Topic summary

Nollywood

Nollywood

Nollywood, a portmanteau of Nigeria and Hollywood, is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term goes back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in The New York Times. Due to the history of evolving meanings and contexts, there is no clear or agreed-upon definition for the term, which has made it a subject of several controversies.

Film scholars have also used the term Nollywood to refer to a group of movies produced starting in the 1990s, which have now become popular in Africa and diaspora audiences, that were often relatively low budget and made in a short time period. These movies often featured well known celebrities to boost viewership and were distributed through home viewing and informal networks.