Sustaining Igbo royalty culture through Nigerian Nollywood films
Abstract Prevailing challenges to cultural preservation and development in contemporary world created by globalization and enhanced through informat...
Abstract
Prevailing challenges to cultural preservation and development in contemporary world created by globalization and enhanced through information communication technologies (ICTs) have led to corruption and/or diffusion of cultures. This study seeks to identify how Nollywood films have been used for the preservation of royalty culture of the Igbo people of Nigeria. Thirty (30) Nollywood films of English production with Igbo cultural setting were purposively selected and content analyzed within the framework of framing theory to identify royalty culture contents and respective portrayals. Interview method was further employed to merely to corroborate the findings obtained from content analysis; five key respondents of Igbo extraction and those knowledgeable in subject culture were interviewed. Based on two hundred and two (202) scenes and cases analysed as well as interview, portrayals of Igbo royalty culture in the films were viewed as reasonably represented even though there are some incidences of exaggeration and misrepresentations. Key informants attribute such to the impact of interrelatedness through globalization and cultural transfer as well as conscious acts of the filmmakers to show creativity through understanding of their roles as communicators and employment of effective research, Nollywood filmmakers would be better involved in producing films that would enhance cultural preservation.
Key Words: Nollywood Films, Igbo Royalty, Cultural Preservation, Filmmakers, Framing
*Sunday Uduakobong is of the Department of Broadcasting, School of Communication, Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos, Nigeria
**Rotimi Williams Olatunji, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Public Relations and Advertising, School of Communication, Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos, Nigeria
***Sunday Olayinka Alawode, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Broadcasting, School of Communication, Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos, Nigeria
AMCRON Journal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 10, No. 2, October 2018: 149 – 160