Citation

Abah AL. Commun. Cult. Crit. 2008; 1(4): 335-357.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, International Communication Association, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1753-9137.2008.00027.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The nearly $300 million a year Nollywood culture industry in Nigeria has become transnational in its access to African audiences all over the world. The films and the industry remain a credible site for cultural analysis because of their popularity and resonance with their audiences as well as their moralizing mission. It is an important industry to examine for its contributions to the struggles of African women for opportunities for equality, self-actualization, and self-determination. Although these movies do not hesitate to portray the progress African women have made in climbing the political and socioeconomic ladders of society, they are constantly reminded that everything they have worked hard to achieve is irrelevant without conforming to the cultural construct of a good woman in their domestic lives. Women are constantly portrayed as having power in these video-films, but the power of women is considered diabolical, particularly in social and domestic relations.