• Hausa Edition
  • Podcast
  • Conferences
  • LeVogue Magazine
  • Business News
  • Print Advert Rates
  • Online Advert Rates
  • Contact Us
Friday, October 31, 2025
Leadership Newspapers
Read in Hausa
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
    • Football
  • Health
  • Entertainment
  • Education
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
  • Others
    • LeVogue Magazine
    • Conferences
    • National Economy
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
    • Football
  • Health
  • Entertainment
  • Education
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
  • Others
    • LeVogue Magazine
    • Conferences
    • National Economy
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
Leadership Newspapers
No Result
View All Result

Why Nollywood Fails To Replicate Nigerian Literature Success

by Chinelo Chikelu
2 years ago
in Entertainment
Nollywood
Share on WhatsAppShare on FacebookShare on XTelegram

Stakeholders have identified why Nigeria has been unable to replicate the success of her literature writers in the film industry.
In the past decade, Nigerian literary writers have held sway the African Literature space churning out on the regular internationally acclaimed works. That successful play on words is yet to reflect on Nollywood, which spots poorly written film scripts and plots.

Advertisement

Author and Board Member, Abuja Literary Society (ALS), Dr Lizzy Ben-Iheanacho, and Screenwriter and co-founder Ziva Works, Brenda Ogbuka-Garba, blame the absence of quality films in Nollywood on zero reading culture amongst producers, directors and screenwriters.
The pair disclosed this at a panel session Unveiling Nigeria’s Cinematic Gems: Overcoming The Screenplay Challenge To Match Its Literary Excellence organized by the Women International Film Festival Nigeria (WIFFEN) in Abuja.

Dr Ben-Iheanacho whose opener “who is your best Nigerian female writer?” met a deadening silence – highlighted the lack of a reading culture amongst filmmakers as the major obstacle to quality films and scriptwriting in Nollywood.
Stressing the importance of reading to filmmaking, she said filmmakers do not exist in isolation, thus, cannot be good filmmakers without reliance on the literature culture that gave flight to their imaginations long before the advent of films.
Conversely, she advised that authors give the rights to adapting their works onscreen to good film producers or screenwriters who can make a decent adaptation of their books onscreen.

Advertisement

“A good author is not necessarily a good scriptwriter. So, saying that authors should turn their books into films (on their own) won’t work. Chimamanda Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun was successfully adapted into a film. But Adichie didn’t claim to be an expert in an area she knows nothing about. She gave the film rights of her book to the late director and filmmaker, Biyi Bamidele.
“But Nollywood should work on itself to gain Nigerian authors trust and confidence that they can give a good interpretation of their work onscreen.”

Reiterating the lack of reading culture amongst Nigerian filmmakers and scriptwriters, Ogbuka-Garuba said the latter depend on ‘watching movies’ for inspiration. “They watch a movie, and then get to writing. My background is totally different. I was a poet before I fell in love with film, and then scriptwriting.
“My mentors Zack Amata and Emil Garuba taught me first to read, reread, then write a script for it. If we have filmmakers and scriptwriters that are readers, we will have better stories – and better plots.

Beyond the cliched and floozy plots that are rife in Nollywood, Ogbuka-Garuba, said such lack of efforts at researching stories also affect the quality of Nollywood movies as they tend to rely heavily on stereotypes that not only demean women, but relegates Nigeria’s rich indigenous and cultural stories to the background.

RELATED NEWS

Why I Write About Black Women, Afro Diaspora Experiences – Åkerström

‘Dance Speaks’ Inspires Layman’s Appreciation Of Dance

Art X Unveils Expanded Programming, Impact Report For Tenth Edition

Lancelot Imaseun To Launch Memoir On His Life Behind The Camera

“To produce conflict, Nigerian filmmakers throw in three female characters in conflict over a man. The next minute fight ensues among the women and one ends up hurting the other. Our Nollywood films should tell more indigenous stories (rather than fall on stereotypes, or leaning towards western culture).”
Promoting her upcoming movie, a love story between an Igbo woman and a Nigerian soldier in the 1970s, Ogbuka-Garuba urged script writers to go the writer’s route. “Writers tell relatable stories because they are often writing stories that are personal to them, or stories of people they know. Good writing is about projecting images, culture, and values of our society that will resonate among our people.”

Join Our WhatsApp Channel

Breaking News: Nigerians at home and abroad can now earn in USD by acquiring ultra-premium domains from $3,000 and profiting up to $36,000. Perfect for professionals. Click here.

SendShareTweetShare

OTHER NEWS UPDATES

Why I Write About Black Women, Afro Diaspora Experiences – Åkerström
Books & Arts

Why I Write About Black Women, Afro Diaspora Experiences – Åkerström

3 hours ago
‘Dance Speaks’ Inspires Layman’s Appreciation Of Dance
Entertainment

‘Dance Speaks’ Inspires Layman’s Appreciation Of Dance

3 hours ago
Art X Unveils Expanded Programming, Impact Report For Tenth Edition
Entertainment

Art X Unveils Expanded Programming, Impact Report For Tenth Edition

3 hours ago
Advertisement
Leadership join WhatsApp

LATEST UPDATE

Falana Reveals Constitutional Errors In Tinubu’s Presidential Pardon

46 minutes ago

DELSU Expels Student For Filming Dying Colleague, Posting Video On TikTok

46 minutes ago

‘Entry Is A Privilege, Not A Right’, US Defends Soyinka’s Visa Revocation

1 hour ago

Federal Government Begins Disbursement Of Tertiary Institution Staff Support Fund

1 hour ago

PICTORIAL: Kogi Poly Uncovers Fake Results Syndicate, Suspends Deputy Registrar, 4 Others

2 hours ago
Load More

© 2025 Leadership Media Group - All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
    • Football
  • Health
  • Entertainment
  • Education
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
  • Others
    • LeVogue Magazine
    • Conferences
    • National Economy
  • Contact Us

© 2025 Leadership Media Group - All Rights Reserved.