The Economic Development of Yorùbá Video Films
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Date
2020-09
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Alore Journal: Ilorin Journal of the Humanities
Abstract
The video film industry in Nigeria has grown exponentially in the last decade to rave reviews and popularity. However, the economic development of Yorùbá video films is usually aggregated with the English speaking (Nollywood) video films by several scholars. This superficial approach creates a need to critically evaluate the Yorùbá video films to find why it is flourishing. This study, therefore, examined the themes and plotlines of three randomly selected Yorùbá films. The objectives were to ascertain factors responsible for its growth to determine if the Yorùbá cultural expositions in these films have contributed to their popularity and economic development; and establish whether or not the transition from the celluloid production to video has benefited the development of Yorùbá films. The study employed a descriptive method of historical and narrative analysis to interrogate this development and adopts Siegfried Kracaur’s (1974) realism theory as framework. The findings were that the factors responsible for the growth of Yorùbá video films are socio-political and economic imperatives associated with these films. The study concluded that the Yorùbá cultural exposition of music, song, dance and costumes exhibited in these films have made them popular with the audience, thereby sustaining the growth and development of the films. The transformation from celluloid to video films has impacted positively the industry in the form of economic growth and employment creation, while at the same time it has exposed some challenges in the aesthetic content of the films.