Legendary Narrative in New Media

Abstract

Many narratives form the oral repertoire of many African societies. These narratives were commonly told in rural settings and were an  important medium of entertainment and construction. These tales are concerned with humanistic ideas. They are often set in an  atmosphere where gods, spirits, divinities and other supernatural elements abound. Transferring a story from one medium to another is  common especially in the age of digitization. The paper deals with a traditional narrative which has been adapted into a movie. The  source of contemporary movies can be any genre. The new media has made it possible for many folklore forms to be adapted into films thereby increasing narrative detail and audience. In effect narratives are adapted to provide filmic equivalents. Folkloric films can be used  to promote the story content of the cultural elements in a society since the stories feature a great variety of interests which  elucidate the nature of human life. The movies transport viewers to other worlds and can also be used to depict the African worldview,  heroism and religious systems and how these elements reinforce modern socio-political systems. The major dimension of the paper is  the examination of one Nollywood legendary movie Bashorun Gaa. It has been adapted into a Nollywood film presented as an alternative to traditional oral performances. The theoretical consideration for the paper is narratology.