by Kiara Holley
The essence of spirit extends religion; for religion is rigid while spirit is fluid. As an African American, I can testify to the importance of spirit within and across the diaspora. Nature provides solace, music heals, and dreams reveal. Spirit is an ally which assisted our revolts and quest for freedom during the Transatlantic Slave Trade; a time period where our forced dispersion across the Atlantic Ocean into the western hemisphere resulted in subjugation, violence, and torture in the name of economic gain for European nations. Our contemporary, global conversation regarding decolonization is an ample opportunity for film students to utilize collectivity, emotional intelligence, and integrated knowledge to build new narratives involving African, Asian, Caribbean, and South American diasporas created by imperialism.
Cinema and theatre are crucial cultural expressions for the African American experience that set the tone for reflection. However, mainstream culture takes advantage of this vulnerability by funding a series of violent, traumatic, and solutionless productions which cease to explore Black realities beyond suffering. As an IMA student, I aim to contribute to The New Black Vanguard. Coined by art critic and writer Antwuan Sargent, the Vanguard are artists constructing images which defy boundaries while centering black lives as subject matter. Through film, I aim to produce and create moving images that heal the present by journeying back to my ancestor’s homeland, Nigeria. I am inspired by the innate creativity that motivates Nigerian culture. Before cinema, the community’s creative voice was embedded into cultural norms via Yoruba and Igbo traditions—two of the three largest ethnic groups of Nigeria — and traditional divination system, Ifá. An intricate system, the tradition encourages the recital of poetry, stories, and proverbs. The material is vast and passed on orally between Ifá oracles. Ifá is practiced throughout the Americas, West Africa, and the Canary Islands. The system is also the catalyst to several religions that formed during the Yoruba diaspora which consists of two groupings: the aforementioned slave trade and a second voluntary wave of migration into the United Kingdom and the United States after major economic and political changes between the 1960s and 1980s.
While Ifá is strong, both the spiritual system and Nigeria continue to endure the tension of coexisting with Christianity similar to countries culturally influenced by imperialist nations. Christianity was introduced in present-day Benin, Nigeria in the fifteenth century by Portuguese Roman Catholic priests who accompanied traders and officials to the West African coast. Today, Nigeria has the largest Christian population on the continent, with over 80 million practitioners and several dominiations. True to Nigeria’s niche for creative storytelling, the battle over tradition versus contemporary beliefs are heavily displayed in Nollywood cinema.
Nollywood’s roots were formed in the 1960s but the term was coined by Japanese-Canadian journalist Norimitsu Onishi in 2002 in an article penned for The New York Times which pointed out the volume of filmmaking activity happening in Lagos, Nigeria.
During the mid-century, Nigerians viewed America’s Hollywood film industry as their main source of entertainment. Previous to creating works through film, Nigerian playwright and actor Hubert Ogunde pioneered folk opera and created the Ogunde Concert Party also known as Ogunde Theatre in 1945. It was the first professional theatrical company in the nation.
The 1970’s saw Americans eager to invest into Nigeria’s creative economy. Ossie Davis directed Kongi’s Harvest, a film adaptation of a play written by Wole Soyinka in 1965 with the same title. Davis ventured to Nigeria full of enthusiasm to direct what would become the first film in Nigeria with a fully African cast, even narrating the film’s early scenes. Davis described Kongi’s Harvest as “a comedy of African politics [which shows] Africa as Africans see it.” Today, Nigeria’s Nollywood film industry is the second largest movie industry globally, Producing about 2,500 films in a year, it surpasses Hollywood.
I believe Nollywood is what Hip Hop is to America. Both creative subcultures utilize technology and D.I.Y distribution techniques like mixtapes and VHS/DVD sold directly to the consumer. Like Hip-Hop; Folklore, politics, and family are common themes embedded into Nollywood. Traditional spirituality versus Christianity is also a common theme across Nollywod and Hip-Hop. Both artforms explore the manipulation of the Bible against subjugated subjects which sparks a very controversial debate between older generations and the youth. Narrow Escape, a classic 1999 Nollywood film, sees a battle between protagonist Reverend Emmanuel and his father who is a traditional worshipper.
A January 2020 article published on African Arguments states Christianity is increasingly being questioned, especially amongst young people in Nigeria, as Christian leaders have been linked to less than Christian-like activities like rape, money laundering, and political influence-peddling. As an aspiring filmmaker creating in Nigeria, I aim to join the numerous contemporary filmmakers who do not seek to condemn Christianity but aim to justify traditional Nigerian culture with images and storytelling. I am hugely inspired by Daniel Oriahi’s 2018 film Sylvia. It is a great representation showcasing the concept of spiritual warfare, love, and everyday life. I, too, seek to produce narratives opposite of America’s obsession with Black trauma and suffering. I believe creating films in Nigeria and with Nigerian talent will serve as a healing practice for my African-American peers who also wish to shed the influence of the imperialist.
Notable Films exploring Ifa vs Christianity
END OF THE WICKED
Teco Benson, 1999
Set in an African clime, the unfolding battle between the forces of good and evil is told with a supernatural enactment. A Nigerian horror story, End of Wickedness captures and retells the fate of the wicked and the outcome of the just in a world of spiritual unequals. This Biblical tale of the fate of the just and unjust is told with such gripping and suspense-packed depictions and screenplay.
WATCH:
NARROW ESCAPE
Director Unknown, 1999
A father (traditional worshipper) and son (Christian reverend) battle good and evil.
WATCH:
NOLLYWOOD BABYLON
This documentary chronicles the wild world of Nollywood. The documentary delves first-hand into Nigeria’s explosive homegrown movie industry, where Jesus and voodoo vie for screen time.
Reads
The Portrayal of Witchcraft, Occults, and Magic in Popular Nigerian Video Films, Grace Kumwenda
Yoruba Christian video narrative and indigenous imaginations, Obododimma Oha
Religion in Africa: Nigeria becomes a powerhouse of evangelical filmmaking,