Nollywood in Rio: An Exploration of Brazilian Audience Perception of Nigerian Cinema

Abstract

Nigerian movies or Nollywood, both on the African continent and abroad, serve as an innovative cultural device that inspire many producers and audiences worldwide. The ingenuity of some Nigerian productions has been acknowledged in many nations, such as Brazil. Indeed, some Brazilian curators within São Paulo (Bem Vindo a Nollywood 2011, 2014), Salvador da Bahia (2014) and Rio de Janeiro (2012, 2014) formally illustrated their interests as evidenced by Nollywood exhibitions or screenings. These public settings afford Brazilian audiences a hint of Nigerian perspectives regarding what it means to be African. The “Nollywood Mostra” (Show) was sponsored by the Caixa Econômica in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in November of 2012. This site is where the author collected qualitative and quantitative data exploring how consumers identified with Nollywood cinematic stylings, storylines, characters, and dialog relative to those of mainstream cinema. The majority of the audience were first time Nollywood consumers. The research addresses the following questions: (1) Do Brazilians identify with Nollywood? (2) Does Nollywood serve as a vehicle for cultural production impacting Brazilian perceptions of Africans? And (3), What are the differences in perception based on demographic background? This project explores the cultural value of Nollywood in a country linguistically different from both the Nigerian diaspora and the English-speaking diaspora communities. The implications of this research indicate a change of southern hemispheric communication between Latin America and Africa.