Abstract (The role of cultural and creative industries in regional border management and cross-border mobility in West Africa: the case of Nigeria's Nollywood)
Elavagnon Dorothée Dognon§
Summary: The economic weight of Nollywood has been recognized for over a decade. In 2013, Colleyn (2) said, "the Nigerian video industry is now worth $290 million annually and some 300,000 people make a living from it: 1,200 videos have been produced every year since 2005. " As a result, Nollywood has become the world's third-largest film production hub, after Hollywood and Bollywood. This article aims to elucidate, on the basis of Nollywood, the impact of the film industry on the Niger-Benin border. To achieve this goal, a sample of thirty (30) informants was drawn up, including ten (10) cinema professionals, ten (10) film buffs and ten (10) specialists in development and crisis management linked to the mobility of people and goods, using the following techniques and tools: documentary research (reading sheet), direct observation (observation grid) and interviews (interview guide). Qualitative in nature, this research was based on E. Goffman's (1968) interactionist analysis model, and combined with M. Crozier and E. Friedberg (1977) to analyze the various results obtained. Data processing techniques were manually processed and analyzed using thematic content analysis. Overall, the results show that Nollywood is one of the most widely used means of providing effective solutions to problems linked to mobility and cross-border crisis management between Benin and Nigeria.
Key word : Cultural and creative industries, Cross-border mobility, Safety, Nollywood.
Abstarct: Nollywood's economic clout has been recognized for more than a decade. In 2013, Colleyn (2013: 2) said: " the nigerian video industry now accounts for $290 million annually and some 300,000 people live from it: Since 2005, Nollywood has become the world's third-largest film production center, after Hollywood and Bollywood. This article aims to elucidate, on the basis of Nollywood, the impact of the film industry on the Nigerian-Beninese border. And to achieve this goal, a sample of thirty (30) informants is made up of ten (10) cinema professionals, ten (10) cinephiles, ten (10) specialists in development, crisis management related to the mobility of people and goods, based on the techniques and tools that are: literature search (reading sheet), direct observation (observation grid) and interviews (interview guide). Thus, of a qualitative nature, this research was based on the interactionist analysis model of E. Goffman (1968) and combined with the strategic analysis theory of M. Crozier and E. Friedberg (1977) to analyze the different results obtained. Data processing and retrieval techniques are processed manually and analyzed by the thematic content analysis method. Overall, the results show that Nollywood is one of the most widely used means to provide effective solutions to problems related to mobility and cross-border crisis management between Benin and Nigeria.
Keywords: Cultural and creative industries, Cross-border mobility, security, Nollywood
Introduction
Relations between public authorities and private enterprise in sub-Saharan black Africa are generally characterized by a mistrust of the former on the part of the latter (Zida). This attitude is justified by the absence of clear strategies on the part of governments to develop cultural and creative industries. While this reproach levelled at the State seems to legitimize the precarious state of the cultural and creative industries in African countries, the State, for its part, denies that its role is primarily regulatory (Menard). De facto, the state, while having a certain influence on capital investment, seems to have no regard for the socio-economic relationships that prevail in the cultural and creative industries. The result is a virtual absence of development strategies for the cultural and creative industries in public policy (Tremblay).
In Nigeria, although Nollywood 's appearances show a strong involvement of public authorities in the development of cultural policies, there are conflicting relations between the industrial players in the film industry - the cultural entrepreneurs - and the state, which is accused of ignoring the added value generated by the cultural and creative industries: According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), culture accounted for 1.4% of Nigeria's GDP in 2016, but it could be much more, in a country of almost 200 million inhabitants, especially as it is exported across the continent and through the diaspora. Nollywood is considered the world's second-largest film industry, with 2,500 films produced every year.
These revenues require investments and a legal protection framework that are virtually non-existent in Nigeria (Forest). "Entertainment here was built without any structure, " explains Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, aka "Omo Sexy", founder of Teffest. While the expansion of Beninese cinema surveys the wall of a review (Lelièvre), the Nigerian giant breaks boundaries in an attempt to rise high. Sharing borders with this Nigerian film industry, and with common ethnicities and customs, the Nigerian-Beninese population could benefit from Nollywood 's positive impact on cultural, social and economic development.
But "now is not the time for celebrations", enthuses Efe Omoregbe, manager of superstar 2Face and former director of the national copyright society. "Instead, we need to repair and tackle the serious structural problems in the sector," asserts this "veteran" of Nigerian music . "We live in a culture of intellectual property abuse. Everything seems to point to "Nigeria's atypical dynamism but limited transparency due to the state's lack of interest in the visual arts " (Forest 124). Behind the success of Nollywood , then, we find the harsh realities of the Nigerian cultural industry: in the absence of an appropriate legal framework, cinema and music "made in Nigeria" shine all over the world, but earn little for their authors (Colleyn).
All these findings, highlighting the role of the Nigerian state, make the question of the development of cultural and creative industries in Africa, and more specifically in cross-border mobility, an interesting one.
Broadly speaking, our main question might be: what is the role of public authorities in both countries in the process of producing and promoting cultural industries?
This question raises a number of other issues: are governments fully aware of the role they play in the process of industrializing culture? Or is their lack of understanding of the logic of the cultural and creative industries the reason for their timid intervention?
Our ambition is not to elucidate all these questions, but to shed light on the impact of cultural and creative industries, such as Nollywood, on social, cultural and economic development on the Niger-Benin border.
Methodology
This study focused on Nollywood, one of Nigeria's cultural and creative industries. Nollyood is the future of Nigeria's dream industry, a prolific film market that relies almost exclusively on video.
With 1,770 films produced in 2008, ahead of India and its 800 annual films, Nigerian cinema has earned the nickname "Nollywood", in reference to "Bollywood" and "Hollywood" (Dupré). It is estimated that over 10,000 feature films have been produced and shot on video in Nigeria over the past fifteen years (Forest). The film market is considerable in this English-speaking country, where almost two out of three households own a video player (for VHS, VCD or DVD formats) (Guèvremont et al.).
Indeed, films are no longer consumed in cinemas, but at home, in bars or popular restaurants. In 2001, the figure of 600 films produced each year was already staggering. Since then, the pace of Nigerian audiovisual production has tripled.[1].
According to information gathered from the cooperation and cultural action departments of the French embassy in Abuja, Nigerian action films, which generally combine themes such as jealousy, the tearing apart of polygamous families and witchcraft, are extraordinarily popular in Africa, and not just in English-speaking countries. In fact, these films are broadcast on television in their original version (without dubbing or subtitling) in at least six French-speaking African countries (Dupré).
To carry out this study, a methodology combining the type of research, the description of the survey population, the sample size, the sampling technique and method, and the data collection and processing tools is preferred. It is a mixed-methods study that addresses qualitative aspects.
Given the specific nature of the information to be gathered, and for reasons of time, material and financial constraints, the survey could not be carried out with the entire study population. A sample had to be selected, and the main targets identified were informants made up of ten (10) cinema professionals, ten (10) film buffs, ten (10) specialists in development and crisis management linked to the mobility of people and goods, based on the following techniques and tools: documentary research (reading sheet), direct observation (observation grid), interviews (interview guide). This study was based on E. Goffman's (1968) interactionist analysis model, and combined with M. Crozier and E. Friedberg (1977) to analyze the various results obtained. Data processing techniques are manually processed and analyzed using thematic content analysis.
The Benin-Nigeria border area is polarized by the localities of Sèmè-Kraké, Ifangni-Igolo, Nikki and Sègbèna (Sossou-Agbo). Located in the south-east, in the Ouémé department and on the border with the Cotonou conurbation, Sèmè-Kraké is a major migration hub (Boko). This area extends as far as Kétou, and even as far as Savè. As for the border zone between Benin and Nigeria, from Nikki to Sègbana, this is an area of intense commercial activity and cultural cooperation between peoples living on either side of the border (ABeGIEF). To this end, fieldwork focused on the localities of Sèmè-Kraké, Ifangni-Igolo, Nikki and Sègbèna.
Results
The analyses of results presented here are based on documentary research, interviews and field observations. In particular, they are based on some thirty qualitative interviews.
The players interviewed in both Nations belong to a variety of socio-professional categories, including specialists in local government and government services, customs and cultures.
1. Cultural and creative industries: possible definitions of concepts and issues
The aim is to clarify the concepts of cultural and creative industries, the different issues at stake for African countries and their real impact on cross-border mobility.
1.1 Cultural and creative industries: definitional approach
1.1.1 Cultural industries
We're focusing here on the character of reproducibility in the cultural industries, with an emphasis on technological investment. This consideration leads us to identify three major categories of cultural industries: "the audiovisual industry, which includes the image sector (cinema and television, photography) and the multimedia sector (video games, Internet, computer screens), publishing, with the book and print media sectors, and the music industry, with the disc (CD, DVD, cassettes or MP3 players) or phonogram (sound) sector". (Menard 38). Following Menard's logic, we consider the cultural industries here in the narrowest sense. They cover those sectors of the cultural economy that involve the reproduction of works and large-scale distribution. The term encompasses the film and audiovisual industries, publishing, and the record (and music recording) industry. What these three categories have in common is their production methods and marketing logic. The following diagram illustrates our representation:
Source : Zida 38
For Tremblay Tremblay (37): "There is a cultural industry when the presentation of a work is transmitted or reproduced by industrial techniques". This definition shows that cultural industries can only exist when industrial production techniques are used, authorizing the massive, standardized reproduction of works: books, records and films are recognized, but theater, opera and museum exhibitions are excluded.
Some neo-classical authors, such as Jean-Guy Lacroix, are not satisfied with the various definitions, particularly as regards technological modes of reproduction. For Lacroix, it is above all the transformation of the organization of work that constitutes the fundamental characteristic: these different definitions still do not make it possible to give a definition accepted by all in terms of criteria, or even in terms of components. Unesco initially tried to come up with its own definition, but this is not accepted in scientific circles, since it has only a classificatory value and cannot take the place of a theoretical definition (Zida). What's more, it's a rather broad definition, not based on any criteria. According to Unesco (12), the cultural industries constitute "a sector that combines the creation, production and marketing of goods and services whose particularity lies in the intangibility of their cultural content, generally protected by copyright". This is a very broad definition, encompassing film production, the audiovisual industry, the print publishing industry, multimedia, and even architecture, the performing and plastic arts, cultural tourism, crafts and design, sports, the manufacture of musical instruments, advertising and cultural tourism. Such a definition adds to the confusion and brings us back to the concept of creative industries.
1.1.2 Creative industries
Like the cultural industries, the creative industries have not been able to achieve a consensual definition since their emergence. And UNESCO has been very active in promoting the creative industries, through its "cultural diversity" tools.
The creative industries have emerged in response to both political and economic issues, with a certain consensus around the slogan "creativity". This consensus seems to affect economists, investors, technology enthusiasts, artists and social actors alike, throughcreative industries and thecreative economy (Zida, 2018: 48).
For Bouquillion,
Creativity brings together different artistic, economic, political and social registers. It's a term that reduces the complexity of the social, individualizes it, defines it through economics, insofar as social relations like the human being are viewed through the prism of creativity, which has become the principal "asset" of contemporary individuals, the main component of their "human capital." (40)
The creative industries have thus emerged with "creativity", to repeat, as a consensual tool. They are disputed with the cultural industries and used as a plea to interest all components of society and go beyond cultural protectionism. Legitimizing creativity thus becomes an interesting way of attracting investors into the field, bringing the products of creativity into the economic sphere, in the same way as other market products. The question is: what are the benefits of these goods, which are already at the heart of the economy - for public authorities and for the economy as a whole? Are the cultural industries, whose relationship to the market has been much discussed and reported by many authors, revealing shortcomings in relation to their economic scope? The truth is, in the cultural industries, the word Culture is a nuisance. Culture seems to be limiting, something pure, which some believe should not be alienated, despoiled in contact with the market; this is what the pioneers of the cultural industries concept seemed to defend "body and soul". Even if the technological or industrial character of cultural industries favors their place in the market, as "commodities with the same distribution logics as the others", the symbolic character of culture makes these original products specific, whose exchange value thus becomes relative (Zida). On the other hand, highlighting creativity frees us from any symbolic link, and highlights something open, imaginative, linked only to discovery, and therefore to the advance of modernity.
In short, as much as the cultural industries have been confronted with economic issues, the advent of the creative industries has revealed them even more (Nicolas). The two concepts - cultural industries and creative industries - have a number of points in common: they are economic in nature, they are legitimized by public authorities, and they are creative. Separate use of the two references, cultural industries and creative industries, could add unnecessary confusion. Although cultural character does not stand out in the Unesco definition of either the cultural industries or the creative industries, there is not a great divide between the two concepts in modern usage, even if it must be recognized that the notion of creative industries can replace or even surpass that of cultural industries. Thus, the use of cultural and creative industries would be more appropriate, considered as
sectors of activity whose main purpose is the creation, development, production, reproduction, promotion, distribution or marketing of goods, services and activities with a cultural, artistic and/or heritage content (Unesco 17).
The choice of such a global use of the two concepts gives these sectors a broad field of intervention, keeping cultural symbolism as a key and specific element in the field of economics. Such a definition has the advantage of not trying to play on words such as "industries", or to compare only what is or isn't "cultural", what is or isn't "creative", and so on.
It highlights a global definition with multidimensional stakes, ranging from the economic, cultural or artistic, from creativity or protected work, to market, remuneration or entrepreneurial stakes.
This notion seems to satisfy us, given its broad, all-encompassing criteria, with a dimension of diverse issues that could be of interest to Africa. But what about the understanding of these concepts in Africa?
We prefer the term " cultural and creative industries " when it comes to definition, or when it comes to distinguishing one from the other. In Africa in general, trying to delimit the two concepts would be a pipe dream. Indeed, in Africa, perhaps through ignorance or shorthand, the expression cultural and creative industries is the most widely used (Zida).
1.2 Cultural and creative industries: issues and cultural expressions
The question of culture in the management of the borders of these two states led us to focus our interviews on both Beninese and Nigerian soil.
The cultural and creative industries, for both sides, derive from "individual creativity", "skill" and "talent" and are capable of creating wealth" and "work through the production and exploitation of intellectual property". They combine the creation, production and marketing of "immaterial and cultural content", and are generally protected by "copyright". In other words, the cultural sector is the site of several challenges: "cultural challenges linked to the preservation of diversity", in the face of globalization perceived as a "potential factor of standardization"; "economic challenges", which place African creators in "a position to conquer markets", thus contributing to job creation and the balance of trade.
Indeed, for some, while the economic value of culture is emphasized here, "culture in its diversity cannot be reduced to its economic dimension": it also represents "a powerful factor for social integration and intercultural dialogue in West Africa"; "the diversity of peoples, languages and cultures, and their mobility, have favored the emergence of identities and traditions that create original expression in the most varied media". These traditional resources, still alive today, inspire "a constantly renewed creativity in all fields".
It's clear, then, that artistic creativity and cultural creation can optimize existing human skills and resources, generating understanding and peace - two indispensable conditions for development. Given the impossibility of exhaustively presenting the impact of all the components of the cultural and creative industries on the population of the Niger-Benin border, we have chosen to focus on cinema, and more specifically on Nollywood. For "its power to produce the imaginary" remains an important resource for development. The film industry is one of the most successful cultural industries outside music in Nigeria and Ghana, as well as in other surrounding countries that are benefiting from this boom (fieldwork, 2021). The boom in endogenous video production of feature films is giving "hope to young directors". All of them are now training in digital video; but the problem with this industry is that it remains "concentrated in Nigeria and Ghana, largely dominated by an informal economy that only marginally brings in revenues that can finance cinematographic and audiovisual creation". Among the constraints weighing on the cinema chain, the fieldwork revealed, among other things, "falling cinema attendance and a dramatic decline in the number of cinemas", "a shortage of film production studios and laboratories", and "the virtual non-existence of companies specializing in consulting and financial support for artistic creations".
West Africa's creative potential is well established. However, its benefits "remain marginal because production and distribution infrastructures are still inadequate". Moreover, "the status of the artist is not sufficiently developed and legitimized" and "respect for copyright remains a stumbling block". Another consequence, at least for certain cultural content transmitted by the audiovisual or new media industries, is "the predominance of content from foreign cultural industries, which are more powerful and benefit from much greater amortization capacities", which hardly enables younger generations to appropriate their history and culture. The question of access to a diversity of cultural content remains a sensitive challenge, not only in the context of the multiplication of distribution channels, but also in that of the colonial period, during which heritage, particularly ethnological heritage, was largely appropriated by museums in the North.
Despite these constraints, the potential in West Africa remains immense; which means that thanks to the "quality of filmmakers", "festivals such as FESPACO", the "success of certain African films" and "more proactive national or regional policies", the film industry could develop further, notably by adopting a more appropriate legal and economic framework, by establishing "financial mechanisms" - both public and private - to support "business creation and investment", by setting up "organized and supervised markets", by developing "professional training", by preserving and enhancing "the cinematographic and audiovisual heritage", by engaging in "more ambitious and structuring international cooperation". Today, it is recognized that the development of cultural industries is a shared responsibility: we are witnessing "the emergence of autonomous civil actors operating in the African cultural field, linking artists, works and audiences".
2. Nigeria-Benin cross-border mobility in West Africa and social issues
Analysis of interviews conducted with the population of this cross-border area shows that the current social representation of the area for these actors is first and foremost a representation of strong belonging to an identical social group. On both sides of the border, people like to refer to themselves as "Yoruba-Nago from Benin" or "Yoruba-Nago from Nigeria". This group takes ownership of the area and aims to participate in its management in a variety of ways. Inhabitants identify with the border because it has always been part of their game of actors, their social constructs, their mobility practices and, above all, a stake in terms of economic opportunity.
We also note in the various comments that the border is never evoked as a barrier, but as an interface. It is a link between the different social groups present. It is intensely experienced in practice, and is crossed daily and several times a day by the same people. The main reasons are socio-cultural before commercial and economic, and the search for complementary services. Visiting family and attending social, cultural and traditional events (weddings, traditional celebrations, funerals, etc.) account for more than 60% of the reasons for travel. It is very common to find members of the same family on both sides of the border. Marriages, for example, are celebrated on both sides of the border, uniting the two localities. As for the use of services, these include banking, social services (schools, health) and cultural services, for which exchanges are highly integrated. Residents choose between the two towns to satisfy their needs, their apprehension of the quality of the service or simply its availability. Residents use each other's health services and send their children to school. These interrelationships contribute to the social integration of populations, thanks to proximity and mobility.
These elements are also part of the affective, cultural and economic affirmation of shared spatial appropriation.
3. The film industry in the management of the Niger-Benin border
Culture plays both "a socio-educational role" and "a communicative role". To this end, the cultural and creative industries play a role in regulating social tensions and aspirations, and in evacuating and channelling the overflow of anxieties, for which art is the preferred means of expression. "The work of art establishes an emotional, mental and historical link between members of a community who identify with ways of being, thinking and acting"; it is "a powerful factor in social integration and intercultural dialogue". Finally, artistic creation and cultural innovation are "a central element of democratic life", of a community's "living together", and of the ability to imagine its future, through citizen participation. In this way, artistic creativity and cultural creation optimize existing human skills and resources, generating the understanding and peace that are essential to inter-community development.
For the authorities and cultural specialists we met and interviewed, Nigeria is "a cultural force in Africa. Its US$600 million "Nollywood" film industry is the world's second-largest in terms of volume. Nigeria's music and fashion industries rank first in the country's cultural exports, according to the various interviewees.
For both sides, the cultural and creative industries play a major role in the Federal Government of Nigeria's policy of economic diversification. Its growth in recent times has been remarkable, particularly in the film industry, considered "the largest national employer after the agricultural sector" according to Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Nigeria's Minister of Information and Culture.
And "Since submitting its report in 2012 to UNESCO", Nigeria has made significant progress, particularly in developing measures to strengthen cultural expressions within the film sector; Ojoma Ochai signified.
Respondents showed that Nigeria's extreme audiovisual productivity - with 35 films released every week - contrasts with the small number of French-language productions.
According to one respondent, while Nigeria has made virtually no artistic contribution to major festivals over the past fifteen years, it has had the merit of rising to a challenge where French-speaking African countries have not dared to step forward: providing local images, telling popular stories close to a low-income audience, while using very modest means of production.
By flouting international standards, Nigeria has succeeded in creating a highly active, self-sufficient production sector which, according to field data, generates a number of direct and indirect jobs. Today, the Nigerian film sector represents a pillar that could lead the inhabitants of cross-border localities, while working, to wall themselves in their culture; and in so doing convey a message of peace and living together.
Discussion
In West Africa, the diversity of peoples, languages and cultures, and their mobility, have fostered the emergence of identities and traditions that have given rise to original expression in a wide variety of media (Diapol). These traditional resources, still alive today, inspire constantly renewed creativity in all fields. But the cultural potential is as great as it is under-exploited: the rich pool of talented artists is unable to break through in the face of the demands of an international market; an inestimable number of outlets remain unused for lack of means and resources; a burgeoning of initiatives in the informal sector is not yielding results (Kane).
At a global level, the emergence of a genuine cultural economy presupposes the existence, within societies, of an environment conducive to the mastery of this economy (IOF). At a sectoral level, it presupposes the existence of a cultural milieu, with creators of course, but also financiers, technical agents, distribution and dissemination circuits, and mediators to make works known (Ndour).
Analysis of the Benin-Nigeria cross-border mobility relationship refers to approaches in terms of proximity and the permeability of these borders.
1. Cross-border population mobility and social factors
In the Benin-Nigeria border areas, cross-border mobility is intense. Pendular, short and/or long term, these mobilities are linked to family, professional, economic, health and school reasons (Igué and Zinsou-Klassou).
At family level, dozens of people cross the border every day to visit relatives and/or take part in socio-cultural ceremonies (Walther, 2007). This mobility is linked to strong family ties and inter-community solidarity between border populations. Mobility is also linked to educational reasons: Beninese villages receive learners from Nigeria. The reverse journey is made daily by Beninese children who have been excluded from the school system and/or whose parents have a preference for English-language education.
In addition, border populations use health facilities on both sides of the border. These movements are in line with the logic of border populations, who use the border according to their needs and the opportunities offered. Border populations also make daily trips to rural and urban border markets (Sossou-Agbo). People buy goods on both sides of the border, depending on availability, purchase price and proximity. Mobility also concerns cross-border workers, in both directions.
2. The role of the cultural and creative industries in managing the borders of the two states
2.1 The impact of the cultural and creative industries on the population
Because of the triple nature of culture (artistic, economic and social, and their impact) on development, cultural industries occupy an increasingly important place in our society. Music, cinema, literature and the graphic arts are a real force for consolidating the societal bond between the two nations. Indeed, cultural industries not only contribute to the socio-cultural life and economic development of a country, but also constitute an important lever in international ideological, cultural and economic competition (Peng).
In socio-cultural terms, culture is fundamentally "the analysis we make of society. The part played by dreams, imagination... is fundamental to personal fulfillment". (Peng 9). It is therefore the expression of the human spirit. It is the ambassador of its creative forces. It embodies respect for roots and identity, as well as the desire to invent, surprise and surpass oneself. Culture is therefore at the heart of a society, of a country, and constitutes the wealth of humanity (Clément).
Cultural industries, by providing access to culture for wider populations, by disseminating cultures to the most remote places, by preserving cultures in more accessible and better preserved forms, by stimulating the creative vitality demanded by increased needs, remarkably promote the transmission and prosperity of a country's culture (Peng). As a result, they exert an important influence on the socio-cultural development of society. Their impact is particularly perceptible in the field of social cohesion and the integration of marginalized groups (Ropivia), the affirmation of creativity, talent and excellence (Nicolas), the development of cultural diversity, national identity and different cultural groups (Unesco), and the encouragement of creation and innovation (Unesco 7).
Moreover, cultural industries, unlike other manufacturing industries, often represent a crucial issue for jobs, particularly skilled jobs and jobs for young people, which are always a key concern for national and local authorities (Miège). In Nigeria, the exploits of "Nollywood" are evidence of steady job growth in the cultural sector, which is relatively more resilient to negative economic cycles (Filippi).
Today, French cultural enterprises employ 670,000 people, i.e. 2.5% of national employment. Architecture, heritage and the visual arts account for a third of jobs, while audiovisual and advertising agencies account for just over a quarter (Peng).
The knock-on effect of the cultural industries also has a multiplier effect on job creation in other sectors, such as tourism and catering(MCC 5).
Finally, cultural industries, based on clean, renewable resources such as knowledge, technology and know-how, can make a major contribution to the sustainable development of cities, enabling harmonious development between society and the environment.
In economic terms, the contribution of cultural industries to economic development and their role in economic restructuring is particularly noteworthy.
Since the 21st century, the cultural industries have become one of the most dynamic segments of the global economy, according to UNESCO's 2009 review and assessment, which shows that the creative sector accounts for 7.3% of global GDP, with an average growth rate in international trade of around 8.7% over the period 2000-2005 (UNCTAD 4). These trends, combined with changes stemming from an increased economic and consumer environment, are increasingly evident. According to the report published in March 2016 by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, despite the global recession, global trade in cultural goods doubled between 2004 and 2013.
Finally, at regional or local level, cultural industries help revitalize and promote the brand image of cultural and creative cities, and attract businesses and investments that are vital for sustainable economic development (Clément).
In terms of international influence, the cultural industries, with the dissemination of national goods, services and cultural know-how within the country and abroad, offer a good means of developing national influence and influence internationally (Miège). This is why many developed countries have identified cultural industries as a major challenge and a priority strategy for strengthening their power of influence.
2.2. The Nollywood phenomenon
Cinema is an art in which all the other arts can be found (Creton). To this end, speaking of film industries in Africa, Forest notes that four areas and two countries stand out: "two countries stand out: South Africa, which remains the only country with a highly structured industry; and Nigeria, with its atypical dynamism but limited transparency due to the State's lack of interest in the visual arts." (Forest 124)
Nollywood's economic weight has been recognized for over a decade. In 2013, Colleyn (2) said, "the Nigerian video industry is now worth $290 million a year, and some 300,000 people make a living from it: 1,200 videos have been produced every year since 2005." As a result, Nollywood has become the world's third-largest film production hub, after Hollywood and Bollywood.
In just a few years, Nigeria's film industry has become the world's3rd largest producer, after India and the United States. Produced in record time (two weeks, on average), in very precarious technical conditions, by untrained "filmmakers", the videos are produced in English and the country's main languages and, where applicable, are rooted in a specifically Nigerian soil, that of Yoruba street theater, mixed with various influences (Brazilian telenovelas, Indonesian horror films). They deal with popular themes (the hazards of daily life, AIDS, corruption, witchcraft, old tales, etc.) and are a runaway success in Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Togo and Benin, but also among the Nigerian diaspora, notably in the USA, the Caribbean and the UK. For this diaspora, Nollywood is an opportunity to rediscover an authentic Africa, through its religions, rituals and ceremonies.
The whole industry was set up with no professional structure, no film school and no public support. The home-video economy rests on the shoulders of private producers(marketers) who also act as distributors, distributing cassettes via the very dynamic network of ibo merchants. It's fair to say that the future of Nigeria's film industry is extremely promising, provided that a new culture of professionalism is fostered, and that there is clear state intervention to regulate the economic and cultural environment to some extent, as well as to build capacity.
For young videographers, Nollywood is a self-centered development model that doesn't need outside funding, and thus escapes formatting by Northern expectations(ACS).
Based on the example of Nollywood, we can see that culture plays both a socio-educational and a communicative role. Artistic creation assumes a function of regulating social tensions and aspirations, of evacuating and channelling the overflow of anxieties for which art is the privileged place of expression (Lazzaro and Lowies). From this we deduce that the work of art establishes an emotional, mental and historical link between the members of a community who identify with ways of being, thinking and acting; it is a powerful factor in social integration and intercultural dialogue. Finally, artistic creation and cultural innovation are central to democratic life, to a community's "vivre-ensemble" and to the ability to imagine its future, through citizen participation.
If Nigeria's economic success through " Nollywood " represents an example for other African countries, its position with Benin is an asset for settling several identity conflicts.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the support of the Film Office of the former Direction de l'Audiovisuel Extérieur, has encouraged quality Nigerian production. This achievement in the cultural and creative industry demonstrates the vitality of Nigerian cinema, and is an asset for cross-border social cohesion between Benin and Nigeria.
3. SWOT analysis of the importance of the cultural and creative industries for both countries
| Assets | Weaknesses |
| - Peace and relative stability in the region; - Rich and diversified cultural resources; - Local cultural activities as a significant source of income in the fight against poverty; - Numerous and enduring cultural festivals in each state; - Existence of dynamic cultural operators and entrepreneurs; - Pool of artists and creators (music, cinema and audiovisual); - Richness and diversity of cultural associations and other civil society organizations. | - Lack of structure in most sectors - informal sector still very present; - Low level of quality of cultural products and services; - Lack of objectively verifiable common indicators to measure the social and economic impact of culture - consequently; - Lack of reliable and verifiable statistics; - Lack of cultural policy strategy in most countries; - Lack of coordination of cultural activity between states; - Institutional instability of authorities in charge of culture; - Lack of specialized and adequately trained human resources; - Lack of support for the financing of cultural industries and weakness of public/private partnerships; - Lack of recognition of the social status of the artist; - Low economic visibility of the cultural sector; - Obsolescence, international inadequacy and absence of many infrastructures (performance halls, filming and recording studios, etc.); - Untapped potential of the cultural sector.); - Untapped potential of cultural industries; - Lack of institutional frameworks and well-trained professionals; - Insufficient and inadequate training in culture; - Cultural entrepreneurship still in its infancy. |
Source: field survey February 2021
| Opportunities | Threats |
| - Vast territory to develop a sub-regional cultural market; - Proximity assets of the cultural sector (activities, jobs); - Linguistic cultural areas favorable to artistic creation; - Progressive awareness of the economic and social interest of culture as a development tool. - Progressive awareness on the part of governments of the role of culture as a tool for social cohesion and in the fight against poverty; - Interest in greater visibility of culture (cultural statistics); - Possibility of using IT functionalities for the development of the cultural sector; - Strong activity in the creation, production and dissemination of certain sectors (e.g. : cinema or music) thanks to civil society players and private entrepreneurs; - Significant employment potential in each member state in the field of cultural industries; - Strong demand for training and support for professionalization; - Willingness to group together and begin organizing partnerships and exchanges between cultural professionals in the sub-region. | - Lack of awareness, continuity and synergy in the cultural action of those in charge; - Persistent lack of financial resources to support cultural initiatives and enterprises; - Lack of regular field surveys to take account of the informal sector in data intended for statistics - and moreover unreliable statistics due to the lack of adequate mechanisms; - Not always efficient management of cultural resources and funding at national level; - Increasing piracy of artistic works and lack of coordinated action to protect intellectual property; - Decline of many cultural values and traditions; - Invasion of standardized cultural products (music, audiovisual and ICT); - Lack of training and support for players and entrepreneurs; - Persistence of the informal sector and lack of industry structure. |
Source: field survey February 2021
In conclusion, a cross-analysis of the stakes and the current state of culture in the Benin-Nigeria area, on the one hand, and the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities on the other, reveals three essential trends:
- Cultural diversity is an asset from both a social and an economic point of view. Cultural resources can serve as a valuable foundation in political spheres, in education and training, and in technological and economic applications;
- However, the difficulty both countries have in identifying the active interrelationships between culture and other sectors of economic and social activity, undermines the weight of culture in the assessment of potential resources to drive development and the blossoming of populations. To reverse this trend, the two States need support at sub-regional level to unite their efforts to build a stable economy in harmony with meaningful cultural expressions such as cinema;
- The dynamic creativity of cultural players, the availability of young people and women, and the interest of technical and financial partners involved in development policies and programs, are the key to the success of this joint cultural development policy for the benefit of both states. And Nollywood is an asset for drawing on both cultural sources, with the creation of many jobs for the common good.
The specific nature of the cultural industries in Africa in general, and on the Niger-Benin border in particular, is just as revealing, given the cultural and socio-economic context of the two countries. However, these industries are evolving in a complex environment: different levels of development in different sectors; weak policies to support the market, which is nonetheless in competition; relationships between players skewed by mistrust; little consideration given to new players and fields - creativity and digital technology - in order to capitalize on global distribution and broadcasting opportunities, and so on. Faced with all these constraints, and capitalizing on the potential of the cultural and creative industries that already exists, shouldn't public authorities see their role as one of "nudging" the market, rather than interfering with it?
Conclusion
This field of research on the Niger-Benin border has not had many previous studies. But the subject seemed to us to be an interesting one, because of the relationships that exist between the actors, leading us each time to questions that could be developed and enriched later by other studies. For this reason, the last point was devoted to a SWOT analysis to highlight essential elements that public authorities in both countries should take into greater consideration, in this context where cultural and creative industries are set to become leading-edge industries (Sossou-Agbo). From this article, several other areas of interest could be developed.
Although it touched on certain aspects of these areas of interest, this study did not go into enough detail to answer all our questions, which could subsequently be taken into account in relation to the future development of cross-border cultural and creative industries in Africa. All in all, despite some shortcomings of which we are aware, this work remains one that we wanted to be structured, as distanced as possible from the games and perceptions of the players, of which we are also a part, in order to give an account of the realities of the cultural industries in general and Nollywood in particular.
Nigeria is a cultural force in Africa. Its creative industry plays a major role in the Federal Government of Nigeria's policy of economic diversification (Forest). Its recent growth has been remarkable, particularly in the film industry, which is considered the country's largest employer after the agricultural sector (Colleyn). However, the industrial and commercial film chains in Africa are not complete, forcing many filmmakers to carry out laboratory work abroad.
In short, the Nollywood model, while difficult to export, is a model that is being emulated and has been at the heart of economic debates in the film industry for several decades now. The key to solving industry problems is to create a local market, a prerequisite for profitability.
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How to cite this article:
MLA : Dognon, Elavagnon Dorothée. "The role of cultural and creative industries in regional border management and cross-border mobility in West Africa: the case of Nigeria's Nollywood. Uirtus 1.2 (December 2021): 502-527.
§ University of Abomey-Calavi (Benin), [email protected]
[1] Note by Mr Robert Minangoy, former regional audiovisual attaché at the French Embassy in Lagos