Challenges and Prospects of the Igala Movie Industry (Igawood) in the Quest for Global Relevance

Downloads

Download the Article:

Authors

  • Oja Paul Egwemi Department of Theatre Arts, Prince Abubakar Audu University, Anyigba, Nigeria.
  • Peter Ogohi Salifu Department of Theatre and Film Studies, University of Nigeria Nsukka https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3342-6476
https://doi.org/10.55559/sjahss.v1i05.24

Keywords:

igawood, Igala, nollywood, indigenous movie industry, ethnic group

Abstract

Beyond the more popular indigenous movie industries from the three major ethnic groups in Nigeria; Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba, the Nigerian Movie Industry has witnessed the upsurge and establishment of more indigenous regional and ethnic movie industries. This development is born partly, out of the desire of indigenous Nigerian ethnic groups to tell their own respective stories; an effort towards sustaining the diverse culture which together, make one Nigeria, and also promote respective cultures globally. Adopting a qualitative design, this article examines the prospects and challenges of the Indigenous movie industry of the Igala ethnic group in Nigeria: Igawood in the quest for global relevance. The article projects that Igawood is an efficient tool for cultural integration, propagation, and sustenance, firstly, among people of the Igala ethnicity spread across the globe and also among other tribes of the world with an interest in the Igala culture. Among other challenges, the paper points at finance, the quest to make a profit, the star actor syndrome, relatively poor presence on satellite TV Networks, and lack of requisite technical know-how as factors militating against Igawood. The paper identifies the need for re-orientation and adequate technical training for players in the industry to meet up with the standard and global best practices. 

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Abdul, Umar and Musa, Yunusa. “Projecting Igala Culture and Tradition through Igala Home Video Medium.” Igala Language, Literature and Cultural Studies. Ed. Ejima Okutachi Sunday and Atadoga Francis TIjani. Vol.2. (2015): 130-139.

Adamu, Abdalla U. “The Political Economy of the Hausa Film Industry.” Nollywood and the Crisis of National Identity” Nollywood Nation (On the Industry, Practice and Scholarship of Cinema in Nigeria) A Festschrift in Honour of Professor Femi Okiremuette Shaka. Eds. Onookome Okome, Innocent Uwah, Friday Nwafor. Port Harourt: University of Port Harcourt Press Ltd., 2019. 2-25.

Adeoti Gbemisola R. “Nollywood and Literary/performance studies in Nigerian Universities: A case for School-to-street connection.” Africa through the Eye of the Video Camera. Ed. Ogunleye, F. Manzini: Academic publishers. 2008. 198 – 214.

Agunloye, Irene I. “Bad Girls, Wicked Mothers: Negotiating Feminist Shifts in Nollywood Films.” Nigeria’s Theatre and Drama: Audiences, Communities and Constituencies. A Festschrift in Honour of Professor John Sani Illah. Ed. Tor J. Iorapuu and Festus O. Idoko. Jos: Jos University Press Ltd., 2019. 91-123.

Anyanwu, Chukwuma. “Nollywood and the National Question.” Nollywood Nation (On the Industry, Practice and Scholarship of Cinema in Nigeria) A Festschrift in Honour of Professor Femi Okiremuette Shaka. Eds. Onookome Okome, Innocent Uwah, Friday Nwafor. Port Harourt: University of Port Harcourt Press Ltd., 2019. 222 – 237.

Anyikene. Directed by Abu 7 Bones. Eyikwu Marcus Films, 2020.

Ayakoroma, Barclays F. “Instant Miracles, Poetic Justice, ‘To God be the Glory’: Reflections on Developments in Nollywood.” Media Studies in Nigeria. Ed. Onookome Okome and Marcel Okhakhu. Orogun: Stirling-Horden, 2016. 89-108.

Egwemi, O P. “The Emergent Igala Home Movie: Origination, Sociology and Aesthetics” Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation, Kogi State University, Anyigba. 2016.

Egwemi, O P. and Salami, Faith O. “Nollywood Themes: The Emergence of Igawood (Igala Home Movie)” Calabar Journal of Liberal Studies. Vol. 21.2 (2019): 217-222.

Federal Republic of Nigeria. Cultural policy of Nigeria. Lagos: FGP, 1988.

Hayness, Jonathan. “Nollywood and Nollywood Studies: Thoughts on the Future.” Media Studies in Nigeria. Ed. Onookome Okome and Marcel Okhakhu. Orogun: Stirling-Horden, 2016. 67-88. https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226388007.001.0001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226388007.001.0001

Ibagere, Elo. “Towards a National Cinema in Nigeria: Nollywood and the Crisis of National Identity”. Nollywood Nation (On the Industry, Practice and Scholarship of Cinema in Nigeria) A Festschrift in Honour of Professor Femi Okiremuette Shaka. Ed. Onookome Okome, Innocent Uwah, Friday Nwafor. Port Harourt: University of Port Harcourt Press Ltd., 2019. 544 – 557.

Idegu, Emmy U.I. “A language and a People with the Obvious Threat of Extinction: Igala Language Education as Paradigm” Synergising Theatre Practice An Introduction. Ed. A.D. Menegbe and Emmy I.U. Idegu. Calabar: University of Calabar Press, 2016. 47-73.

Isola Akinwunmi. “In whose image?” Africa through the Eye of the Video Camera. Ed. Ogunleye, F. Manzini: Academic publishers. 2008. 7 – 15.

Iyioma my Pride. Directed by Emeka Nnakihe. A Godson Uzor Nwosu Production, 2019.

Ochalifu, Ugbede. Personal Interview. 19 June 2020.

Okome, Onookome. “Africa in Nollywood, Nollywood in Africa.” Media Studies in Nigeria. Ed. Onookome Okome and Marcel Okhakhu. Orogun: Stirling-Horden, 2016. 109-118.

The legend of Inikpi. Directed by Chiko Ejiro. Nilabam Pictures, 2020.

Published on: 15-05-2022

Also Available On

Note: Third-party indexing sometime takes time. Please wait one week or two for indexing. Validate this article's Schema Markup on Schema.org

How to Cite

Egwemi, O. P., & Salifu, P. O. (2022). Challenges and Prospects of the Igala Movie Industry (Igawood) in the Quest for Global Relevance. Sprin Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, 1(05), 261–269. https://doi.org/10.55559/sjahss.v1i05.24
2583-2387