Recently i have been introduced to NOLLYWOOD. The third largest film industry in the world, releasing onto the home video market approximately 1 000 movies each year all based in and around Nigeria. Movies are produced and marketed in the space of a week with cheap equipment, very basic scripts, actors cast the day of the shooting and “real life” locations. Despite the improvised production process, they continue to fascinate audiences and have got me hooked! What is most fascinating about the whole allure of the Nigerian film scene is that the movies are a rare instance of self-representation of the African people into the mass media and the sometimes harsh and horrific scenes portrayed in these movies normally over dramatic and based around romance, witchcraft, bribery and prostitution are all a clear nod to real-world African turmoil and ongoing problems in Nigerian society raising questions on how fabricated these story's really are and how much is based on fact rather than fiction.
Researching Nollywood led me to discovering the amazing South African photographer Pieter Hugo. His work is beyond impressive and I plan on writing more posts on each of his fascinating exhibitions and other works. Here however are a selection of images based on Nollywood films.
http://www.pieterhugo.com/
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