BENIN CITY WOMEN’S PERCEPTION OF WITCHCRAFT DEPICTIONS IN NOLLYWOOD MOVIES

ABSTRACT

This study examined Benin City women’s perception of witchcraft depictions in Nollywood movies. The objectives of the study were to find out the extent to which women in Benin City are exposed to Nollywood movies depicting witchcraft, find out if the portrayal of witchcraft in Nollywood movies is perceived by Benin City women as a true reflection of life in Nigeria, ascertain Benin City women’s perception on whether Nollywood movies are promoting the existence of witchcraft and determine the extent to which Nollywood portrayal of Witchcraft has affected the behaviour of women in Benin City. The cultivation theory was adopted for the study. The survey was used as research design while questionnaire was the research instrument. The researcher found that Benin women are highly exposed to Nollywood movies that portrayed witchcraft and that the portrayal of witchcraft in the movies have influenced them to see Nigeria as a bad place to live, and as a place where no one could be trusted because they could be witches. As a result of the things the researcher found out, it was recommended among other things that Nollywood producers should be cautious with the stories they portray to the audience and that Benin women and Nigerians in general should carefully select the media content they expose themselves to, because whatever they are exposed to shapes how they perceive reality.