Unless you‘ve been living under a rock especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, you know that Nollywood movies are now on Netflix and Amazon prime video. Nollywood was painstakingly rebuilt from a dilapidated Nigerian film industry over many years. A new breed of actors, producers and directors have emerged, shattering the negative stereotypes and creating narratives that better depict Nigerians home and abroad, as a whole – the good, bad, the beautiful and the ugly. Not just the bad and that includes the clichés African movies were known for – the wicked mother-in-law, the philandering husband, or the get-rich-quick dudes who would sell their souls for wealth. No, the Nollywood industry no longer insults the viewers’ intelligence. From comedy to drama to thrillers, you name it, Nollywood seems to be here to stay.
The creation of Nollywood wasn’t overnight. It started slowly and painstakingly with VHS and DVDs. I still remember my first DVD rental from an African store. I enjoyed it not because it was the best quality at the time but because it made me feel closer to home. Since the ‘90s, Nollywood has stretched beyond the confines of lack of Governmental support for the arts and the infrastructure. The powerful impact of the arts in changing the mindset of people around the world is evident when I speak with friends and co-workers who ask about the food, the dressing and the culture. It’s actually really cool to be African right now. Nollywood has brought Nigeria and Africa into the homes of people who would never in a million years venture to Africa. They see and feel the culture, the beauty, the ugliness and they realize that we are all the same. Here’s a snippet of Nollywood movies online in no particular order. Enjoy watching!
List compiled by Awid
Bio: Awid is ‘African Woman in the Diaspora’, a pen name for a writer ecstatic to start penning down her experiences as an African woman in the diaspora. Look forward to more from her.