Nollywood’s success is on the premise of seeking the truth through storytelling, and we now live in a world where only storytelling can really and deeply tell us who we truly are. To seek the truth that will take on the glow of strategically dressed lies. Both the Nigerian movie and music industries have dived into the newness by changing the rules, because according to a wise saying, ‘‘What is true today can become false tomorrow but doesn’t mean it was not true yesterday.’’
Dr. Olakunle Soriyan, a public thinker and intellectual, wisely admonished the creatives in the Nigerian entertainment or creative industry, on the Honest Bunch Podcast about ‘Changing the Rules’:
“There must be science and practicality to starting. Zero is a lot, and everyone started from zero. Your dreams are looking for you as a creative and you are also looking for your dream and for thirty years, the both of you are missing each other. As a creative, your legacy is directly proportional to what you did with people, places, and events. Creatives in the Nigerian entertainment industry must critically learn the concept of management; the ability to start, stop, slow, fast, increase, and decrease.”
He further spoke on the importance of understanding imperfection, not as an error; the human error, but as an avenue to increase, to invent, and possibly innovate as a creative individual.
“The imperfection of today is the relevance of tomorrow. If the people of today are perfect, tomorrow’s people will have no relevance. Everything in life is in a state of existence, a phase of development, and a season of usefulness. The system of the world does not celebrate or sleep in mediocrity. Rather they sleep in excellence as an imperfection. The same goes for any creative industry. The next level of a car or any product is in the already existing product as an imperfection. Any supplier of perfection has never been born, and will never be born. We should all stop seeing imperfection as a problem in the creative industry. We should see it as a pathway, as a door, and not a trouble. Every creative individual in Nigeria should be careful, watchful, and mindful of what to criticize because it has a way of crawling back into one’s life. We should understand the imperfection of life and that everything we call ‘genius’ is the master fullness of imperfection that is repurposed into relevance. Signals, instructions, feedback, pauses are the tools for the industry to grow.”
A few years ago, as an undergraduate student, a church member and faculty mate, said to me that if I kept watching Nigerian movies, my sense of reasoning would depreciate. But she didn’t know that I secretly, on my terms; self-paced, watched other movies and series such as New Amsterdam, The Good Doctor, Grey’s Anatomy, The Code Black, and How to Get Away with Murder. I wanted to use terminologies and sentence construction to ground and solidify my presentations and examinations as a Basic Medical Student. She was wrong. My friend was dismissive of Nollywood, of the productions, the Themes and Plots. She had focused ultimately on the technical glitches of the filming process rather than the didacticism. Didactic artistry truly sharpens the human mind to face the perils and ugliness of life, because life is not ideological. Anything can happen. She didn’t see the cross-cultural displays and gests that are solely true about villages and ethnic groups across the country. These are the things non-Nigerians see in Nollywood, love so much, and also use in their Academic assessments and tasks (especially foreign students of Political Science, Culture, and History).
Nollywood is highly successful because it tells stories with nuances, and all complexities, and with no apology. The famous Jenifa’s Diary, which is a highly hilarious but educative series is widely watched across Africa, America, and Europe. What about movies like Omo Ghetto the Saga, Sugar Rush, Gangs of Lagos, Battle on Buka Street, and The Wedding Party? Non-Nigerians are stunned not only at the creative productions but also that these movies addressed societal issues and to an extent, global issues that resonate, such as the conspired assassination of a family because a character refused to politically compromise. Or about a character who failed tests and exams in refusing to have a sexual relationship with a lecturer as seen in the movie Citation, produced by Kunle Afolayan. What else could Nollywood portray if not these keenly realistic stories, affecting the human race and robbing people of dignity? Has it occurred to my friend that, just the way I used the information in the movies I watched could very well be the same mindset a non-Nigerian had in using the stories of Nollywood to ground their presentation and creativity?
As a child growing up in Badagry, I loved Wizkid and Tope Alabi, and my reason was that I thought Wizkid as a young fast-rising artist almost twenty years ago had an amazing voice and whether Tope Alabi had studied philosophy in school. Her songs are full of wisdom. The Nigerian music industry is globally successful and will continue to be because of creatively crafted lyricism. How? Why? Slang, tales, stories, and admonitions are sermonized in harmonies and melodies. The influential mix of culture, traditions, and modernity justify the claim, as seen in Omo Anifowose by Olamide, Always Win by Sinach, Lonely at the Top by Asake, Assurance by Davido, and also in creative legends: Ebenezer Obey, Sunny Ade, Tope Alabi, Sir Shina Peters, and Fela Anikulapo Kuti.
Ayo Animashaun, a Nigerian entrepreneur said, “The success of the Nigerian music industry in terms of money-making, audience engagement, and insight, is not because of the artists’ voice, but majorly because Nigeria artists are very smart people in business; always alert to jump and creatively add to trendy subjects in the world.’’ Anderson Obiagwu, an Afrobeat promoter, who spends most of his time in the United States also said, in paraphrase “The success of the Nigerian music industry is on the premise of utility, not just on the creation of wealth. From my experience, Nigerian artists always call for assistance in concert preparation and how the audience would be engaged in host countries. Reciprocally, the artist gets informed and in turn, would think of how the music could connect with the culture.’’
Nigerian music industry will continually thrive if the immense potential is harnessed to facilitate the vitality of the creative industry and the Nigerian economy. Moreover, the Copyright law is immensely involved in the success of the Nigerian music industry. Mr. Mayo Ayilaran, Chief Executive Officer of the Music Copyright Society of Nigeria said, “There are so many levels of exploitation. The artist will take his performance fee, but it is the content that we are after. The protection of the content is what we are after. The content belongs to us though it may not be composed by the artist. As long as the artist is a Nigerian, it belongs to us.’’
The Nigerian music industry does not stick to one style of music. Nigerian artists create songs for educational campaigns, political campaigns, commercials, carnivals, festivals, religion, occultism, movie soundtracks, marriage, and romance with mixed influences. Dayo Adeneye, professionally and popularly recognized as D1, explicitly commented on the Nigerian music industry as a co-founder of Kennis Music on the Honest Bunch Podcast.
“It is highly important for people to see your potential and harness it. If you can sell your product to about ten percent of Nigerians, then you have made a breakthrough. As a creative in the music industry, do not go into it because you want to make money. Rather go into it primarily because you want to add value. Kennis’ music had some of the best creatives in the world: Sir Shina Peters, King Sunny Ade, Lagbaja, Jaywon, Sound Sultan, Eedris Abdulkareem, 2face, and Black Face. It is important to know that in this music industry; division of labour is very important. If you think that you can do it alone, in an evolved, civilized, and digitalized world, then there is the possibility of not lasting longer. Frankly, there is so much struggling in the music industry because divided labour is starved.”
Nollywood and the Nigeria music industry are glowing, and of course, as the giant of Africa, continues to shine all over the world ranging from getting support from the government, utilizing the tiniest advantages or resources, business orientation, and understanding of the terms and conditions involved, the creativity in lyricism, the unapologetic determination to seeking truths in storytelling with nuances and complexities, and the aim to ultimately educate, entertain and inform.
The legendary Anayo Modestus Onyekwerem professionally and popularly recognized as Kanayo O. Kanayo, spoke on the Gospel of Nollywood on the Honest Bunch Podcast.
“The Nollywood that has existed for over forty years needs to be protected. The creatives need to know and understand that the industry was built with tears, sweat, and blood. The pioneers were constantly battered and not all of them had their health in place. Some have lost their sound healths. For the industry to thrive, there should never be room to stifle creativity. The young and the old are needed; the industry needs the wisdom and experience of the old and the strength of the young. Under what ministry should Nollywood operate? The Nollywood should be operated under the Ministry of Culture and not the Ministry of Information.”
The Nigerian entertainment or creative industry, specifically the music and movie industries indeed humanize stories and connects culture. But fundamentally focuses on its vision. The vision is not only to shine but also to last; to last longer. It is transgenerational because of proper mentorship. There is proper mentorship in both industries not as a platform for dictations but as a platform to expand the ‘Wisdom table.’
Author: Celestine Reuben