It is evening. Tired from a hectic day, you take a shower, have a meal and toss your tired frame on the sofa. A drink in hand, you opt to switch on the television to catch up with your favourite movies. The Nollyhood type dominate and you obviously have no choice.
The story is of course riveting because of the simplicity of its plot. You can even tell your neighbour what will happen next.
"You know she will visit the witch-doctor to find out why her husband is cheating on her," my sweetheart, who is seemingly enthusiastic about the movie, weighs in.Her excitement has blinded her from seeing the apathy I have for the film. Indeed, to her very words, the woman goes to visit the witch doctor!
You switch on to a different channel and the guttural voice of the witch doctor greets you.
"Why are you running? Why are you running?" the menacing voice demands.Indeed, every Nollyhood film will be incomplete without the witch doctor playing his role.
Which begs the question: Is Nollyhood proliferating black magic in the continent?There is no doubt that art mirrors what is in our society. We cannot ignore the influence of the film industry in propagating world views in its consumers.There is no doubt that the black magic motif is embedded in our African psyche.
That we are genetically transmitting black magic to our children through Nollyhood is sad.I have always watched the horror in the eyes of the children as they watch Elechi Amadi's Agwaturumbes and Anyikas perform their magic on our screens as they cast and treat spells.
At this rate, Nigeria risks the tag of the the largest exporter of black magic in the world. There is no doubt that Nollyhood comes in second as the second largest foreign exchange earner after the rich oil wells of the Niger Delta.
The rest of the continent must be proactive in fighting this Nigerian affront. It is sad that even church ministers are great followers of tales from the 'oga' state of Africa.
I remain alive to the fact that 50% of our children will be witch doctors in the next 50 years if we do not ban Nollyhood tales.