Africa
Nollywood and Kannywood: A New Village Square -By Nafisat Suleiman Haladu
Nollywood and Kannywood remain the new village square; however, a village without elders soon loses its way. Until these industries deliberately align storytelling with cultural and religious responsibility, their influence will continue to shape society in troubling directions. For truly, when stories lose their roots, the people lose their direction.
In many ways, Nollywood and Kannywood have assumed the role of the modern village square; yet, as the saying goes, when the town crier speaks wrongly, the whole village is misled. Far beyond entertainment, these industries actively shape cultural consciousness. Through repeated narratives and popular characters, they steadily define what is acceptable, admirable, or shameful, often doing so without accountability to tradition or communal values.
Against this background, Nollywood’s frequent celebration of material success, loose morality, and distorted family structures reflects a noticeable departure from cultural discipline. As the proverb reminds us, a child who is not taught by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth. By glamorizing excess, infidelity, and shortcuts to wealth, many films normalize behaviors that once attracted communal correction and public disapproval.
In a similar vein, Kannywood—despite its foundation in religious and cultural restraint—is not exempt from criticism. In the quest for popularity, some productions subtly weaken the very values they claim to uphold. Indeed, when the drumbeat changes, the dance must also change; however, the change here often bends toward commercial appeal rather than cultural preservation, thereby blurring the line between moral instruction and mere entertainment.
Beyond cultural concerns, both industries increasingly appropriate religious themes in ways that miseducate rather than instruct. Nollywood’s portrayals of pastors, miracles, and spiritual warfare frequently turn faith into spectacle, while Kannywood’s softened religious messaging risks reducing sacred teachings to background decoration. As elders wisely caution, a sacred calabash should not be used to serve ordinary water.
As a result, these films have become silent teachers, particularly for the youth, shaping attitudes toward religion, marriage, authority, and identity. Over time, repeated images and narratives allow fiction to wear the clothes of truth. What the eye sees daily, the heart soon accepts, making cinema a powerful—yet dangerous—classroom when values are poorly handled.
In conclusion, Nollywood and Kannywood remain the new village square; however, a village without elders soon loses its way. Until these industries deliberately align storytelling with cultural and religious responsibility, their influence will continue to shape society in troubling directions. For truly, when stories lose their roots, the people lose their direction.
