Nollywood

Ah, procrastination, so damaging yet so fulfilling. Although indefinitely postponing a paper the other night and choosing instead to peruse the Web, I found myself enraptured—nay—stunned by a truth I had never encountered. No, it wasn't that the Jay-Z, Beyonce, Lady Gaga and the general music industry are recreating the Freemason secret society while channeling Illuminati imagery (though I'm sure that Web site brought my paper down a full grade).

Rather it was a place. A place called Nollywood.

While reading ultimate Hollywood insider Nikki Finke’s blog (you might recognize her name from that sordid Entourage shout-out a few weeks ago), I happened upon the surprising fact that Nollywood, Nigeria’s film industry, is the second largest in the world (India’s Bollywood  is first. Our Hollywood, third. Dollywood, unranked). A recent United Nations study showed that, in 2006, the West African republic produced a whopping 872 films, compared to the United States’ 485. Oprah said the industry is worth $2 billion. And hey, Oprah knows everything about Africa. 

So, what is Nollywood like and why has no one ever heard of it? Is there a Sunset Boulevard in Lagos, a Nigerian Vincent Chase? Do Nigerians spend their days Lagos Island Dreamin’ of those Nollywood lights, those Nollywood—lakes? Are there no souls there as well? After watching the trailer for Baby Police, where, yes, babies are the Nigerian police (take note, Zimbabwe!) and learning that the country’s most prolific auteur Chico Ejiro makes his films in three days, Nigeria’s film inflation starts to make sense.

Fear not, readers: though we are an ocean apart, Nollywood can come to your very own home. Just tune to Afrotainment.