Beloved Netflix miniseries “Blood Sisters” released season 2 of the series on the 5th of June. Since its release, there have been conversations on controversial and exciting scenes in the series, but the one that has piqued the most interest has been the conversation on the sex scenes in the series, and the reactions have us wondering, is Nollywood ready for sex scenes in movies, or should those be left for Hollywood?
The Reasons For Pushback Against Sex Scenes in Nollywood
Blood Sisters is not Nollywood’s first attempt to portray sex scenes in a film or TV series, but reactions to it are almost always the same. However, there are reasons the audience is against it. Here are some possible reasons for the pushback:
- Cultural Reasons
In its purest form, Nigeria is a conservative country, and to preserve the cultural and religious values of the large majority in the country, there is pushback against explicit content that directly contradicts traditional and religious morals.
- Lack of Necessity
A large portion of Nollywood’s audience believes that sex scenes do not reflect any important narratives. Many have argued that the sex scenes in films do not represent an advancement in plot, instead it is seen as a way to pander to Western culture.
- Possible Exploitation
Due to the conservative nature of Nigerian society, viewers believe that sex scenes could play a part in the exploitation of the actors. The industry faces off-screen controversy regarding the “sex-for-roles” phenomenon. Some argue that pressure to perform in intimate scenes normalizes unprofessionalism or blackmail.
- Lack of Diverse Media
One of the major reasons for the pushback against sex scenes in Nollywood films is how it exposes the youth in the country to sexual content. While these films are often targeted at adults, in a country where there is barely any media targeted at a younger audience, the inclusion of sex scenes in Nigerian films further limits the media that the younger audience can enjoy.
Will Nollywood Ever Be Ready For Sex Scenes?
Although it is possible Nollywood and its audience may never be ready for the explicit sex scenes and full nudity common in Hollywood, Nollywood is already undergoing a significant transformation regarding on-screen intimacy and sex scenes.
The filmmakers have taken to producing more realistic romantic storylines without introducing explicit sex scenes, and while the viewers have pushed back, in comparison to how it was a decade ago, the new-age audience of Nollywood has become more accepting of sex scenes in Nigerian films.
What do we think?
The pushback against sex scenes in Nollywood regarding the lack of media available for children to watch reflects a need for child-friendly Nollywood films. As Nollywood continues to grow, child-friendly films are becoming increasingly important in the industry, as more people want to go to the cinema to enjoy a film with their underage children. The creation of films for a diverse audience will help take away some of the pushback towards filmmakers who include sexual scenes in their work.
