African Cinema: Nigeria in the Lens
Emem Ema/Femi Odugbemi The Nigerian film industry has been in existence since the 30s and experienced vibrancy and wide appeal especially in the 70s which had film makers like the Late Herbert Ogunde and Ade 'Love' Afolayan produce films on 35mm. The resurgence of movies led to the growth of community cinema settings all over Nigeria with people thronging into large halls in every major city on weekends or most evenings to see what was new in the cinema, an avenue to get away from all the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The late 70s and the 80s witnessed the boom of television, where all men were permitted to have their own personal sets at home and then video. It was a thing of pride and most people preferred watching movies on TV either at their neighbors or theirs as opposed to making a pilgrimage to the grim cinemas. They could now watch their favorite soaps and programmes on TV. In Northern Nigeria, they were introduced to Bollywood were films like the "Burning ...