NOLLYWOOD FILMS AS NIGERIA’S IMAGE MAKER IN CAMEROON: A STUDY OF CAMEROONIAN STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS
Keywords:
Nigeria’s Image Problem, Nollywood Films, Perception, Cultural Representation, Nation BrandingAbstract
Theories on Nollywood films’ contribution to the Nigerian image crisis have not really followed from empirical studies. In effect, most commentators who support the thesis of Nollywood’s negative effects on the Nigerian image hinge on the unproven premise that a good number of Nigerian video films represent Nigeria in a negative light. Thus, these commentators stand on mere assumptions to conclude that Nollywood films unarguably contribute immensely to the Nigeria’s image problem on the international stage. In this paper, the claims made by the above mentioned commentators are tested through an empirical study of Cameroonian students’ perception of Nigeria as informed by their Nollywood film experience. The paper specifically hinges on a quasi-experiment involving 50 Anglophone and Francophone students drawn from the University of Dschang (Cameroon). The students were exposed to two Nigerian films (My Husband’s Wealth and Oluture) and asked to describe their perceptions of schools, law enforcement institutions, economic development, cultures and governance in Nigeria. The quasi-experiment revealed that the students under study perceived Nigeria mainly in a negative light. The paper suggests a number of imperatives for Nollywood to be reoriented and to serve better as Nigeria’s image maker.
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