Assessing the Misrepresentation of Igbo Cultural Values in Nollywood Films.

Portrayal of traditional values of any culture requires a high degree of accuracy. Quite some Nollywood films have continuously provided a misrepresentation of the indigenous culture and traditional values of Igbo people. Over the years, this misinformation has continued to serve as a guideline in the perception of their custom which stems from a place of colonial inferiority and bogus capitalist tendencies. Findings show that many Nollywood films are hastily churned out and distributed with little or no research. This paper aims to evaluate the extent to which the industry has gone to undermine the Igbo culture, in terms of religion, customs, social practices, intrinsic values, and cultural heritage. The study examines the correlation between the Nollywood space and the Igbo society, and more so, how detrimental many of the themes and messages they pass across continue to portray a biased and inept view of the Igbo culture. The paper interrogates the industry with the intent of shedding light on the misconceptions with a view to counter the narratives erroneously being peddled by the industry and to rectify the aberration evident in many of the Nollywood films. The study concludes that unprofessionalism, the quest for quick money, and the lack of creative strength to carry out adequate research about the history and traditions of a people before embarking on movie-making often lead to erroneous representations and sheer stereotyping of the people's way of life. The paper adopts Cultivation theory and qualitative methods of inquiry using secondary source materials in analyzing the issues involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]