140248 VO Nollywood: Nigerian Video Films - From Rags to Riches (2014W)

The proposed course will trace the phenomenon of self-financed African produced video films in Nigeria tracing an arc from the late 1980s to the present. The African film industry has undergone radical changes that reflect an increasingly globalized economy, technological innovations and rapid developments in patterns of cultural production and consumption. This revolution is characterized by the low-budget video camera made films commonly referred to as Nollywood. While these films have come under criticism for their low production value and popularization of negative cultural stereotypes, the Nigerian video industry has risen to enormous proportions and has risen far beyond its initial local audience focus to reach all of Africa and beyond. The purpose of this course is to examine the rise of Nollywood and the genesis of a popular African art form. Through a combination of films and readings, students will explore how Nollywood, in comparison with the established FESPACO film industry and Hollywood, depicts the society and culture of Nigeria, and Africa as a whole. In addition, the course will engage students in debates on how popular films affect historical imaginations and memory. This course will introduce Nollywood and provide students with the necessary theoretical tools to understand and decode this phenomenon.