The Scientific Cognition of African Nollywood Films

Abstract

Films, which include, but are not limited to, movies and TV series are increasingly becoming the fancy of everyday life for folks across the globe. Such a fascinating trend motivates inquiries for any potential that can be utilized in places where scientific research and its applications are limited or are being constrained. This article presents a state-of-the-art review of an African Nollywood movie, Igodo: The Land of the Living Dead. Two objectives are considered: to examine the logical reasoning of the movie, and to investigate the possibility – if there is any – that films by and large can be used in much the same way as a research output, to formulate policy and inform decision-making in various aspects of human life and society. This review employs an iconographic approach to explore the plot, texts, special effects and cultural disposition of Igodo in a way to make sense of its significance and implications within the context of scientific research. An analysis of the movie’s plot and spectacle reveals a unique problem, which the movie identifies, key questions, which it attempts to answer, a hypothesis, which it formulates, and tests, a method, which it proposes to use to collect a set of data and to analyse them, and finally a conclusion, which it draws from the outcome of the analysis. Thus, the movie mirrors and resonates with scientific research in its ontological and epistemological framework, and underscores a reckonable significance, which possibly transcends the immediate satisfaction of film producers and audiences. With such a potential, film should be acknowledged as a useful tool for policy and institutional intervention especially in localities where poor access to cultural legacies and reliable data impose severe limitations on traditional research approaches and implementation.