Comparison between Nigeria and India Film Media industry

The Television Media Industries in Nigeria and India

The television media industries in Nigeria and India are largely similar, with only a few exceptions. Radio, television, newspapers, music, and movies are all part of the media sector. The use of these media industries varies by country, owing to factors such as culture, government regulation, and technical innovation. As a result of these circumstances, some countries have less access to a certain media service than others. For example, because they rigorously adhere to their culture, Indian culture has aided them in the film industry more than Nigerian culture. The Indian culture is well developed has helped the film industry to grow intensely with an increased number of people who can play comedies and movies which have attracted the world to their film industry. This research paper will explore the similarities and differences in the film media industries in these countries which exist in different continents.

The Film Industry as a Development Strategy

Both Nigeria and India have attempted to engage the film industry as part of their development strategy thou they have equally encountered a feeling of distrust and lack of interest from local people as well as unpromising government support (Ebewo 51). In both countries, there are prominent film actors and directors who try to advocate their concern to the countries’ cinema. This is because the film could be a key tool for development of any state. It develops a nationhood feeling to teach the citizens moral values as well as expose the social evils that are done by the people (Sauer 28). This forms part of the nation building.

Similarities in Cinema Usage

India and Nigeria have a prominent number of similarities which make a clear comparison in their cinema usage thou they are thousands of miles away from each other (Ebewo 53). They have intensive research in these industries. By the fact that these two nations are factored as developing countries makes them look for opportunities to cater for their growing populations. Nigeria stands at a population of 117 million people while India had already stricken 1 billion citizens by the year 2000 according to the World Bank estimates. This increases diversity in their culture as well as create an opportunity for cultural growth and interaction (Larkin 220). These big populations of people have made it easy for these nations to develop their media industry well than any other nation in their region.

Technological Improvements and the Film Industry

It is no doubt that technological improvements have helped Nigeria and India to develop in their film industry. They have been able to market their film products through the internet and their population helps them to keep these trending daily. Many Nigerian film industries utilize the internet access to stream live their film products as well as sell them online to their diverse markets across the world. India has not been left behind in media technology where they spread their cultural beliefs and norms which are unique through the internet and mobile phones used to take short videos then shared across the internet world. These have drawn many young people to this industry creating employment opportunity for them (Sauer 29). Most of them have found themselves working in big media companies within their nation as a result of film production. Therefore, it is evident that both Nigeria and India have utilized the technology in developing the film media industry.

The Film Industry as a Tool for Development

In both Nigeria and Indian, the film industry has been used as a tool to spread development ideas. There are many films from these nations that are educating and inspiring. They focus on motivating people to utilize the resources available as well as challenge them to pursue higher goals. They are acted in a manner to challenge the viewers to move on in life despite their struggles. Some of the films on the internet from these nations have been acted to challenge neo-colonialism in these nations. These films also show the upcoming development in technology which motivates people to continue with the invention of new things that will bring more economic development (Uche 45). Many of the film actors portray themselves as poor and they are able to use ideas to move to the upper class. Such ideas are very useful as far as empowerment of the people is concerned.

Accessibility of Theaters and Cinema Halls

There is a large segment of viewers that can be reached in both Nigeria and India due to the existence of large theaters and cinema halls that can hold huge audiences more than other developing nations. These theaters as seen in these countries are accessible which makes it easy for film actors to organize many events to keep them going. The film industry has uses and advantages more than mass media (Ebewo 50). This is seen in its mobility and flexibility which televisions don’t possess. Film in these nations has been used in local gatherings and training people in various sectors.

Film as a Source of Entertainment

The film industry has been used as a source of entertainment and a way to spend leisure time. Most of the films acted were during holidays where people had free time. The Nigerian and Indian films take simple styles to act these films for example homestead contexts, work contexts or political contexts mixing with their culture (Uche 44). This shows the genuineness of the films and the viewers can understand well the real life in these states. Therefore, since some of the traditions performed in these nations are unique such as witchcraft, polygamy, and many others form s the entertainment part of these films (Punathambekar 80). These reminds local viewers who they are and where they have come from creating a sense belonging and national pride. This similarity shows us the importance of valuing film industry which actually has opened opportunities for many people.

Differences in Cultural Diversity, Political Factors, and Economic Backgrounds

Thou Nigeria and India film industry seem to look alike there still exist differences due to cultural diversity, political differences, and economic backgrounds. The colonial masters also play a part in laying down these differences as seen below.

Film Industry in Nigeria: The Province of the Elites

In Nigeria, the film industry is the province of the elites. These are people who can be able to raise huge amounts of money. It is seen as an industry of the few rich who can liaise with the government to control the distribution of these films. The poor people in Nigeria have no place in this industry of film production. Since only a few people can afford such resources, the volume of film produced in Nigeria has been reported to go down with many locals going to western movies (Ganti 87). On the other hand, Indian film production comprises of all classes of people regardless of their classes in the society. The government doesn’t control the distribution of films across India which has led to the increased number of films produced in this nation. Many people due to increased technology can access the necessary instruments of film production (Ganti 89). As seen in Nigeria where even the exhibitions of films have been left to the local businessmen in India, film exhibition is open in the public theaters.

The Influence of Western Culture and Cultural Identity

The Nigerian film industry is different from that of the India because it has borrowed so much of the western culture. There exist cultural crisis in Nigeria wondering which culture to consider in the production of a film. This has made many of the film producers to go for the western culture in which only a few people can be able to produce due to the high living standards depicted in the western nation more than the Nigerian lifestyle (Larkin 289). This has led to the creation of a monopolistic film production industry where only a limited number of companies in this nation can produce quality films. This is different from that of India because most Indians practice a common culture and are restricted to a common religious belief. This makes it possible for a film producer to come up with new films which they are aware of. The existence of common beliefs creates markets for the film producers and they can be able to sell in the local markets. There are many upcoming film producers in India (Punathambekar 87). There exist a perfect market for the film production where people can compete in terms of quality and content of the films.

Perception and Support from Government

Film production in Nigeria is considered as a loss of cultural identity. It is considered as a practice of the former colonial masters by many Africans. Therefore, this makes it unpopular among many people. Many have considered it as a dramatization of how Africans lost their own identity and copied that of the white culture (Chakravartty and Srirupa 350). This critique has limited the market and popularity of the film industry in this nation. The Nigerian film industry also is criticized as one that lacks seriousness and respect for African culture. This criticism has continually led to the underdevelopment of this market. Contrary to this, in India, film production is considered to increase a sense of belonging. It is a way of spreading their culture. Actually, many people are encouraged to join the industry to spread their culture as well as create a source of income (Larkin 290). It is now evident in how the film industry in India has spread even to other developing nations bring this nation a huge source of revenue.

Government Support and Language Barrier

In India, the government has put input in the industry to ensure that it keeps on growing. The governments have come up with funding opportunities to ensure that those producers with inadequate funds get support (Larkin 299). According to the Indian government, this industry is one of the main areas to raise revenue for the nation. Among the various governments, the support shown includes the creation of commercial cinema halls, and the establishment of Indian Motion Picture Association (IMPEC) and Film Finance Corporation (FFC). These were later merged to form the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) which is an indication of the government interest in the industry. On the other hand, the Nigerian government is seen to take very low interest and rare in the film industry. They view this as one way their opposition uses to expose the evil they do to the citizens. The Nigerian government actually suppresses any film producer who seems to support their counterparts (Cooper-Chen 33).

Language Barrier

Thou film production seems a good idea in India more than in Nigeria, the film industry in India faces a serious obstacle of the language barrier. Most of the target group of the films products is the English speaking communities across the world yet most of the films in India are produced in the Hindi language common in India but very unpopular in all other nations. This hinders the distributions of their products. Centrally to this, the Nigerian film industry uses English as the main language which helps it in the distribution of the film products (Ganti 84). The Indian government has also been slow in addressing the issue of the language barrier. This shows the existing difference in the film industry between Nigeria and India.

Conclusion

In conclusion, although both Nigeria and India have utilized the film medium for development reasons, they differ in the way cooperation and support is given by their respective governments. Nigeria has incredibly shown the development of the film industry through including even the western culture and technology. As seen in a comparison of both countries, Indian government stands out in giving grants to film producers. From a neutral point of view, it can be affirmed that film production is an important aspect of the development of economy and culture.

Work cited

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Cooper-Chen, Anne, ed. Global entertainment media: Content, audiences, issues. Routledge, (2006): 34-47.

Ebewo, Patrick J. ”The emerging video film industry in Nigeria: challenges and prospects.“ Journal of Film and Video 59.3 (2007): 46-67.

Ganti, Tejaswini. Producing Bollywood: Inside the contemporary Hindi film industry. Duke University Press, (2012): 78-90.

Larkin, Brian. ”Degraded images, distorted sounds: Nigerian video and the infrastructure of piracy.“ Public Culture 16.2 (2004): 289-314.

Larkin, Brian. ”Itineraries of Indian cinema: African videos, Bollywood, and global media.“ The Bollywood Reader (2008): 216-228.

Punathambekar, Aswin. From Bombay to Bollywood: The making of a global media industry. NYU Press, (2013): 68-79.

Sauer, M. ”Nigeria, and India: The Use of Film for Development-Whispers in a Crowd.“ Africa Media Review 6.1 (1992): 25-33.

Uche, Luke Uka. Mass media, people, and politics in Nigeria. Concept Publishing Company, (1989): 43-47