CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Home video in Nigerian has been recognized as an emerging art, a veritable and accessible means of communication. It showcase the human society and they capture the habits and cultural belief of people. This why Ayakoroma (2006) opines that through “the combination of sight, sound and motion” video films “make their representation of reality very vivid to the audience”. The audiovisual quality of the video film medium privileges it to create acceptable narratives for a given society. This is especially so because video films capture life with a fidelity that minimizes the gap between reality and make-believe. That is, they have the capacity to influence or re-write the cultural narratives of a people, either positively or negatively. Indeed, the video film industry of any society provides an alternative means of socio-cultural documentation.
The Nigerian cinema, popularly referred to as Nollywood, has directed the attention of Nigerians to their documented shared experiences. Nwogu (2010) citing ZebEjiro, notes that:
“Before Nigerian home video came, we watched foreign movies in our homes and during the vacuum created by the non-existence of an indigenous entertainment; the foreign movies took over the market. 90% of what Nigerians were watching was foreign movies. But when Nigerian movie came, we (the practitioners) fought the battle and the reverse is the case. Now, 90% of what Nigerians watch is Nigerian home movies, only 10% of foreign movies” (26).
The assertion above clearly demonstrates that, to a great extent, Nigerians now prefer Nollywood video films to Western video films. Omoera and Anyanwu (2015) state that today, the Nigerian video film industry has become a success story, in spite of its many battles ranging mainly from poor storylines to mediocre acting, directing, technical finish and the unethical compass of the video films. Being a docu-drama, Nigerian video films deal with both historical events and current realities that define the moral sensibilities of the people. The earliest Nigerian video films emphasize the applause and peril consequence of moral and immoral conducts, respectively. These include the incarceration of criminals, and the eternal restlessness or insanity that befalls characters who indulge in vices that awaits characters of good virtues. No doubt, this trend endeared Nigerians to the then fledgling Nollywood video films.
At present, however, video film makers tend to emphasize negative themes. Their tendentious obsession with glamourized obscenity, crime, rape, copulation, nudity, vulgarity, curses, indecent dressing, murder, smoking and women battery, has injected profanity in the psyche of an average Nigerian youth. This is especially so because youths tend to learn and imitate the actions of their choice screen idols. Consequently, the moral fabric of the Nigerian society is being threatened by video films of obscene thematic pre-occupations.
Critics have condemned this trend in the Nigerian video films. For example, Shaka (2011) has expressed amazement that the Nigerian video films have hardly focused on serious issues such as bad leadership and corruption which have resulted in mass poverty in Nigeria. On his part, Ekwuazi (2006) laments, thus:
As spiritedly as the Nigerian image project is celebrating those individuals and institutions and agencies that are proudly Nigerian, the Nigerian home video is doing the greatest damage to Nigeria and her ethnic nationalities. For the home video has continued to produce those negative stereotype images which find a resonance in western consciousness. What then happens is this: on the one hand, with its superior technology, the west repackages and propagates those same images; on the other hand, the western correspondent reporting Africa, filters his dispatches through the layers of those same stereotype and negative images (172- 173).
From the assertion above, it is apparent that Nigerian video films that are laden with negative themes blacken the image of the country on the global stage. This trend can be blamed the search for financial redemption by any means necessary on the part of the video film producers. The profit-oriented businessmen who sponsor video film production in Nigeria also dictate its direction. Curiously, the disposition of the Nigerian audience encourages immoral themes in Nigerian video films. It is against this background that this present study intend to examine the glorification of vices in a Nigerian Video Film.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Video films are often treated as a genuine source of expressing feelings and emotions which transcends cultural tranquility and individual relationships with the society. In Nigeria, the increase in social vices such as immoral and wicked character or behaviour is advancing every day and it is true that video films are meant to portray the true picture of what is going on in the society but one fact that still need to be told is that it should be used to correct ill vices in the society. This prompt the researcher to investigate the glorification of vices on a video film in order to analyse the trait that portray immoral and wicked characters and to determine how such traits end up encouraging rather than curbing vices in our society.
1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study
The aim of this study is to examine the glorification of vices in a Yoruba video film. The objectives are to analyse the trait of selected roles from narrative in order to determine how vices is glorified and promoted through, the language, costume and make-up, and the actions of selected characters from the film.
1.4 Significance of the Study
The research will help to expose some vices common to the Nigeria video films and propose ways of preventing the glorification of vices in films.
It will enable students of Performing Arts realize the danger in promoting vices on screen so that they could work toward avoiding such error in their future production.
1.5 Research Methodology
A detailed content analysis will be used to present this study. Content Analysis is a method used to define the media agenda. Popular Nollywood film will be analyzed for the content were the immoral portrayal of traits of selected characters will be examine. Library materials and internet resources will serve as the secondary sources.
1.6 Scope of the Study
This study on glorification of vices in a Yoruba video film with focus on popular Nigeria home video title “Omo Eleniyan”, produced by Tunde Shobayo. However, this study restricts itself to the immoral portrayer of the traits of selected characters in the film.
1.7 Operational Definition of Terms
Video Films: This is any pre-recorded media films played and viewed by people with their movie players in their homes or movie clubs. These films are viewed with the aid of a TV set which is connected to the movie machine. They are recorded on movie tape, disc or DVD.
Vices: This is the type of habit which is regarded as a weakness in someone’s character, but not usually as a serious fault. It is also referred to as criminal activities subjected to immoral, wicked, or evil habit, action, or trait.
