Myth, Folklore, and Spirituality in Nollywood: Preserving African Oral Traditions through Film
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Abstract
This study explores the intersection of myth, folklore, and spirituality in Nollywood, the Nigerian film industry, and its impact on preserving African oral traditions. Through a qualitative analysis of "Arugba" (2008), "Igodo: The Land of the Living Dead" (1999), The Figurine" (2009), and Mami Wata (2023), Nollywood films, it examines how these narratives are retold and translated through the medium of film, highlighting the role of storytelling in preserving cultural knowledge and traditions. By focusing on the themes and symbols present in these films, this study seeks to understand how Nollywood is contributing to the preservation and dissemination of African oral traditions in a digital age. Ultimately, this study aims to shed light on the importance of film as a tool for cultural preservation and the role of Nollywood in shaping and representing African narratives for global audiences. The study found that While Nollywood operates under the shadow of Western media dominance, it also functions as a tool of cultural resistance, preserving and rearticulating African myths, folklore, and spirituality in contemporary forms.
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Aondover, P. O. (2025). Myth, Folklore, and Spirituality in Nollywood: Preserving African Oral Traditions through Film. SIASAT, 10(3), 221-230. https://doi.org/10.33258/siasat.v10i3.210
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References
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Aondover, P. O., Aondover, E. M., Adewale, O. C., Akin-Odukoya, O. O., & Maradun, L. U. (2024). Media Portrayal of Female Celebrities in the Nigerian Press. Konfrontasi: Jurnal Kultural, Ekonomi dan Perubahan Sosial, 11(4), 259-272.
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Onyejelem, T. E., Aondover, P. O., Maradun, L. U., Chime-Nganya, C. R., & Akin-Odukoya, O. O. (2024). Media and Pictorial Reportage of Boko Haram Insurgency in Nigeria. Konfrontasi: Jurnal Kultural, Ekonomi dan Perubahan Sosial, 11(4), 287-299.
Oreoluwa, P. A., Vitalis, P. O., Nneka, A. Q., Collins-Dike, J., & Ridwan, M. (2024). Online Harassment of Female Journalist in Lagos State. Polit Journal Scientific Journal of Politics, 4(3), 162-174.
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Teniola, O. O., Aondover, E. M., Aondover, P. O., & Akin-Odukoya, O. O. (2019). Audience perceptions of explicit content in Nigerian movies: A study of shanty town. Insight-News Media. 2025; 8 (1): 634. Social Sciences.
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Uchendu, C. E., Akin-Odukoya, O. O., Falobi, F., Aondover, P. O., & Benard, L. (2025). Social Media Regulations and Government Censorship in Nigeria. Polit Journal Scientific Journal of Politics, 5(1), 16-30.
Uchendu, C. E., Aondover, P. O., Akin-Odukoya, O. O., Benard, L., & Ridwan, M. (2025). Evaluation of Users’ Perception of President Buhari’s# Twitterban among Users in Anambra State. Britain International of Humanities and Social Sciences (BIoHS) Journal, 7(1), 59-74.
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Vitalis, P. O., Amadi, R. N., & Whyte, D. H. (2024). Social Construct of Nollywood Films and Ethnocentrism in Southern Nigeria. CINEJ Cinema Journal, 12(2), 152-179.
Vitalis, P. O., Aondover, E. M., Ogunbola, O., Onyejelem, T. E., & Ridwan, M. (2025). Accessing Digital Divide and Implications in Nigeria: The Media Dimension. Budapest International Research and Critics Institute-Journal (BIRCI-Journal), 8(1), 1-12.
Vitalis, P. O., Onyejelem, T. E., & Okuneye, A. P. (2023). Understanding advertising in the era of social media. Information System and Smart City, 3(1), 502-502.
Aondover, E. M., Aondover, P. O., Adewale, O. C., Falobi, F., & Maiwada, A. A. (2024). Contextual Issues Surrounding Investigative Journalism in Nigeria. Polit Journal Scientific Journal of Politics, 4(4), 226-239.
Aondover, E. M., Aondover, P. O., Ogunbola, O., Lateef, O. O., & Emmanuel, O. (2025). Audiences’ Views on Hausa Hip Hop on Arewa24 Television in Kano Metropolis. SIASAT, 10(2), 84-98.
Aondover, P. O, & Aondover, E.M (2023). "Nollywood Offering and Nigeria People and Culture: Reflections and Projection." Unisia 41(1), 117-142.
Aondover, P. O., Amadi, R. N., & Whyte, D. H. (2025). Cinematographic Analysis and Authorship of Nollywood Contemporary Films in Nigeria. Budapest International Research and Critics Institute-Journal (BIRCI-Journal), 8(2), 212-223.
Aondover, P. O., Aondover, E. M., & Babele, A. M. (2022). Two nations, same technology, different outcomes: Analysis of technology application in Africa and America. Journal of Educational Research and Review, 1(1), 001-008.
Aondover, P. O., Aondover, E. M., Adewale, O. C., Akin-Odukoya, O. O., & Maradun, L. U. (2024). Media Portrayal of Female Celebrities in the Nigerian Press. Konfrontasi: Jurnal Kultural, Ekonomi dan Perubahan Sosial, 11(4), 259-272.
Delanty G. (2003). Consumption, Modernity and Japanese Cultural Identity: The Limits of Americanization ?. In U. Beck, N. Sznaider and R. Winter, (eds.), Global America? The Cultural Consequences of Globalization (pp. 114-134). Liverpool: Liverpool University Press.
Khondker, H. H. (2000). Globalization: Against Reductionism and Linearity. Development and Society, 29 (1), 17-33
Maiwada, A. A., Aondover, P. O., Adewale, O. C., Falobi, F., & Onyejelem, T. E. (2025). Public Relations and Media Role in Peace Building in Nigeria. Budapest International Research and Critics Institute-Journal (BIRCI-Journal), 8(1), 45-58.
Moore, W. (1966). Global Sociology: the World as a Singular System. American Journal of Sociology, 71 (5), 475-82.
Msughter, A. E., Yar’Adua, S. M., & Aondover, P.O. (2022). Information seeking behavior on Covid-19 vaccine among residents of Fagge Local Government Area of Kano, Nigeria. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 6(9), 2526-2541.
Nettl, J.P., and Robertson, R. (1968). International Systems and the Modernization of Societies. New York: Basic Books.
Okunade, J. K. (2025). Media Coverage of Covid-19 and Readers’ Perception of Credibility of Fake News. Britain International of Humanities and Social Sciences (BIoHS) Journal, 7(2), 93-112.
Onyejelem, T. E., Aondover, P. O., Maradun, L. U., Chime-Nganya, C. R., & Akin-Odukoya, O. O. (2024). Media and Pictorial Reportage of Boko Haram Insurgency in Nigeria. Konfrontasi: Jurnal Kultural, Ekonomi dan Perubahan Sosial, 11(4), 287-299.
Oreoluwa, P. A., Vitalis, P. O., Nneka, A. Q., Collins-Dike, J., & Ridwan, M. (2024). Online Harassment of Female Journalist in Lagos State. Polit Journal Scientific Journal of Politics, 4(3), 162-174.
ÖZEKİN, M. K., & ARIÖZ, Z. (2014). Beyond cultural imperialism: Cultural globalization as hybridization. Zeitschrift für die Welt der Türken, 6(3).
Sparks, C. (2012). Media and cultural imperialism reconsidered. Chinese Journal of Communication, 5(3), 281-299.
Teniola, O. O., Aondover, E. M., Aondover, P. O., & Akin-Odukoya, O. O. (2019). Audience perceptions of explicit content in Nigerian movies: A study of shanty town. Insight-News Media. 2025; 8 (1): 634. Social Sciences.
Tomlinson, J. (1996). Cultural globalisation: Placing and displacing the West. The European Journal of Development Research, 8(2), 22-35.
Tomlinson, J. (2001). Cultural imperialism: A critical introduction. A&C Black.
Uchendu, C. E., Akin-Odukoya, O. O., Falobi, F., Aondover, P. O., & Benard, L. (2025). Social Media Regulations and Government Censorship in Nigeria. Polit Journal Scientific Journal of Politics, 5(1), 16-30.
Uchendu, C. E., Aondover, P. O., Akin-Odukoya, O. O., Benard, L., & Ridwan, M. (2025). Evaluation of Users’ Perception of President Buhari’s# Twitterban among Users in Anambra State. Britain International of Humanities and Social Sciences (BIoHS) Journal, 7(1), 59-74.
UNESCO. (2009). UNESCO World Report: Investing in Cultural Diversity and Intercultural Dialogue. Paris: UNESCO.
Vitalis, P. O., Amadi, R. N., & Whyte, D. H. (2024). Social Construct of Nollywood Films and Ethnocentrism in Southern Nigeria. CINEJ Cinema Journal, 12(2), 152-179.
Vitalis, P. O., Aondover, E. M., Ogunbola, O., Onyejelem, T. E., & Ridwan, M. (2025). Accessing Digital Divide and Implications in Nigeria: The Media Dimension. Budapest International Research and Critics Institute-Journal (BIRCI-Journal), 8(1), 1-12.
Vitalis, P. O., Onyejelem, T. E., & Okuneye, A. P. (2023). Understanding advertising in the era of social media. Information System and Smart City, 3(1), 502-502.