Golden Age of Nigerian Cinema
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Golden Age or Golden era are terms used in Nigerian film history to designate the motion picture industry of Nigeria from the late 1950s to the late 1980s.[1] It captures the mode of visual and sound production, as well as the method of distribution employed during this period. This period began with the formal recognition of the Nigerian Film Unit as a sector in 1954,[2] with the first film entirely copyrighted to this unit being Fincho (1957) by Sam Zebba.
After Nigeria's independence in 1960, the cinema business rapidly expanded, with new cinema houses being established.[3] As a result, Nigerian content in theatres increased from the late 1960s into the 1970s, especially productions from Western Nigeria, owing to former theatre practitioners such as Hubert Ogunde and Moses Olaiya transitioning into the big screen.[4][5] In 1972, the Indigenization Decree was issued by Yakubu Gowon, which demanded the transfer of ownership of about a total of 300 film theatres from their foreign owners to Nigerians, which resulted in more Nigerians playing active roles in the cinema and film.[6]
The oil boom of 1973 through 1978 also contributed immensely to the spontaneous boost of the cinema culture in Nigeria, as the improved economic situation allowed many citizens to have disposable income to spend on cinema and home television sets.[4] After several moderately successful films, Papa Ajasco (1984) by Wale Adenuga became one of the first Nigerian Blockbusters, reportedly grossing about ₦61,000 (approx. 2015 ₦21.5 million) in three days. A year later, Mosebolatan (1985) by Moses Olaiya also grossed ₦107,000 (approx. 2015 ₦44.2 million) in five days.[3] The 1980s was also a period of major boom in the television industry, with several books from notable authors being adapted into television series.[7] Many of these television productions were later released on video. As a result, a small scale informal video trade developed, which led to the emergence of the Video boom in the 1990s.[8]
The Golden Age began to face a major decline in the late 1980s. This decline has been attributed to several factors, including the reduction in the value of
History
Pre-Independence
In 1954, before Nigeria's independence, the Nigerian film industry became formally recognized as a sector and was grouped as a unit in the information department of the then
Post-Independence
After Nigeria gained independence in 1960, the cinema business rapidly expanded, with new cinema houses being established.[3] However, there came a significant influx of American, Indian, Chinese and Japanese films; posters of films from these countries were all over theatre halls and actors from these industries became very popular in Nigeria. It was reported that Nigerian kids began to know more on "travails of American Indians than they did about the Wole Soyinka-led Mbari Mbayo cultural group, or the socio-cultural history of Nigeria".[9][15] However, in the late 1960s and into the 1970s, Nigerian productions in theatres increased gradually, especially productions from Western Nigeria; this was basically due to former theatre practitioners such as Hubert Ogunde, Moses Olaiya, Jab Adu, Isola Ogunsola, Ladi Ladebo, Sanya Dosumu and Sadiq Balewa amongst others, who transitioned into the big screen.[4][5][15] Latola Films, which started the production of motion pictures since 1962, has often been noted as the earliest Nigerian indigenous film production company.[17] Television broadcasting in Nigeria also began in the 1960s and received much government support in its early years.[8]
Indigenization Decree and the 1970s boom
In 1972, concerned about the influx of foreign culture into Nigeria, the Indigenization Decree was issued by the then head of state Yakubu Gowon; which demands the transfer of ownership of about a total of 300 film theatres in the country from their foreign owners to Nigerians.[9][6][15] Also, more Nigerians started playing active roles in cinema establishment; notable examples of this include: Metro cinema and Rivoli Cinema, which was owned by Chief Lisabi, and Danjuma Cinema by Alhaji Danjuma.[3] This transfer also resulted in the emergence of Nigerian playwrights, screenwriters and film producers; popular literature and theatre works were adapted into motion picture. One of the most popular film people in this new wave was Hubert Ogunde, mainly because he promoted indigenous Nigerian language, arts and culture through his works.[9][15]
The oil boom of 1973 through 1978 contributed immensely to the spontaneous boost of the cinema culture in Nigeria. The presence of foreign investments led to the erection of several cinema complexes. In 1976, The 5000-capacity
Some foreign producers and directors also worked in Nigeria to make films in Nigeria, as a result of this boom, including people like
Mosebolatan (1985) by Moses Olaiya has been reported as the first Nigerian blockbuster, grossing approximately ₦107,000 (approx. 2015 ₦44.2 million) in five days. Before then, Papa Ajasco (1984) by Wale Adenuga was reported to have made about ₦61,000 (approx. 2015 ₦21.5 million) in three days.[3] The success of films has been attributed to the fact that the faces of actors were already known from the once popular travelling theatre groups and the audiences were already familiar with the stories; Adesanya states that the "involvement of the Yoruba travelling theatre practitioners in motion picture production was perhaps the most auspicious single factor in the evolution of an indigenous cinema in Nigeria"[6] Much later, Hubert Ogunde featured in Bruce Beresford's Mister Johnson (1990). It was the first American film shot on location in Nigeria[20] and was criticized for its ridiculous perception of Africans and dark skinned people as a whole; a perception prevalent with several other western films at the time.[9]
This boost was however not limited to only films, as this era was generally a period when Nigerian entertainment experienced major boost all round; Nigerian music also became popular and prolific during this period.
Emergence of Television industry in the 1980s
The emergence of
Laws were made by regulating bodies to limit foreign contents on television, with the
Decline
As of late 1980s, the cinema culture was beginning to face a major decline, and most Nigerian film producers had transitioned to television productions.
Some researchers have also noted the decline to be as a result of increase in the ownership of television sets across the country. A survey conducted in 1974 reported that over 87 percent of Nigerians viewed about two hours of television programmes daily, across the country. However, by 1984, the television programming in the western region, which is the major area these cinemas serve, had improved tremendously and more television stations were established in the region as well, leading to a significant decline in the Nigerian cinema culture and embrace of television viewing.[3] As at 1987, there were reportedly over 5 million registered television sets in the country, which is estimated to be much higher when unregistered sets are considered. "The oil boom [in this era] made every other household in the city centres affluent enough to own not only a television set but also a home video player."[6] Jide Kosoko, one of the veteran actors of this era noted that when television sets and VHS players became a feature in most Nigerian homes, films produced during this era normally screen over a single weekend and are released on video the following week. He stated that it no longer made sense to view at the theatres anymore and most families would therefore rather wait a few days and get their hands on the VHS copies.[10][11]
The re-emergence of the cinema culture in
The drastic decline in cinema culture resulted in some of the existing cinema houses being acquired by religious bodies and turned to churches; others were simply just closed down.[9][3][10] In the early 1990s, only a few of the once vibrant cinema houses were still in operation, and all had collapsed before 1999.[3] This development accelerated the glory days of the home video entertainment era.[9]
2000s resurgence of cinemas
Since the early 2000s, several discussions and conferences have been held, based on how to revamp the Nigerian film industry and bring about more professionalism like it used to be in the golden era. During this time, some other filmmakers, such as Tunde Kelani and Tade Ogidan tried to make "break away" films, which were quite different from the norm. The now defunct Amstel Malta Box Office production company also made several films with the aim of making a difference. However, all of these films were also produced in the same video format that the other filmmakers used, albeit with quality stories and better directions.[21][22]
Few years into the 2000s, Nigeria began to experience the growth of cinemas, which were initially structured for the middle and upper class.
Since 2006, there have been several "Project Nollywood" funds by the Nigerian Government, provided to Nigerian filmmakers for aiding the production of high quality films, as well as to aid proper distribution infrastructure across the country.[23] The grants have also been used to help more Nigerian filmmakers in training, funding, and also help in creating necessary infrastructure for the industry.[24][25]
Nigerian filmmakers from Golden Era
- Hubert Ogunde
- Moses Olaiya
- Duro Ladipo
- Ola Balogun
- Wole Amele
- Eddie Ugbomah
- Tunde Kelani
- Adeyemi Afolayan
- Ladi Ladebo
- Moses Adejumo
- Afolabi Adesanya
- U.S.A Galadima
- Isola Ogunsola
- Awada Kerikeri Organisation
- Sadiq Balewa
- Sanya Dosunmu
- Tunde Alabi-Hudeyin
- Femi Aloba
- Francis Oladele
- John Ifoghale Amata
- Jab Adu
- Kola Ogunmola
Notable Nigerian actors from Golden Era
- Jide Kosoko
- Duro Ladipo
- Ishola Ogunmola
- Lere Paimo
- Oyin Adejobi
- Olu Jacobs
- Joke Silva
- Adebayo Salami
- Adebayo Faleti
See also
- Cinema of Nigeria
- Media in Nigeria
References
- ISBN 978-1-107-0655-29.
- ^ a b c "Nigerian Film Unit". ColonialFilm.org.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
- ^ ISSN 2225-0964.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "History of Nollywood". Nificon. Archived from the original on 6 September 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
- ^ a b Adegbola, Tunde (2011). "Coming of Age in Nigerian Moviemaking". African Film Festival Inc. New York. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g Obiaya, Ikechukwu. "The Blossoming of the Nigerian Video Film Industry". Academia. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ^ a b "The Nation Archive - D. O. Fagunwa: The bard resonates from the tomb". The Nation Newspapers. The Nation. 12 December 2007. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
- ^ ISSN 1596-8308. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Emeagwali, Gloria (Spring 2004). "Editorial: Nigerian Film Industry". Central Connecticut State University. Africa Update Vol. XI, Issue 2. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Adelakun, Abimbola (19 February 2009). "Gradually, the cinemas return in Nigeria". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
- ^ a b Vourlias, Christopher (14 December 2014). "Hooray for Nollywood: Nigerian film industry raises the artistic bar". Aljazeera. Aljazeera America. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
- ^ Olayiwola Abiodun. From Celluloid to Video: The Tragedy of the Nigerian Film Industry (Thesis). Archived from the original on October 5, 2015.
- ^ "A tour through the golden era of Nigerian movies". Aljazeera. May 2016.
- ^ "New Nollywood Cinema: from home-video productions back to the screen". Retrieved 9 April 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Sambe, J. A. (2008). Introduction to Mass Communication in Nigeria. Ibadan, Nigeria: Spectrum Books Limited.
- ^ "Lights, Camera, Africa!!!". Goethe Institute. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- ^ a b c "Facts About Nigerian Movies and History". Total Facts about Nigeria. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
- ^ a b Abdulkadir, Shuaib (27 February 2014). "Extinction of Cinemas". National Pilot Newspaper. National Pilot. Retrieved 20 February 2015. [permanent dead link]
- ^ Apara, Seun (22 September 2013). "Nollywood at 20: Half Baked Idea". 360Nobs.com. Archived from the original on 10 August 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- ^ "Mister Johnson: Off the Beaten Track".
- ^ "Nigeria's Nollywood Generated 1.72 Trillion Naira Revenue in 2013". Africa Music Law. 30 Dec 2013. Retrieved 2015-04-07.
- ^ Osae-Brown, Funke (24 December 2013). "Nollywood improves quality, leaps to N1.72trn revenue in 2013". Business Day. Archived from the original on 31 December 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
- ^ Okonkwo, Kasie (27 October 2013). "Ecobank: Brand Positioning Through Funding of Nollywood". This Day Live. Archived from the original on 31 October 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- ^ "Concerning Project Nollywood". This Day Live. 10 March 2013. Archived from the original on 12 March 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- ^ "Editorial: Concerning Project Nollywood". Huhu Online. 12 September 2013. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
Bibliography
- Augustine-Ufua Enahoro (1989). "Film Makers and Film Making in Nigeria: Problems and Prospects".