Pentecostal Christianity and Traditional Religion in Nigerian Video Films by Edo-Language Filmmakers

ABSTRACT

This article examines the representation of Pentecostal Christianity and African traditional religion in Edo-language (also known as Bini or Benin) video films. It discusses this in relation to English-language Nigerian religious video filmmakers’ demonisation of African traditional religion in their films. The article responds to Birgit Meyer’s work in her article “Religious Remediations: Pentecostal Views in Ghanaian Video-Movies”. It adopts an ethnographic approach based on participant observation, and uses interviews with key Edo-language video filmmakers. The current scholarship on Nigerian religious video films mainly focuses on the representation of religions in English-language Nollywood films and creates the impression that the Nigerian video film industry is an area of homogeneous cultural production. In contrast, Edo-language film producers do not privilege Pentecostal Christianity or traditional religion in their films but use the values of the two religions, which they see as similar, to edify Edo citizens and to promote the wellbeing of Benin society. This article therefore challenges the view that all Nigerian films represent traditional religion negatively and calls for greater recognition of the particularity of indigenous-language religious video films.

EBIAN (Abstract in Edo)

Ovbi-ebe na ghe emwamwa ọghe ugamwẹ epẹtikosa kevbe ugamwẹ otọ Afirrika vbe ughe -egbọ ọghe Ẹdo ne a vbe rẹẹn ye (Ubini ra eBeni). Ọ guan kan ọna vbe ekpa vbene emwa ni ru ughe-egbọ ne ọ loo unu-ẹvbo Ebo ya ye aro esu ghe ugamwẹ otọ Afirrika vbe ughe-egbọ ọghe iran. Emwi ne ọ tua vbi-ebe na ọre inwina ọghe Birgit Meyer ne ọre: Religious Remediations: Pentecostal Views in Ghanaian Video-Movies. Ọ loo odẹ ẹtinogarafiki ne ọ kan ‘ughe eniru-emwi’, kevbe loo inọta ọghe emwa kpataki ni ru ughe-egbọ ọghe unu-Ẹdo. Emwa ni mobọ tie ebe ye ughe-egbọ ọghe ugamwẹ vbe Enaigirria ke wa kakabọ tua nyaa ne a ye unu-Ebo ru ne ọ na doo ye vbe inwina ughe-egbọ vbe Enaigirria mwẹẹ arre ọkpa. Vbe obọ ọvbehe, ughe-egbọ vbe unu-Ẹdo ghi wa rri otiti ne ugamwẹ epẹntikosa ra ugammwẹ otọ-ẹvbo sokpan iran ghi loo ilele vbe uhi ne ọ rre eveva rhunmwuda akugbe ne ọ rrọ ya tọn ivbi Ẹdo mu kevbe ya sinmwi oseghe otọ-ẹvbo. Ovbi-ebe na keghi do gbe ọdan ye vbene avbe emwa ni ru ughe-egbọ vbe Enaigirria ya gie ugamwẹ otọ-ẹvbo vbe ọghe edan kevbe tie ne a rẹẹn emwi esi ne ọ rre ughe-egbọ ọghe ugamwẹ otọ-ẹvbo.

KEYWORDS:

• Nollywood
• Pentecostal Christianity
• African traditional religion
• cultural nationalism
• Nigerian video films
• African-language films

IKPẸMWẸN:

• eNoliwudi
• ugamwẹ ePẹtikosa
• ugamwẹ otọ Afirrika
• oseghe arre
• ughe-egbọ Enaigirria
• ughe unu-ẹvbo Afirrika

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Peddie Okao, personal interview, 3 October 2018.