{"id":5601,"date":"2021-05-26T00:00:52","date_gmt":"2021-05-26T00:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/?p=5601"},"modified":"2021-06-03T11:51:59","modified_gmt":"2021-06-03T11:51:59","slug":"yoruba-films","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/yoruba-films\/","title":{"rendered":"The Beautiful Sounds of Nigeria: 5 Must-Watch Yoruba Films to Enjoy and Learn"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you ever wonder why you\u2019ve never met anyone who speaks \u201cNigerian\u201d? Easy. Because the language spoken in Nigeria is actually called Yoruba.<\/p>\n

Spoken by nearly 50 million people, Yoruba is a pluricentric language,\u00a0mainly spoken in a dialectal area spanning Nigeria, Benin and Togo. However, all you have to do to find interesting content in Yoruba is turn on your TV and open your favourite streaming platforms.<\/p>\n

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Nigerian flag - Background photo created by www.slon.pics - www.freepik.com<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

The Nigerian film industry is one of the biggest and most prolific movie scenes in Africa. Sometimes referred to as Nollywood, it produces around 200 films and TV\u00a0series a month, many of which can be found on platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime with subtitles.<\/p>\n

Watching Yoruba films\u00a0is an excellent way of learning about the diversity of the Nigerian language and the people who speak it.<\/p>\n

If you like seeing engaging entertainment with a pan-African perspective, here is a short list of Yoruba films\u00a0that you won\u2019t want to miss.<\/p>\n

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1.\u00a0Love in Vendetta (1996)<\/h2>\n

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Starring Zack Orji and inspired by the 1987 Kano riots, one of the most violent incidents between Christians and Muslims in the 1980s, this is one of the best\u00a0Yoruba movies\u00a0for those who like learning history through film.<\/p>\n

Love in Vendetta<\/i><\/em>\u00a0is a loose adaptation of Romeo <\/i><\/em>and Juliet<\/i><\/em>. As in Shakespeare\u2019s classic, the film\u00a0presents two lovers: a Hausa girl and an Igbo boy.<\/p>\n

The young couple dream of getting married although both their families strongly oppose their union and seem willing to do whatever it takes to separate them. Eventually, they discover that their families\u2019 opposition is the consequence of open wounds left by the 1987 Kano riots and the violence that affected their entire generation.<\/p>\n

Will this love story end on a tragic note, or will it deviate from Shakespeare\u2019s play and offer a glimpse of hope at the end? Well, you\u2019ll have to watch it and find out.<\/p>\n

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2.\u00a0Code of Silence (2015)<\/h2>\n

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Adanma, a young and promising medical student, is sexually abused by a local politician and his assistant while she is coming back home from college.<\/p>\n

Although her family shows her their support, she\u2019s afraid to report the abusers to the authorities due to her low social standing. She is afraid that these men will use their power to further ruin her life.<\/p>\n

As a result of this awful experience, she suffers severe psychological and emotional consequences. Soon, the traumatising event takes over her whole life.<\/p>\n

Code of Silence<\/i><\/em>\u00a0has been praised for its brave stance against sexual abuse in Nigeria, and for sensitively addressing the terrible effects that rape has on its victims.<\/p>\n

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3.\u00a0The Figurine: Araromire (2009)<\/h2>\n

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This Nigerian supernatural thriller is one of the most acclaimed Yoruba\u00a0movies in recent times. It follows the story of two friends who come across a mysterious sculpture in an ancient shrine in the forest.<\/p>\n