Indigenous Oral Aesthetics and the (Re)construction of Nupe Film Arts in Nigeria

Abstract

Filmmakers and scholars such as Steven Ross, Christopher Ames, and Sheilar Nayar have proved that oral narratives in films add to the thematic intensity and provide some of liveliest humour in films, which attracts and appeals to the audience. Similarly, Nupe indigenous filmmakers have made recourse to traditional materials and oral aesthetics to achieve a unique film tradition. This article assesses the deployment of Nupe oral aesthetics in (re)constructing a distinct Nupe film art in Nigeria. It emphasises the narratology and adaptation of oral materials in Nupe films. The aim of the study is to demonstrate how traditional oral texts have defined a new indigenous film art. Drawing on the concepts of adaptation, intertextuality, and transposition, the article adopts a thematic and textual analytical approach. Cultural theory and African film theory are employed to reflect an African cosmology in filmmaking, engaging the connection between film, culture, and technology. African film theory juxtaposes the pre-modern with modernity, where oral tradition and filmmaking are fused together. Cultural theory allows the conveyance of traditional peculiarities and identities in the oral form of languages used in Nupe films. The article establishes that the film text has used technology with orality to create a distinct film industry that contributes to the development of the mainstream Nigerian (Nollywood) film industry. Technology is deployed to demonstrate the adaptability and relevance of oral materials to achieve harmony of culture and technology. In all, Nupe filmmakers find relevance in media technology and its adaptation of oral material in contemporary digital narratives.