Thread by @ChidiNkwocha_

I think Nollywood is trying and improving with the kinda quality movies we’ve been seeing since the last 5-10yrs. Gangs of Lagos, Brotherhood, Rattlesnake: The Aham Story, King of Boys, Blood Sisters, etc… Great acting, sleek visuals and believable storylines, to say the least.

If you ask me, I think also that perhaps it’s high time we ventured into animation/fantasy films as well, with epic storytelling and likable stock characters that have the capability to blossom into cult-like followings and household names among both adults and children alike.

Take for example, Hollywood’s Marvel and DC Comics. I believe it must’ve taken massive lots of creativity, vision and of course funding for something like DCverse to be what it is today. You’ve got great fictional characters like Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, Green Lantern,

The Joker, Blue Beetle, Antman, Superwoman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Thor, etc. These superhero characters and fantasy/adventure stories make Hollywood tick and rake in millions of dollars per release from fans.

So, I was just thinking, how about something like this in Nollywood?

In a society/continent where we’ve got hundreds and thousands of gods/goddesses and legendary ancestors, is it out of reach/place/bounds to carve beautiful, entertaining stories (which may or may not be factual) around these, all building up to massive fan-fiction franchises?

Why are we, apparently, yet to explore such levels of creativity and vision? For one, these stories would tell a lot about the histories, mythologies, and realities of our African tribes, of which could be didactic and also contribute to cultural diversity and preservation.

Like, imagine characters like Amadioha, Sango, Ogun, Ekwensu, Elem, Ani, Orunmila, Eshu, Ezenwaanyi Mmiri, Anyanwu, etc. all gathered in an ensemble cast of a thriller, epic showdown. (You’ll love it and I think we deserve it.😃)

Imagine Ogun inventing a spacecraft that takes

Tinubu to Pluto😂, or Ani creating a portal between the past and the present so Nigerians can reject Buhari in 2015. Or Ekwensu not being the devil but a highly misunderstood genius and canny businessman.

Well, I can understand that even considering such an idea can be

misconstrued as blasphemy, a taboo against certain traditions and religious groups, let alone implementing it. Open/liberal mindedness and visionary leadership, I get, is still a far cry in this part of the world, so it’s gonna be a real uphill task. Expect censorships et al but

I hope a day comes when we get to retell our Africanness from our own perspective and predict our future, one story at a time. If science fiction can, ‘Afro fiction’ can too.

It’s a world of imagination without borders.

End.

#transmedia #storytelling #WritingCommunity #movies

Image credit: The Collector

@threadreaderapp unroll