Achieving Africa’s integration through entertainment

AFRICA, the second most populous continent and home to a billion people making about 15 per cent of the world’s population is made up of multi-ethnic and multicultural societies. With 54 countries, the continent is divided into Northern Africa with its Arab cultures and part of the MENA region (Middle East- North Africa) and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Each country has a unique culture.

Multiculturalism in Africa is premised on challenges to cultural supremacy occasioned by the large-scale migrations of people of different backgrounds, views, norms, traditions, cultures, among others who experienced alienation, marginalisation and exclusion in the host country.

Despite the diversity, they experience in everyday life, communal mutuality in village festivals, traditional dancing tunes and steps, religious worships and socio-cultural cooperation in works among others.  At the struggle for independence, African theatre and cultural forms became elements of resistance and the fight for independence. Songs, dances, and ritual dramas mobilized people to understand and reject colonialism.

Today, however, in line with the integration agenda of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Nollywood films have taken the front burner by upholding African cultural practices and promoting such among diasporas living in the various countries in the sub – region and in addition re – infusing the African practices and cultures into the original inhabitants of the various countries even outside the continent.

With the African Development Bank’s dream of building today a better future for Africa tomorrow, Africa can accelerate its industrialisation, if the regional and sub-regional organisations can seize the opportunity of Nollywood general acceptance to achieve their objectives of integrations among the citizens of countries in the continent.

Alabidun, Shuaib

Abdulrahman, 

Abuja.