Nollywood and playwriting: appraising theatre and film medium to nation building

Abstract

Theatre and Film Studies discipline has developed to the extent that its effect on nation-building should no longer be ignored. In Greek society, some of the playwrights who lived within the fifth century B.C used their plays to interact with the Greek society. They presented societal problems and equally suggested a way forward in building a stronger Greek Community. In Nigeria, the case is not different as some Nigerian playwrights and filmmakers have become purveyors of information on national development. One could say that humankind is becoming inhuman in Nigerian society in recent times: the herders’/farmers crisis and the incessant killing that follow, the police brutality and its offshoot that resulted in ‘Endsars’ quagmire, the government’s nonchalance in tackling the above problems necessitated this research. This study through the adoption of case study approach of the qualitative research method examined ‘man’s inhumanity to man’ as dovetailed in the selected play and film. Hence, the researcher discovered that the playwright’s sagacious treatment of detestable widowhood practices and the filmmaker’s creative ingenuity if well integrated into the national development would go a long way in providing succour to the Nigerian populace. The researcher also discovered that theatre and film productions could be refined and packaged to enhance the goal of national development. The researcher recommends that sanitizing and creating awareness be done through Theatre Performances and Film Screening which if well-presented on screen and stage would draw the younger generation back to the root and principal ways of living a humane life and build a better society for posterity.