Cultural Representation and Intercultural Interaction: Nigerian Women in Films

Abstract

Nigeria is a multi-cultural society, but the visual image of women can be said to be the same among these various cultures. In Africa, women are not seen as they are in the Western world. Globalisation has however brought the modern Nigerian woman closer to Western ideologies and exposed her to a new perception of gender and gender role and image. While Nollywood films still battle to find a balance between representing the Nigerian woman in the cultural image and the Westernized Nigerian, people's mentality has yet accepted the full impact of these intercultural interactions. Using some Nollywood films as primary data, I intend to examine the image representation of the traditional and Western Nigerian in Nollywood. This paper intends to find out to what extent intercultural interactions can “transform” the Nigerian woman and still leave her “acceptable” in the light of the cultures and traditions. Is rewarding the cultural minded Nigerian, as highlighted in Nollywood films, a way of advising the women to stick to the traditional values? If so, what is the essence of intercultural interactions, which cannot be prevented, and which the modern Nigerian man loves to see in a modern Nigerian woman? Data would be polled from respondents over the Internet. This paper intends to address these and also proffer a solution to the dilemma, cultural representations and intercultural interaction, as seen in Nollywood films, is creating for the Nigerian woman and among the members of the society in general.