Traditional Nigerian Dress Culture: Indices for designing historically informed Films of Nollywood

Abstract

Over the years, the connections between dress, individual and collective identities continue to be of interest to scholars and practitioners in the field of art, fashion, textiles and Nigerian entertainment industry. Historically, dress through the ages provides a broad overview of costume traditions of diverse cultures so much beyond the description of what people wore and why; but with detailed descriptions of the obvious variables of nationality, ethnicity, socio-economic status, gender, etc. It also takes into account the geography, climate, occupation, marital status, ideology, historical milieu and its influence on traditional societies. With the inception of Nollywood, the traditional dress culture of Nigeria has reached global viewership and has contributed significantly in showcasing the country's identity and heritage to the outside audiences. But the portrayal of traditional dresses in most of these films do not accurately reflect the historical context and intricacies of Nigerian dress culture due to lack of indepth research in cultural knowledge. This paper therefore aims to provide indices for designing historically informed films in Nollywood, with a specific focus on traditional Nigerian dress. Through an in-depth analysis of historical survey of traditional Nigerian dress culture of seven (7) ethnic regions, between 1960-1970 of Nigerian historical dress practices; the paper seeks to identify key elements and characteristics that can be incorporated into film costume design to create a more authentic representation of traditional Nigerian dress. The paper thus suggests that Nollywood designers should tap into the flux of these diverse traditional dress practices in designing historically informed films. For it is hoped that creating convincing costumes can aid in a holistic understanding of socio-cultural history and identities; no matter the genre, concept or historical setting.