FOLKLORIC NARRATIVES AS FILM BLOCKBUSTERS IN CONTEMPORARY NIGERIAN FILMS

Abstract

The study is a critical analysis of folkloric discourse and the
promotion of literary development and media entertainments. It
analyses key folkloric motifs and cultural tropes: myths, legends and
beliefs as they influence film and media advancement. The aim is
to demonstrate the universal nature and the different ways in which
indigenous oral art forms are resourceful in sustaining the social life
of the society. Beliefs and Myths have the propensity to becoming
bestseller movies in Nigerian film industry. These are the gods,
myths, stories that formed our folklore and made our childhood lit
or scary depending on who is telling and what the myth or legend is
about. They are our own versions of Thor, Poseidon, Zeus, etc. And
while these foreign myths have been turned to blockbuster movies,
our own Nigerian folklores have less prominence in bestsellers’
films. The research adopts the Cultural theory, where it
demonstrates how elements of culture namely: proverbs, beliefs,
myth and folktales are translated into other art forms such as film.
The findings reveal that the consciousness of our oral cultures forms
a strong perception of linking aspects of modern texts (literature and
film) with inherited indigenous cultural knowledge (folklore).