Comments on NIGERIAN CURIOSITY: TIME MAGAZINE'S NOLLYWOOD PICTORIAL

I agree, I like that last photo there too. There i...

2010-03-17T05:42:00.160-04:00

I agree, I like that last photo there too. There is something about them all though that just seems a little off. I'm impressed but not at the same time. I don't get it.

i just wish the pictures had come with caption exp...

2009-11-02T20:29:02.878-05:00

i just wish the pictures had come with caption explaining what they are supposed to potray. while viewing the pictures i could not help saying out loud 'what the HELL is this?' but in all honesty i do agree that the makeup used on the actors is flawless and of high quality.

however, i am not happy with this potrayal at all as it is very negative. i mean one mythological being they could have potrayed was Mami Wata and she is beautiful etc but i'm sure if they had decided to potray her she would have had blood on her hands, probably standing over a dead man's corpse with her eyes rolling inside her head. this is sad :(

the quality is excellent and amazing but i don't know if this is the 'real' image of Nollywood. they have chosen to potray just a part of it and without useful captions these images are stereotypical.

i see the pics the same way i'll see the pictu...

2009-10-31T15:25:29.632-04:00

i see the pics the same way i'll see the picture of an hollywood staple blown out of proportion. think of a picture of spiderman in his old age trying some enemy with balancing himself with a walking stick....

2009-10-27T17:54:29.571-04:00

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Let's not get our knickers tied into a knot. I...

2009-10-27T06:25:43.912-04:00

Let's not get our knickers tied into a knot. I saw these pictures last year and I was intrigued. It's a photographer's take on Nollywood. It is art. BUT, I think Pietre Hugo should sue Time Magazine for using his words/pictures outta context.

This is poor journalism, an ABATI at best.

We are not just having a debate, we are helping Ti...

2009-10-27T03:14:18.565-04:00

We are not just having a debate, we are helping Time create a classification of our movie industry. Just the same way we must accept D9 for what it is, the great photographer did not wake up one day and thought to bash our brand :). Beauty.

Have to go with Nneoma and NIMMO on this one. Hugo...

2009-10-26T23:39:50.646-04:00

Have to go with Nneoma and NIMMO on this one. Hugo's storytelling is one thing - he told his models' story, and even if some argue that that is misrepresentative of Nollywood, those who feel obliged to tell the story as they feel it should be told, should go ahead and do so.

Like Nneoma, I'd seen these photos months ago before they were published by TIMES and thought, wow, interesting take on Nollywood. And that's what it is, Mr Hugo's take. Mayhaps TIMES doesn't do a good job of highlighting the one-sidedness of this story to its readers, but that's their perogative, and if they wholeheartedly share Mr Hugo's PoV on Nollywood, that's fair enough i say.

Nigerians, like everyone else, must be proactive in telling their own stories without allowing others, who clearly do not know them, to define who they are for a mass audience.

That really sums it up, Solo. Thanks for sharing!

I saw this spread earlier and I was miffed until I...

2009-10-26T15:02:58.404-04:00

I saw this spread earlier and I was miffed until I re-read the editorial piece that came with it a bit more closely.

The photographer -Hugo- did what any cost-minded (ijebu) person would do: he got some 'aspiring' Nigerian actors, make-up artists etc and asked them to depict Nollywood in any way that caught their fancy.

Then he snapped them.

It was not HIS story; it was THEIR story. He simply captured it on film.

Please read it again.

If I may add one more point I should have added to...

2009-10-26T14:36:44.817-04:00

If I may add one more point I should have added to the above...I mean, since it has been long since I commented on your blog, I feel entitled to two posts. On the list you presented on rebranding the actors/actresses that featured were those who were heavyweights in the nineties. This is when the occult was overrepresented in Nollywood. This is why I asked in my last comments to hear from such actors/tresses. Nollywood has evolved and continues to change, so I disagree with the above that occultic themes are pervasive today. We see them occasionally but not to the extent as we saw in the past. If TIMES wanted to present an accurate portrayal of Nollywood as it is today, it would have focused on other themes besides the occult. At least Nollywood has been able to mature and grow over the years...albeit at a slow rate. I am not sure I can say the same for Hollywood, who's penchant for violence (that rivals that of most Nigerian films, past and present) gets worse with each new release.

I think my contention is with TIMES magazine rathe...

2009-10-26T12:48:39.018-04:00

I think my contention is with TIMES magazine rather than the actual artist. Before TIMES decided to showcase this artist, I was aware of this exhibition and previous works by Hugo on Nigeria. His photography is usually a bit dark and I expected such in regards to his personal take on Nollywood.

The issue I have with TIMES is that this piece is an example of irresponsible journalism. TIMES took Hugo's art (not fact) literally, when, I believe, that was not the photographer's intention (I think). Rather than present the exhibition as the art, it took Hugo's photos as fact, as a sort of photographic documentary on Nollywood. This is evidenced by the short captions placed with each photo that attempt to explain the Nollywood industry to its western audience. Also, TIMES included the names of the participants in the photo shoot. I have been watching Nollywood films since the early nineties, and I could not identify any other the participants in that shoot. TIMES, without investigating the facts, included their names, thinking that these no-names are the faces of Nollywood.

I was amongst those who expressed much anger at the depiction of Nigerians in the film, District 9 because it, too, was based on misinformation and biases held by the director of the film. However, I will not fault Hugo for his artistic interpretation of the Nollywood industry until I hear his side of the story. TIMES, however, as a mainstream publication, was incredibly lazy with their research and adopted some fantastic art piece as reality.

On a side note, this issue very much relates to rebranding. In a previous post, SSD, you mentioned actors and actresses that were on the re-branding committee. Why have they been incredibly silent on the issue of Nollywood in the eyes of foreigners? Also, I would like to know of their take on the idea that Loomnie presented a while back on his blog, that some of Nollywood's bad press can be ascribed to its writers and producers who produce demeaning portrayals of Nigerians in film.

Doja 2.0, I understand the point which you are com...

2009-10-26T12:12:57.806-04:00

Doja 2.0, I understand the point which you are coming from. However, you'll agree with me that what you mentioned are not the entirety of what Nollywood presents. Nollywood is not all about 'witch doctors and other bizarre stupid things' as you put it. I'll not complain if Time also presents scenes that feature other powerful actors and scenes side by side these pictures. As a rhetorical critic, I understand very much the power of pictoral metaphor and what it does to create an image of a people. Nollywood presents the beautiful and the ugly parts of our culture, most times with a message to stress that what is good is most desirable. Not perfect yet, but they do their best. As much as we call on them to improve, we as Nigerians must not put our signatures on deliberate designs to dehumanise us by people who have close their eyes to whatever that is positive about us.

I actually like the pictures. For one, they seem t...

2009-10-26T11:38:06.610-04:00

I actually like the pictures. For one, they seem to reflect a much higher quality, than anything I have personally seen in a Nigerian movie.

For another, I don't think these pictures have any reflections on the Nigerian society as a whole. If it is a representation of the Nigerian movie industry...is it inaccurate?

Furthermore,I consider any one of these pictures to be far more interesting than a shot of Ms Nnaji carrying a Versace bag.

Finally, in the movie business, no PR is bad PR. So Nollywood, relax and enjoy your time in the Sun.

PS I confess to being a photography enthusiast, so maybe I'm overwhelmed by the art

Okay I am going to be a deviant on this issue. I ...

2009-10-26T11:13:25.416-04:00

Okay I am going to be a deviant on this issue.
I do not blame Time magazine for this depiction of nollywood, I rather agree with them because most of the nollywood movies tend to have themes associated with witch doctors and other bizarre stupid things which in no way depict the Nigeria people or the country. We should be holding our crazy, untalented, moronic occult obssessed producers, directors, writers, actors and everyone else involved with the distribution and production of these 'movies' to account.

This is so annoying. I am still at a loss for word...

2009-10-26T09:20:35.134-04:00

This is so annoying. I am still at a loss for words!!!!!!!!!!!

Shame on them.

2009-10-26T08:54:26.981-04:00

Shame on them.