Nollywood

Nollywood has grown into one of the largest film industries on earth, and its films now reach audiences across Africa and among Africans abroad. Its movies have changed how media is made and consumed on the continent, and they shape how Africans understand themselves and how the rest of the world understands them.

Jonathan Haynes offers a clear, well-informed guide to this industry and its film culture. He examines the main Nigerian film genres and traces how they reflect the hopes, fears, and social conflicts of a country that has changed alongside its movies over the last two decades. Because Nollywood is popular culture, it turns out a steady stream of stories that repeat the ones its audience values most. Haynes analyses these recurring tales and their stock figures: the suffering wife, the scheming businessman, the preacher with a Bible, the traditional king in full regalia, the polished urban professional, and the migrant stuck in New York or London.

Drawing on more than twenty years of research, Haynes surveys the industry's history and genres with a breadth that few earlier studies have attempted. He also describes important films, prominent directors, and the mixed character of this significant part of world cinema.