Nollywood, the Nigerian film industry, offers a captivating glimpse into the stories, fears, and aspirations of Nigerian society. While often entertaining, these movies also serve as a reflection of cultural values, superstitions, and societal norms. Let's delve into the world of Nollywood, with a specific look at the themes and elements found in a typical Nigerian movie, using the example of a film about a character named "Lady Margaret".
If you watch as many Nollywood movies as I do, it’s either you love being immersed in the stories or you’re a Nigerian. My attachment to Nollywood is mostly borne out of nostalgia. Nollywood has been fuelling my imagination on how the world works even before I was exposed to the real world.
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Common Themes and Character Archetypes
Nollywood tries very hard not to be a monolith, but it’s hard to tell stories that show the way things should be rather than the way Nigerians think they work. Nigerians, as we know, are superstitious and very set in their ways. In some ways, our movies fuel our deepest fears, and we manifest them.
Many Nollywood films revolve around familiar tropes and archetypes, reflecting the societal concerns and beliefs prevalent in Nigeria. These can include:
- Superstition and Traditional Beliefs: The people chasing you are from your village? Why not? Your childlessness cannot be because of fertility issues, because why focus on what you can control when you can just look for the source of your fear in countless churches and prayer places?
- Family Dynamics and Expectations: Some parents would really prefer for their sons to be in a loveless marriage with a girl whose highest achievement is knowing how to never say no, and where the possession of a WAEC certificate is optional.
- The Independent Woman: This particular work of art(?) was a story built around a prince (of course), his parents, and the independent woman he chose to be his wife.
Let’s start taking a closer look at how many things we have taken as gospel just because we have never questioned how it should be. Nollywood movies are entertaining, though. Maybe not in the way you expect - those people are definitely not passing the Bechdel test anytime soon - but you will be educated all the same.
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A Closer Look at "Lady Margaret"
Margaret Agwu is a writer, content creator, and feminist. She loves books, film, and culture-watching.
In the movie Margaret is a minister’s daughter. Her parents despair over her wayward behaviour. She clubs all night and often comes home drunk. Even her boyfriend Ken doubts her integrity as he remembers the dubious circumstance under which he met her and how he was warned against her by the guy that she was with that night. It is only when Ken’s money goes missing that he begins to wonder whether or not Margaret is the virtuous minister’s daughter that he thought her to be.
The story of "Lady Margaret" touches upon themes of societal expectations, personal struggles, and the complexities of family relationships. It explores the conflict between tradition and modernity, as well as the challenges faced by individuals who deviate from societal norms.
She has no limits. It is strange how the movie is subtitled in the first scene and then randomly in scenes afterwards. There seemed to be no reasoning behind it. You should either subtitle the whole thing or not at all. Oh the irony in the name Immaculate. What a wonderful choice of a name for somebody that embodies in totality everything that is not immaculate. We do find out in the end that Immaculate behaves in the way that she does because she had been raped and never told anybody about it, so in that sense we can extend our sympathies’ to her.
Gift feels a desperate need to get marriage because of her age. When Jude’s interest in her wanes she believes that it is because of her refusal to visit him at his home. She is so concerned with how her spinsterhood is viewed by society to the extent that she thinks about compromising her Christian values. The movie ends with Jude and Margaret getting carted off to jail, as well as the director’s prayer session.
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Maybe the hardcore Christians will like that. I don’t know! Watched the 3 and 4, not much more interesting. I’d recommend it only if you have nothing better to do. Jackie gave a good performance as did Desmond. The flow of the story was not too smooth. About halfway through a new storyline emerges and the new characters are just thrown in rather than introduced slowly.
In this village tradition dictates that men stay as home, clean and cook while women tap wine, pay a groom price and carry out libations to the Gods. The men are not happy and want amendments to the traditions as they feel hard done by and know that things are not the same in other villages. There is a fear about fighting back as not only do they have the fearsome queen, Igwe Nneomma to contend with but also the wrath of the Gods. Igwe Nneomma has 3 “wives.” In my opinion they should have just called them husbands. They are men after all.
If you ever did hear it, it would only be because a woman has already had a ton of male children; that being said I have never even seen that scenario. In another scene Igwe Nneomma demands for one of her husbands to, “come and ravish her.” In the meantime her other two husbands argue with her that it is their turn to sleep with her. In another scene we see the issue of childlessness/infertility come up. It has become so much the norm for a woman to get the blame for being able to produce children despite the fact that both a man and woman are needed for the task.
“Ever since I have married you, you have refused to give me children… go back to your parents house. This movie may make some men realise how pathetic their treatment of women is when they blame them for something like not producing babies which needs two people to be able to do effectively. Uche Ogbodo’s tattoos kind of ruined it for me. Eucharia Anunobi was a perfect choice for the role of Her Majesty. There were three minor female characters that played their roles excellently, their characters in the movie were Akunna, Udoka and another one whose name was not mentioned, but they were not credited.
Ifeoma was living a life of bliss, engaged to be married to Okechukwu. She always got on with Benita and Somto, his brother and sister that live with him in the city. She gets on with them so well you would believe that they are her own siblings. Mama persuades Ifeoma that she needs to push Benita and Somto out of her marital home for her to enjoy her husband fully. She tells Ifeoma that if she allows them to stay they will ruin her marriage. An oldie but a goodie, everybody played their parts well.
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He is half the height of a regular man but is due to be wed to a normal sized girl. Her parents are causing huge problems in the relationship in that they expect for him to cater to their every financial need and want. He brings them to Kumasi to live accommodate them and still they are not satisfied. James is jobless and lives off his girlfriend who is working. His girlfriend’s parents are putting her under to pressure to marry and have a man lined up for her. The elders would talk in Twi (I assume) and the younger ones would reply in English. I found this strange.
Chief Desmond’s wife Natasha is so preoccupied with work that she barely has enough time for her family. One day she leaves without telling him to go and represent in a big case in Abuja. Fed up, in her long absence he remarries a much younger local girl called Matilda. Matilda’s presence in the family home brings about much discord. At a loss for what to Chief’s children reach out to their oldest brother in the UK and their mother, who is still residing in Abuja to aid them in rectifying the situation. They believe that their mother and brother will fare better in persuading their father to remove Matilda from the home.
What is the point in slaving away and never having time for your loved ones. Who will you share your successes with? In the movie Felicia is totally focused on work. She sees nthing else. The gravity of her blinsightedness comes all the more apparent when she is told that her husband is in hospital and she cannot find the time to go and see him. She tells the children to take care of him. The double take effect was used in practically every scene and was soooo sooo annoying. Who on earth thought that this would be a good idea? Ok we get it you have learnt that special effect. Matilda’s hair was atrocious. I seriously wonder if that was done on purpose to emphasise her localness or if Princess Loveline actually walks around looking a hot mess.
Uche Ogbodo is a very pretty girl but she needs to stop applying her make up with a paintbrush. She seriously looks like a clown. She also needs really focus on her craft and stop the overacting. She was shouting all the time when it wasn’t needed and overemphasising every gesture and facial expression. Things that I loved about the movie was the dialogue and the interaction between the siblings. Princess and Eric did a great job with the script. The dialogue was rich and realistic. Some of the banter was hilarious and I laughed out aloud on more than one occasion. In one scene Alex is in the house, his sole purpose to persuade their father to get rid of Matilda. Matilda walks into the room and he greets her with grace, as well as giving her a warm smile.
In another scene we see Desmond tries to pick up a girl on the side of the road by beeping his horn and thinking she will just walk over to the car and slide in. Of course it doesn’t work and it quickly turns nasty. “A fine gentleman in a beautiful car honks at you and you don’t answer. Who the hell do you think you are?
Overall I would recommend the movie. It was an absolutely great cast that meshed together really well with the exception of Uche who we could have done without seeing at all...
A Nollywood film crew in action.
